The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-07-31
The Yellow Fever.

Reports from Memphis represent the con-
dition of that plague stricken city as far
from encouraging, tho ugh the hope is en-
tertained that the comparatively small
number left as food for the disease, may
have the effect of lessening its Violence
For the week ending Sunday there had been
Il deaths, of which SO were from the yellow
fever and 10 from pernicious and malarial
fever. The census Of the city was completed
on Monday. The resultshows the popula-
ton to be 1G, 110-whites, 1888 colored,
1882; adults, 10. G51, children, $3.50. Nine
thousand, seven hundred and forty-three
have had the fever, leaving six thousand,
three hundred and sixty-seven susceptible
to the disease. A death has occurred from
yellow fever in New Orleans, and quaran-
tines against that city have been established.
Memphis refugees are sick in St. Louis, Gin
cinnati. New York and other places and sew
eral deaths have occurred. The alarm over
the extended spread of the plague, seems to
involve the entire South, and many localities
of the other sections. Vigorous measures
are being adopted to prevent the harboring
of infected persons, and in some instances
cruel eXpedients have been resorted to. DR..
Fl. c. Collins, the inspecting officer, whom
a vigilance committee compelled to flee from
Lagrange, Tenn, walked from Moscow to
Buntyn Station, q distance of Thirty three
miles, without food, as at every station he
passed he was met by armed men who
warned him to proceed on his journey. An
Circumstance of the fear Of the people in the
adjacent country of the fever being brought
into their midst, is given in the case OIL. C.
Wehrum, who died last Friday of yellow fe-
yer at Lucy station, twelve miles north of
Memphis, on the Paducah railroad. Wehrum
hadfled from the city six days previous to
his being taken i'll, but the disease had been
contracted before leaving, and he sickened
and died. A hearse, with a metallic coffin,
was sent for hisremains, and was returning
to Memphis when the driver and the young
man having the remains in charge were m ct
three miles from Lucy Station, by masked
men, who ordered the hearse to be driven
to point about half a mile south, in the
Htchie-River bottom, where these masked
men compelled the young man and the
colored driver to dig a grave and bury the
remains. The men would not listen to
the protests Of the two, but threatened to
kill them both if they not obey their COM
mands. They gave as their reason for this
inhuman conduct that the dead body, al
though encased in metallic coffin, was
liable to spread the disease all along the
road from Lucy to Memphis. A man named
Patrick Kelley, living in the house OF Rob
ert Good, was stricken with fever. A ply
sician was called in and prescribed for the
sick man, and gave positive orders that he
must not be removed, as the life of the
patient depended on his being kept quiet.
The next morning, to his horror. the doc
tor ascertained that Good had elected the
sick man from his dwelling, thr owing him
into the street. Kelley died.
The latest intelligence from the plague
stricken city is of more favorable charac-
ter, the number of deaths having diminished
and the city being under thorough police
control.