The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-09-03
THE LEPERs' HONE.
Men and Women Waiting for Death to
gN End Their Lives.

#A# 4-#& #A@H- Es#@ a@@f4 #4th
A correspondent Of the Philadrlphia
Times has been visiting the Hospital dc
ssu Lazaro. At Havana, the Home OF the
lepsrs rhis ancient and terrible disease
finds many victims among the lov-caste
Cubans and poverty stricken Chinese. and
il reaches It's gauut fingers into bet.er soci-
ETY. sometimes. Leprosy il either inherited
or induced by poor food. and especially the
eating of stale fish. Il seems to be fish
eaters disease, In fact, seldom prevailing
at any great distance from the sea. h
Leprosy, IN seen In the West Indies, ia
simply dry-rot. The soul Of man 10
imprisoned in his body long after be Is. to
all inteuts and purposes. dead, and. with
All his mental faculties intact, be must en-
dure the gradual falling apart of his earth
ly tenement. awaiting With what philoso-
ply he may the hour whom the cancerous
agent shall touch vital point. This may
not occur for many years; 1t may happen
on the morrow. The traditions OF ths hos
pital do not point to any individual case Of
cure whereby the patient may gain ever 30
faint hope. 1t might well be inscribed
over the portal:
"Let those who enter here leave all hope
behind" t5@"#
The correspondent says:
There we're five Of us in the party which
drove out through the hot streets toward
the forbidding suburb facing the sea-Dr.
Burgess, an American resident physician
and U. s. Sanitary Officer; IN invalid doc
tor from Hartford, and three Journalists.
San Lazaro is located just wherein more
modern city. we might look for big and
prosperous hotel. II looks out across
few low houses upon the fair prospect ef
the harbor's mouth, and the sea sends Its
unfettered waves straight In from the
northward, dashing up the spfAy almost to
its walls. The place was founded by phil
anthropic Spaniard within trifie OF 2oo
years ago and was restored in 1878. A ho-
eral beauest Of neighboring properly has
always afforded m ample revenue for It's
support, but within = short time this gsv-
eminent has converted portion OF its prop
erty. and, ~ one of the officials OF the in
stitution remarked, matters we're "not 20
good" ~
In form, tbs hospital Is large quadran-
gle, cen tering upon chapel. high wall
divides the wards Of the men and women.
We entered the male department first, The
leading peculiarly Of the irst patients net
lettering In the corridors was . clay like
appearance OF the skin and depression Or
caving In OF the nasal portion Of the face.
The nostrils aud lobes OF the ear vers glob-
ular and boles were formed over the eye
brows. The voices OF the men we're nearly
all chan zed, sounding indistinct and pain
full. Patients were hidden TO approach,
who hobbled to us upon the stunps Of
limbs long since robbed, by the process Of
disease, OF feet and ankles, and they held
out for our inspection miserable remnants
of arms, shriveled. warped and decayed, and
vet these arms found cunning enough to
grasp ana remove hats from matted heads
of hair when We rendered few bits OF
Spanish currency. aaa sat s.tt
We saw in those lower corridors perhaps
40 men. Some were newcomers, upon
whom the disease had put but few marks
as vet Others were almost ready to 90 10
the hopeless ward above, where We present.
ly climbed. Here, upon beds In double
row. were the vestiges OF what had onoe
been men-corpses which breathed in ter.
riblc agony through the long week and
which vet chung to life a. though even un.-
der these conditions IL was sweet to exist.
Tattered drapings hung from these breath
ing skeletons, whose every pose was the
attitude OF despair. No picture OF Dore'i
illustrative OF the Inferno could ovsrdraw
n scene like this Enough Of this.f IL was
with relief that We walked across pleasant
garden, planted with bananas and fgs, and
entered the women's ward, under the guild
ance OF d fat bat devout Mother superior
Ali respect to her and her staff OF nuns
who labor here among the hopeless, point
| ing their fainting steps upward and slavinl
through the heat Of years to alleviate ta'
sufferings OF those with whom they are ap
pointed TO live. The scenes amid the wo-
men were bat repetition Of those acros'
| the rectangle. A few we're telling thei
be ads, some sswed, and all were neat IN
nerseu and surroundings TO the last do
| craa A bright little Loy ran toward VI
with m orange in either hand. He va
the pet OF the hospital. Hrs mother was y
inmate far gone with the disease.W He Wa
not yet old enough TO know ths fats ths
awaits him. What pity this bright ilitta
chap is not taken - sabject for scientid
experiment. Can II not be that there o.
lists some means OF driving out the yeno
| and building up the system Of the unnapp
progeny OF lepers.with healthy tissuesY3
IL Marbled Beef.