Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-16
LEPROSY.
1syssr1cAT ION OF TIE CASE OF LEE YEP,
NOW IN THIS CITY.
The Lcathsome Cesspool in Which He Is
Located-A Description of Ills
Present Condition-Etc


of the case of Ieprosy recently reported to the
Board of Health, and in relation to the all
important question as to the prospects of his
removal from the city, representative of the
RECORD UNION, in company with Mayor
Turner and Lee Young, Chinese interpreter
for the Police Court made visit to the
locality given as his place of secluSion, and
inspected the unfortunate object and his
worse than outrageous condition and sur
roundings. The loathsomeness of the place
where he exists flor he does not live) is even
more abhorrent and sicllening than the incur
able malady with which he is inflicted. The
location is lust north of [ street, on the west
side Of Third, over the edge of that portion OF
China slough cut off by the new Third street
road to the depot, and underneath the old,
rotten, tumble-down, pestiferous rookery
known rs the
RESIDENCE OF Z. FAIRCHILB,
a large property owner in the Chinatown tene-
meuts, and who is under arrest for violation
of the health ordinance in relation to his
premises. The opening under the building
where the Chinaman stays is but portion OF
it high enough to admit a person standing
erect, and the entire appearance was that
board Enclosures partial inclosures-but
which do not sufficiently approach that term
to be called rooms-in one of which the stand
ing water over the area, covered with thick
green putrid scum and decaying vegetation,
formed the foor and upon one side, about
foot and a half above this seething liquid
putrifaction, three or four boards were ar
ranged for his sleeping apartments, and
on them an old brussels rug formed
his mattress, and couple of gray horse
blankets for covering completed his bed
The only method of getting to the bunk is by
walking a board, which he has arranged
leading from the entrance to the elevation
where he sleeps With the exception of the
sleeping facilities described, AMI an old stew
pan on the outside-but which had no APP
pearance of having been used for months
and a heap of old rags, which evidently had
been gathered as paper rags, there was no
appearance that any one made the place
habitation. There was no evidence OF fire
having been used, nor of cooking utensils, nor
dish Of any kind whatever, and yet this is
where
THIS oUTcAST
Stays, and in some manner manages to con-
tilue his dying condition. The interpreter
was asked where the poor fellow cooked
or ate anything, and he looked about
a half moment and then replied, "Oh,
he gets along some way That probably
is the only manner in which it can
be described When we reached the
place and went underneath, the Chinaman,
whose name is Lee Yep, remained out of
sight uVtil the interpreter called him, when
he came before us, but keeping, of his own
motion, at little distance away The first
appearance of his disease, he approached,
was that of his face and eyes, his face having
a full and pulled look, as if he had been
drinking hard. and the skin about the cheeks
and forehead had peeling, scaly appearance,
as if from sunburn, while his eyes are filed
with water, ands lower lids droop. He had
some
OLD STOCKINGS on HIS HANDS,
Which ne removed and gave view of the
stronger work of the disease. All the fingers
and thumb OF the right hand are gone back
to the middle joints, and they have. become
healed so that no active appearance of the
disease is present, and it might readily be
mistaken rs resulting from amputation. The
work of the disease upon the left hand, how
ever, is much different and gives vivid i'm
preston of the malady. The fingers and
thumb of that hand are also minus beyond
the middle joint, except the index finger,
which is still whole, but apparently will soon
! follow the example OF the others. The end
Of the finger st.Ibs on this hand are more or
less marked with redeemed spots and
scALY EXCREsCENCES,
| While the last joints Of the fingers have large
opening cracks much resembling salt rheuIn,
but some of them are an eighth OF an inch or
more in depth and three-fourths OF an inch in
length, extending on to the back of the hand.
This is no doubt the preliminary or advance
movement of the terrible disease for taking
off the remaining stubs al their junction with
the hand, which he thinks is only a
matter Of time for accomplishment. He is
at present very lame in his feet having
lost portion of all his toes and where the
transforming process Is still active. The rest
of his person, he says, is not outwardly
affected by it, although the disease greatly
weakens the entire body. He stated through
the interpreter that he supposes it is hered
itary, and the interpreter gave it as his view,
| from knowledge of the disease as seen in
China, that most cases of it come from hered
isary faint. The present case first made its
/ appearance some seven or eight years ago
while he was working for gardener near this
I city. He said the first symptom was a trouble
about his heart, and after a time his head
also became affected. Then followed the
/ spocs AID eruption upon the fingers and toes
which
GREW WORSE AND WORSE,
But slowly, until finally they became lifeless
at the ends, and came off Joint at time
:
has been but very little constitutional dis
turbance for two years past, and while he
! says he is too enfeebled to work much, even
if he had hands and feet TO do so, he Is not
suffering much from pain.
The interpreter explained to him that the
1 Board of Health were taking action in his
case. and wished to remove him from his
/ present place aud outside the city as soon as
possible lie replied that he could get away
I 1 ! l, r.
/ to three hundred dollars loaned out to China
! town merchants and others, which he cannot
/ get in before that time, but within that pc
/ riod he will go away Of his own accord.
/ When asked where he would go, he said he
would return 20 China, if the steamer would
take him, but if not, he would 80 somewhere
ese. In reply 20 question by the Mayor
| he didn't think he could get away sooner
/ than stated, unless compelled to so.
After leaving Lee Yep, a merchant on !
street who represents the Sun-Sing branch
of the general company to which Lee Yep
/ belongs, was visited and conyersed with by
! the Mayor rs 20
PROSPECTS, or THE MANS REMOVAL,
( And he replied that he ought to be removed,
but thought the matter better be referred to
! the Quong Hong Hi branch of the company
I Another merchant, further up street, who
represents that branch, was accordingly yis-
/ tied. who stated, through the interpreter,
/ that he was willing TO do all that could be
| done for his being taken to some other place.
that Lee Yep heretofore had not been willing
to 90, but the interpreter informed him that he
was now, and advised him to have steps
taken for his removal as soon as possible
While the Chinese seem to regard the disease
of leprosy not as contagious nor dangerously
infectious, still they are, generally speaking,
extremely timid of going where it exists, and
two or three, who speak the English Ian
guage sufficiently to act as Interpreters, re-
fused to accompany the party for that pur-
pose on the occasion of this visit.
The ROBBERY CAsE-In the robbery case
mentioned yesterday, in which the purse of
Pancho, the ice-cream seller, was taken by
young hoodlums on Third street, George Nc
Clintock, aged IS, it has been aScertained, was
the one that committed the robbery, and he
is now in the police Jail. Abe Livingston,
aged II, who aided in the affair, is also taken
in for hearing. Charles Wohlck, who was
at first taken into custody upon representa-
tons of young McClintock, has since been
released
SHRvELED GRAIy-A. s. Hopkins, of
this city, returned from Colusa county yes
terday He brought with him large num-
Der Of samples Of growing grain. He says
that one half the crop in Colusa and north