The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-02-22

pictufe OF the melancholy sights which he wit
messed. The visitor, accompanied by friend,
was taken in charge BY a French Catholic
priest, who in turn introduced them to Sister
OF Mercy who was in charge of the lepers.
After describing the little chapel the visi or
goes on to say that the cemetery allotted to
the unfortunates lies in the shade of the un-
painted church. 1t is overgrown with shrub
nery and brambles. A large, welther- beaten
cross stands in the center, stretching its arms
over the unmarked graves. We knocked at
the door OF the parsonage. FIR. Babineau was
III the Vestry, dressing for mass. He was
summoned BY an attendant, and gave us a
gracious reception, With extreme courtesy
he accompanied as to the lazaretto, leaving
ms assistant, FIR, Nugent, a jolly Irish
man to chant mass. SAs we crossed rustic.
loot bridge near the laZaretto we heard the
plaintive notes OF a violin. The melody was
sad and sweet a bleudsng of the Canadian
Boat Song'' and "Anne Laurie The musl-
clan was leper; willing away the weary
hours. Sister St. John, matron of the laza-
retto, is a pleasant-faced woman about thirty
six years old. G -Four cen years among the
lepers have famiIiarized her with their man
ners, customs and feelings. She has been
/ the recipient of many story. She has charge
of the cabinet of,drugs and has fair knowl-
edge, of medical Jurisprudence. She knows
the families tainted with the disease aud
| traces accurately the relationship between the
afflicted. ,.st.,tf.s ss..,..4
The same strain Of blood appears to flow In
the veins OF all. A majority of the lepers were
bonn in Tracadie.. They all come from within
a circle of seventy miles. Under Sister St
Johns supervision an accurate record of the
inmates has been kept. Since 1868 the Sisters
| record shows that fifty eight out Of ninety
have died. There are now twenty six in the
institu ion. This number. is larger than at
any time within fourteen years. The average
Of life after the appearance of the disease is
Z
three or four years, and there is new woman
| In the institution who has been suffering over
| fifty years. She was an inmate of the laZa-
| retto on Shelldrake Island forty years ago,
! While there the disease disappeared and it
| was supposed that she had been cure. She
| returned to her home in Tracadie, married and.
had children. Twenty years afterward the
| tell-tale spots again appeared, and she was
remanded to the laZarettoss She is still living,
| handless and almost sightless. A daughter,
| twentysfour years old, whose fingers aredrawn
| up like the claws of dead Bird has inherited
the scourge from the mother, and is now in the
| Institutions Singular as it may seem, the lepers
! are subject to attacks from ordinary diseases.
i There have been deaths from ,iaundice and
4 tyTfIns fever. In some cases the skinais dry
! and clean, and in. etherssitsis covered with
! ulcers. Those afflicted with ulcers live the
| longest. Damp weatherhas damaging effect
/ The patients are feVerish, and complain of
rheum tic pains. They have fits of drowsiness
and sleep for hours daily. In winter and sum-
| mer they invariably improve. They are pecu-
| liafly sensitive. We were warned against using
| the wqrd leProsy witliw their hearing. Fhey
| speak of it as the "diseaSe.o Each patient
| apparently has an impression that there may
| be some mistake in his case, and that he is
suffering ffomson1e other complaint. At times
medicine is given to relieve them from. pain
| Any unusual detection seems to affect them
/ Cases have occurred where those afflicted with
Ior ,l0FA
| to the asylum. Two or three years ago the
| spots appeared upon two girls belonging to
| well-known families. Determined to avoid
the lazaretto the girls went to Shadiac, and
! were employed as houshold servants. Hearing
/ of their flight, Fr.rBabineaa wrote to Shadiac.
/ Hehad observed indicationsof leprosy on them
| before their disappearance. The girls were
alarmed and fled to Providence, r. /. One
died in that city in private family, where she
i had .heens engaged as chanber-maid.. FIR.
Babineau learned the whereabouts OF the sur
vivor, and went to Providence. After long
talk ne convinced her that it was her duty to
4 return to Tracadie and enter the lazaretto
/ She did so, and died within year. :
| I gag fta lf5 DISTRESSING CASES. ..,.
] The good father relates the particulars Of d
/ case of leprosy in a man two years married.
| There Were the usual forerunners of the dis
ease. The father visited the mans residence
and talked with his wife about it. The hus-
band insisted that Ii was not 7leprosy. g His
wife coincided with him, but expressed "a
different opinion to the priest in private.
Satisfied, however, that the hasband was
tainted, the wife left him. He remained in
the house alone. Notilong afterwards seeing
the priest approaching, he took to the woods.
FRI Babineau overlook him andremonstrated
with him. The man was obstinate. He was
threat eneds with the rigor Of she law. The
conversation lasted two or three hours and
the husband was finally induced to enter the
lazaretto. Not l6ngtf ago the disease, broke
/ out on the body q fisherman who for twenty
years had lived a1one in1 4 hut on the BAY 81
Tracadie WiienCtl1e priest asked him, to enter
the lazaretto his only. objection was fear
that he might become lonesOIle.@ he is now
inlthe hospital pining for the compauionship
of nature. A more distressing case occurred
two months ago, The death spots appeared
on the motherS Of four little Children The
priest repeatedly talked with her and she
was finally induced to part with her husband
and enter the living teHlb.. Her parting 4with
the children was very affecting, and to this
day the fathers ears hear cries of ssAfamma.
mammal p The family is isolated, the chill.
dfen have no playInatesi ana the neighbors
shun the place as though it was the nest of 9
Ilpestilenee.
rs TUE pfss4sE CONTAGIOUS afrFv
Il The disease is said to be Contagious, but We
could learn ofino we'll aauthenl icated instance
of contagfon. None Of the Sisters have shown
the least symptoms OF feprosy, although two
have waited upon the patients for fourteen
years. They take, The greatest pfecaution
againstit.s Phere is onlyone case on record OF
a husband and wife who were confined In The
institution at the same time. They were c5us.
irfs. Wives who have had children by leprous
J husbands have married on the death of thef,
/ husbands. Some of the children -by the first
husband were infected, and those byfhesecond
escaped. In a recent case the disease did moi
appear until the third generation Then il
| broke out on the body of a man of herculear
strength. The native families of French de
scent seem to be satisfied that fbis Contagious
/ The victims Of, The disease are irstvisited by
their near relatives, but as the seasons roll on
the visits are less frequent, aads at last ceasf
/ altogether. Husbands forget their wives
4 mothers forget their ehildreu, and vice versa
Not long ago'a poor boy Of nineteen broke ou1
4 OF the lazaretto at might, and walked twenty
| i've miles to see his mother. He remained
i home few hours, and returned with a les;
aching heart. The lepers all express a willing
ness to work, but many of them are unable Il
4 do so. The Sisters are allowed only pittance
/ TO iced them They have meat on Monday
i Tuesday, Thursday and SATURDAY, and fish on
Friday Seldom, If ever, do. they see fresh
beef They abhor mutton and veal Fresh
pork is the meat mostly eaten. Three of the
Iiiepers play the violin, and each appears to be
Ambitious to excel the others.
HORRIBLE EPEcULIAsIITEsg JOE THE DISEASE
The lungs become affected. The hair falls
i from the eyebrows. The voice is husky. In