The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-22
FROM STRICKEN MEMPHIS.
Scenes i'm the Silent City Graph
ically Described.
The Dark and the Bright Sides Held Ul
to View.


The object of this letter is simply to give
view of affairs in this unfortunate city
from every standpoint, showing the dark
side, the bright side, and both sides at
once.
THE DARK SIDE
is that usually looked upon by those whose
interest make them so blind that they can
view no other Among these-to use no
parliality-are the newspaper correspond
ents, who though they may contine them
selves to facts, manage to dress them up In
brilliant yellow plumage and give them an
air that is far from natural. Scenes and in
cidents that are of no earthly interest to
Memphians at home, and are consequently
treated very lightly by the Memphis jour
nails, give food for the most sensational
headlines in Northern papers, cause the
uninitiated to have a wild and distorted
idea of our everyday life and fill the minds
of absent Memphians with horror and the
gloomiest anticipations of homecoming in
the fall.
Writing in this strain, as one with tor,
pid liver, fit beginning would be: The
wall of stricken city goes forth through
the land for her brave sons are stricken
low by the relentless hand of the gaunt and
ghastly yellow death. The mournful cry
of the widow and orphan, reft OF their last
hope by the pitiless destroyer, goes forth
to swell the call for charity; to appeal tc
the big heart OF the rich and opulent
North for aid in this their extremity. The
silent and deserted streets, the deserted
landing, the absence Of the noisy whistle Of
the locomotive, the silent carriage OF the
dead moving along unattended, all tell us
that death and desolation reign supreme.
The city is still guarded by troop Of
military, whose services are needed to pro
tect the property Of the absent citizens
from the jimmy and the torch, a troop Of
mounted horsemen patrol the outskirts to
keep out the horde of people who would
otherwise flock in to plunder the deserted
city and the iremen sleep with their
horses, ready at an iustant's warning to fly
to the scenespf conllagration. The Presi-
dent of the Howard Association is doing
HODle WUrk lOr uS III lut NOltu, ana HIS
colleagues at home working night and day
to relieve the sick, console the dying and
bury the dead. The most touching scenes
are of daily occurrence and fill the very
soul of the spectator with horror Incl
dents, such as the following, are too fire.
quently known
On one silent and starless night, as your
correspondent was making his way home
ward in street car, he was attracted by
the voice of woman-the only other pas
senoer--in conversation with the driver.
From it he learned that the woman was on
her wav to a back street, situated near the
outskirts of the city, where she was to take
charge of family, all down with yellow
fever, as nurse. Struck with her lonely,
desolate appearance, your correspondent
snranp from the car after her and offered
his assistance. The surroundings and her
figure, too, were enough to move any
heart that had a spark OF compassion in it.
There she stood, ir the sickly light of the
street lamp, her arms laden with bundles
of medicine or nouriShment for the sick
family, her garments futtering wildly in
the NIGHT wind, while an involuntary shud-
der shcok her frame as she turned her gaze
down the street she would be obliged to
mass. which looked as black as a VOLTS
mouth. She eagerly accepted the offer OF
assistance, and after a walk or rather
tyrone" of several blocks, at last stood be-
fore a cottage which she informed her guide
was her destination. After valnly endeavor-
ing to open the gate he was compelled to
halloo. A lapse of several minutes fol-
lowed, when a faint CLEAN OF light was
seen to issue from under the door, which
soon afterward opened, revealing a wan
and wasted form scantily robed in white,
holding fiickering lamp in one hand while
the other held the door ajar. Having
ushered the poor womap in, your cores
pondent turned his steps homeward in
dulging by the way in thoughts of the un-
stability.of human affairs in general and
the sad lot of this poor woman in partlcu-
lar, who, at that time, seemed to him the
living personifcation Of sweet charity.
There was, however, a bright side to even
this picture to be shown further on.
The office of the Board of Health contn-
ues to be sort of rendezvous, the words
New Cases" and Deaths being the bur-
den of all conversation. The papers have a
standing headline of the ominous words
.sYelloW Fever" under which is placed the
death and new case list. Very little COM
ment is INDUCED in, and life in Memphis is
80 dull and monotonous that enough news
can not be collected 10 fill the half sheet to
which all the papers have been reduced. A
little weekly circular called the ''Squib' is
distributed gratis, and contains some very
good things. Its object is to aid in support
ing established authority. The part OF the
morning papers formerly devoted to river
news was located on the half sheet that has
been discontinued, and is consequently no
more. Indeed, there is nothing in that
line for publication. The mighty Missis-
appi rolls on in silent majesty, but seems
to have forgotten that such city as Mem
phis yet exists The stately steamers are
borne rapidly by on the never ceasing tide,
pass out of sight as silently as they came,
utterly ignoring the silent city of the Bluffs.
Even the once CHEEKY whistle of the re-
manning tug has hollow and discordant
Bound, but too like the hoarse cry of the
coal-black raven, ominous bird of Death
Another incident occurred during last
night calculated to fill gloomy mind with
the most unhappy thoughts. The night
was as dark as Erebus, but was made more
cheerful by the long lines of freshly lighted
lamps. Suddenly and without warning
every light was extinguished and a heavy
pail of ffmpenetrable darkness fell over the
entire city. But too typical OF the fearful
Scourge!