The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-26

the most prominent figures ut your Evangelical
Alliance. and more lntely ut the grcat Edin-
burgh Conference OF last summer. man hon
Ored greatly ut home and abroad for his lenrn-
ing and admirable personal character. should DO
guilty Of such crime than that this genial ply
stefan should be guilty of it-a physician who has
risked his life over aud over again in yellow
fever epidemics. leaving n luxurious home in "a
TAR on city TO 20 down among the stricken. with
out reward OF any sort except the cons iousness
Of q self imposed duty that was we'll performed.
When he was hardly twonty years old and
Just graduated from the Medical College. the
great cholera epidemic Of 1896 was ravaging
Kentucky. Villages were almost dcpOpu lated
fed. and the other two diod tho. same night
Young DR.. Blackburn volunteered his services
and worked faithfully until tho last case had
disappeared from the town There were sew
eral like instances Of self-sacrncing devotion
during tho next, thirty years OF his, life;
but tho Doctor talks little OF these dcodR
In the interval before the war broke out
he had given up his profession, had mar
ried Southern hciress. and Ind settled
down on n Mississippi plantation. ! think he
was attached to ono Of tue Confederate regi-
ments during tho war. but In 1864 when yellow
fever broke out I'm Bermuda. no volunteered to
go there, He remained until tho end. and was
rewarded by special recognition from Queen
Ictofia medal from th Ii,,i AM ad
II was at the time OF this epidemic that the
charge above referred to WIS made against him.
The Doctor was down from Louis vile before store
tho news had fairly been promulgated. and
appeared In the epidemic OF 1873 he was
again prompt in Offering his services. and you
will remember the picture that was printed In
Hd,pe''s at the timo. of the old Doctor seated by
paiient's cot, holding the thin hand in his
and bending over TO catch the dying word. |
don't know how good physician he is but |
fancy the secret Of his cures rests AS much In
his untailing cheeriulness as in the medicines
he gives.
When Memphis was again stricken last sum
mer the Doctor hnstened tQ his old post. But
the disease spread into southern Kentucky. and
the Doctor came back into his own State The
stranger coming here from the North will be
struck with this intense State feeling. and will
thon understand why this son Of Kentucky felt
compelled to give up his patients in Tennessee
70 succOr those beyond the border. At any rate.
he went 10 Hickman. and WAS almost the only
physician living there at the end. How he has
escaped when 30 many Of his profession have
fallen at his side. he does not know; but am
very sure that tho old man would not abate n
particle OF his enthusiasm at tho next epidemic,
II he felt TINT the fever would then at last ella M
him ns lis own. He came back from Hickman
after the iross, and on the evening that he
reached the city was summoned TO the parlors
of tho Gait House, There WIS a brilliant COM
pany Of lad, - and gentlemen. One Memphis
gentleman stepped forward and presented 90
tho Doctor u handsome gold medal, studded
with diamonds. and thus inscribed;