The Red Cloud chief., 1881-07-07

-
According to the latest dispatches
from Constantinople the plague has
broken out with renewed violence at
Nedjeff, in Mesopotamia. or Medsched
Ali GAIT sgrave). as Mohammedan' pre-
fer to call'th place. DIR. Scherer, who
has been sent there by the international
Sanitary Commission at Constantinople.
reports that during the week ending
Maya fifty-six persons died daily out
of . population of about 5000 II Is
generally supposed that the ;nundation
of the low lands of the Euphrates River
j. the only cause of the outbreak OF the
plague. or black death. They are a
contributing, but not the only cause.
The real cause of the pestiience has
been known for years 10 the Persian
and Turkish Governments, but they
have done nothing towards its preyen-
ton. The black death Is not an un-
common disease in that part Of MesO'
potamia lying southwest from Bagdai.
between the right shore of the Eu-
pirates and the Syrian Desert. II has
made its regular appearance there ever
since the year 1872 between the months
of December and June. In 1873 and
1879 il broke out in the Cities of Bag
dad and Hiilah, and during the present
year il made its first appearance in
Dshara, near Nedjeff. In Nedieff, or
Medsched Ali, is the grave OF Ali, the
son-in-l law OF the Prophet MahOmet.
From there leads a desert road. marked
out by the bleached bones OF came!s
and human beings, to the so-called
Lake Euphratcs, which receives
its water through the Hintieh Canal.
To the northwest If this lake is
situated the City of Kerbela. where is
to be found the golden mosque and the
grave of Hussein, the o o Caliph All
and the daughter of the Prophet. These
two cities are the real breeding-places
of the dreadful disease. To Nedjef
and Kerbela the Shiites. or reiig Gus
followers OF Ali AMI HuSsein, chiefly
Persians, semi the dead bodies of their
friends and relatives, because they be-
lievc that to be buried near Hus,ein $
or Ais grave will assure their souls GER
tain admission TO Paradise. Caravan
after caravan, each camel loaded with
two feIt-cUycrcd collins on each side,
arrive there daily and deposit their
HIt-tlF llcieIt " ihthb- "h'Nh
during months of travel from the
Persian highlands has been decompos-
i'm and is filling the air with its pesli-
lential odor. The collins are placed in
shallow trenches and covered with
about an inch or two of earth. But
this is o all. The whole country
around Nedieif has become one vast
graveyard, and in consequence o! the
frequent fools occurring in the En-
pirates all the lands Oh both sides of
the river are inundated, the light COW
cring of earth is sw pit from the collins.
which, being made of light material.
fall to pieces, and thousands mon thou
sands of corpSeS are left rotting under
the RAYS of an Oriental sun. TIE wa
tcrS finally recede, or are gradually
absorbed by the soil, poisoning all the
wells in that country. From l2,OOO
to 10000 corpses are sent there
annually for intermcnt by the Shiites.
The Jews send annually several thou
sands of their dead to be buried near
the grave of their prophet Ezekiel.
which is also near kerbela. Besides
these caravans, there arrive ilotillaS of
pilgrim boats loaded with corpseS on
the Euphrates by way OF the Semawat
branch and the Bar-i-Nedje.f. Not
only are they filled with this pestifer-
Gus freight, but the collins are even
hung outside of the boats. loading them
down TO the waters edge. The con-
slant arrival Of these caravans and
~ilotillas with their freight of decaying
human corpses, and added to this the
careless burial. must be regarded as the
u of the outbreak OF the plaque,
and the fatalistic negligence of the Per-
sian and Turkish Governments, which
do not Interfere until the disease has
become epidemic, explains why it has
not been suppressed during the last ten
Years. For Il long time Especial treaty
has been in existence between these
two Governments relative to the trans
p~Ortation of these corpseS, bu. so far it
has remained a treaty on paper only.
The people OF America are in rs much
danger as the rest of the world. 1t is
about time that the civilized nations of
the earth should make this question of
the transportation of corpscS under an
Oriental sun an international question,
and force the two Governments directly
interested TO execute the provisions of
their treaty in good aith.-CHicaJo
TrijaRc.