The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-12-12
A TERRIBLE PLAGUE.
Fatality Caused by Bad Water in
the Cumberland Mountains.
More than 1900 Deaths in a Popu-
lation of Less than $4,000.

| A correspondent, giving an account of the
terrible plague which has destroyed hundreds
of lives in the Cumberland mountains, says:
5 Pike. Letcher, Harlan and Bell are the four
counties n the extreme southeastern part OF
Kentucky which border on the State of Vir-
ginia, W here it forms big between them
and the state of Tennessee to the south. The
border counties in Virginia are Buchanan,
Dicftenson. Wise and Lee: These
eight counties form the district in
which most fatal plague has ragged
for very nearly two months. carrying off
more Jeople in proportion to the number of
inhabitants than the cholera in its worst stages
in France during the past year. The center
of this district is near the junction of letCher
and Harlan counties il Kentucky, with Wise
county, Virginia, n point that is about 100
miles southeast of Cincinnati 1t is i'll this
region that the feuds between families become
known to the public through the extermina-
ton of one of the families and the subsequent
acquital of the eXterminators by jury of
their peers.
The Cumberland is only one of many high
ridges that trend from southwest to northeast
in Kentucky and Virginia, and i'll conse-
quence some of the rain storms that sweep up
from the Mississippi valley are intercepted,
and droughts are not uncommon in summer.
But when in last September it was noticed
that no rain had fallen for six weeks, the peO-
ple who occasionally lounge in the few
cJuntry stores to be found in that region
began 20 talk about the way the wells
had all gone dry, and to say that
in Poor Fork or in Greay, Browns, or Puck
ett's creeks. No relief came with October.
About the middle of the month Joseph Day,
brother of County Judge Day, of Letcher
county, while on his way from Whitcsburg
court house to his home on Poor Fork, in
the southeastern part of the county, was
taken suddenly with severe gripping pains
in the abdomen. In less than an hour his
limbs became paralyzed, and friends
carried him to his home. A
high fever at once set in, with a burning
thirst and a swelling of the throat. Then he
was taken with bloody hux, followed by
vomiting of blood and mucous, and in less
than twentyfour hours he was dead. He
was the first victim of the plague Before
he had brelthed his last some of those who
had helped him home We're taken in like
manner, and from this point the disease
spread by jumps throughout the region, and
in n modified form toward Cincinnati, as tar
as Bath county.
The work of the plague cannot yet be fully
ascertained. The disease has been most fatal
high up on the mountains that divide the two
States. In Bell county and the eastern town
ships of Knox 21l deaths have been so far re-
ported In Harlan county 200 people have
died. In Wise county, Virginia. the mortality
has been more frightful still. The Gaysville
Times has reported 80 deaths, including the
entire Clark family of five who lived at the
foot of Galrison's Gap. In addition to this
Al deaths have been reported along Colds
Camp creek including an entire family of
four. Along Guests River creek twenty-five
more have died. Six people were buried in
one graveyard there in one day Cranes
Nest is fuur-cornered settlement in West
county, NJ ar the Dickinson county line A
gentleman who rode overland from that place
to Ervinton. a distance of thirty-one miles.
said yesterday that he passed houses where q
few more than 400 people lived during the
month of September. but in the last two
months ll6 of them had died. The popula-
ton of Ervinton and vicinity is about $50.
OF these forty-one have died of the plague in
six weeks. Out of a population of less than
$1,000 more than 800 have died.
The plague began when the wells and
springs went dry, and was doubtless the result
of using water that was impure. The few
physicians here say that the water contained
mineral poison of some kind, because only a
mineral poison would have produced the
gripinSs, the burning fever and thirst, and
the bloody excavations that marked the
disease. They say that ores of copper
and arsent's abound in the mountains.
The scarcity Of educated medical help
and the peculiar habits of the peo-
pie undoubtedly made the disease more
fatal When once member of family was
stricken the rest were pretty sure to follow
and this was due in many cases to n great
lack of proler care for the sick The people
increased the fatality Beside great variety
of patent nostrums, the favorite remedies
were liberal doses of hot mutton tallow, hogs
grease mixed with burnt (mulledl brandy de
coctiOns of tobacco and of blackberry roots
and all sorts of herb teas and at all stages OF
the disease whisky. There are not over fif
teen physicians in thu eight counties, but II
there had been hundred the people in many
sections would not have hired them. In lS5.
a similar but less vlruent plague rageC
throu h these mountains There were NOR
physicians then, but they knew less of medi
cine than the people they tried to care for
Quinine and caomel were the favorte RENE
dies, and the consequent deaths created a no
unnatu. al prejudice in the minds of tn
people. Many of the people are absolutely
destitute. The crops have been short for tive
seasons, and there would have been har,
times during the winter if the plague hat
not come. Relief committees have bee
organic d in the larger villages LeyOnd til
mountains, but the only outside relief +,
ceved so far was 81 200 from the cattlemen
convention at st Louis. The things mo
needed are clothing, medicine and cOnpeter
physicians and nurses.