Morning journal and courier., 1881-03-09
LOCAL NEWS.
Meriden City Fathers.

An Official Report Regarding the small-
 pox i'm that City-A Lady Desires
 the City Fathers to Rise and Ex-
 plain.
 At the Meriden city government meeting Monday night the smallpox excitement in that city came up for discussion. The Re- publican says: Councilman Merriam said he had heard rumor about case of small pox, and he would like some information in regard to it. The city was being quarantined, and Wallingford would not allow Meriden people to come there and other places might follow suit He thought the matter ought to be set right before the people, and the Health committee were called on for statement in regard to the matter. Alderman Smith re- sponded, and said he had been doing noth- ing for the past four days but investigate rumors, and he found most of them to be unfounded. The cases of the disease in the city were as follows: On Feb. 26th John Marinan died of the disease, and was buried at night. To-day (Monday) the attending physician reported that two children in the same house had the varioloid. On the 27th, Mrs. Biron of Park street was taken with the disease, but she was now getting better The house was quarantined, and no one else was sick. On the 28th, two girls, named Bolduc, on Cedar street, were taken and were still very sick. The house was quaran- tined, and no other cases existed in the house. On March 2d, Hervey Rogers was taken, the house was quarantined, but no other case had appeared there. On March 4th, the McGrath family on South Colony street were found to have child sick with the secondary fever which follows vario- Ibid. The other children had had it, the child was now well, and the house had been thoroughly dfsinfected by physician, so no danger existed there. These were all the cases. three of smallpox and three of vario- leid, which now existed, and they were iso- lated, and could not spread the disease In regard to what had been done, he said that public opinion was so strong against the Rog- CTS building, where the Italian woman was sick, that he had ordered it fumigated, and to have the work done by a competent man. In the afternoon of the day the order was served he had found that the work was not being done properly, and he had then served notice on the Rogers brothers that they must get an experienced man to do the work, or he should put the building in charge of the police, turn the tenants out, and retain pos session of the building till it was thoroughly disinfected. They got MT. Mathews. who has had fourteen years experience, to do the work, and it was thoroughly done. That was all there was to the smallpox scare. The council then adjourned.
 communication was received from Mrs Catherine G. Rogers, who asked for pay ment of damages for the quarantining of her house by the city, and the consequent injury to her business. She returned from Lennox, Mass, to find Mir. Hervey Rogers sick in the house, and her boarders shut up, and most of them were dependent on their daily wages for the payment of their board, she had to support them. Mrs. Rogers stated that Mr. Rogers would have gone to the pest house, if there had been one, and that the city should pay her for using her house for one without her consent. The matter was referred to the Health committee.