The Magnolia gazette., 1882-03-03
THE BLACK DEATH.
Cause es the Annual Outbreak OF tho
Plague.


I'inguc.
II is generally supposed, says the
Chicago Tri6aaio that the inundation OF
the low lands Of the Euphrates river is
the only cause OF the outbreak Of tho
plague, or black death. They are con-
tlibnting, but not the only cause. The
real cnuse Of the pestilence has been
known for years to the Persian and
Turkish Governments, but they have
done nothing toward its prevention. The
black death is not an uncommon disenae
in that part of Mesopotnmia lying south
west from Bagdad, between the right
shore Of the Euphrates aud the Syrian
desert. 1t has msdo its regular appear
auce there ever since the year 1872, be-
tween the months of December and
June. IN Nedieif, or Medsched Ali, is
the grave of Ali, the son-in-law of the
Prophet Mahomet. From there leads
desert road, marked out by the bleached
bones Of camels and human beings, to
the so-called Lake Euphrates, which re-
ceiyoa its water through the Hintieh
canal. To the northwest OF this lake is
situated the city Of Kerbeln. where il 10
be found the golden mosque and the
grave Of Hussein. the son of Caliph Ali
ana the daughter Of the Prophet These
two cities are the real breeding places Of
tic dreadiul disease. 10 Nedielf and
Rerbela the shiites, or religious follow.
ers Of All and Hussein, chiefly Persians,
send tic dead bodies Of their friends and
relatives, because they believe that 10
he buried near Hussein's or Ali's grave
viii assure their souls certain admission
to paradise. Caravan after caravan,
each camel loaded with two felt-coyered
collins on each side, arrive there daily
and deposit their ghastly freight for in-
tcrment which, during months of travel
from the Persian highlands, has been
Gccomposing and Is filing the air with
its pestilcntial odor. The collins arc
placed in shallow trenches and covered
with about an inch on two Of earth. But
this ia not all. The whole country
around NedjeT has become one vast
graveyard, and, in consequence OF
the frequent floods occurring in the Eu-
pirates, all the lands on both sides Of
the river are inundated, the light cover
ing Of earth is swept from the coilins.
which, being made OF light material, fall
TO pieces, and thousands upon thousands
ofcorpses are left rotting under the rays
of an Oriental sun. The waters finally
ApSINtj VI uiS BAhluuliy HDbOIDeu Dy inc
soil, poisoning all the wells in that coun-
try. From $1,000 to 10000 corpses are
sent there annually for interment by the
Shiites. The jews send annually sew
eral thousands Of their dead to be buried
nenr the grave of their prophet Ezekiel,
which is also near Kerbela. Beside these
caravans there arrive hotillas Of pilgrim
boats loaded with corpses on the Eu-
pirates by way OF the Semawat branch
and the Bar-i-Nedieff Not only arc
they filed with this pestiferous freight,
but the collins are even hung outside Of
the boats, loading them down TO the wa
ter's edge. The constant arrival OF
these caravans and hotillas with their
freight of decaying human corpses, and
added TO this the careless burial, must
be regarded as the cause Of the outbreak
OF the plague, and the fatalistic negli-
gence Of the Persian and Turkish Gov
ernments, which do not interfere until
the disease has become epidemic, ex-
plains why il has not been suppressed
during the last ten years. For a long
time q special treaty has been in exist-
ence between these two Governments
relative to the transportation of these
corpses, but SO far il has been treaty
on paper only. The people of America
are in as much danger as the rest Of the
world. II is about time that the civil
lied nations Of the earth should mako
this question of the transportation Of
corpses under an Oriental sun an inter-
national question, and force the two
Governments directly interested 10 exc
cute the provisions OF their treaty in
rood faith