The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-10-08
THE EPLAGUE In NAPLES
ABouNDNc IGNORANCE AND FILTH.
Some of the Incidents That Distinguish the
Cholera Visitation In Italy : The
Perverseness and obstinacy
OF the People.
LNanles Cor. NY. Times.l

Naples Cor N. Y. Times.l
The theaters are all shut. Many of the
poorer streets are as silent as death. Even
the cafes are closed, and the only sign OF
life is tho joiners hammering the rough
collins together. In some Of these streets
absolutely everybody is either dead or Is
sick. In one street.-The Via Duchessa--
thirty cases occurred in single house.
The smell of burned sulphur is every
where, and the wretched people Of the
poorer classes are either stupehed or fran
tic. Meanwhile, the devotion and daring
Of the King and the Archbishop have had
the effect of dispelling somewhat the SUI
perstition about poison and allaying the
class hatred which ragged at first But the
public morale is still worse than It is pos.
sible to describe. A mob attacked in the
Via del Purgatorio man whom they sus-
pected of throwing poisonous powder over
some cakes exposed for sale on the piazza,
dragged bim back and made him eat the
cake until the owner interfered in self-de'
fense. Out Of sheer perversity the people
eat more fruit and vegetables than usual.
In the piazza in front Of the Municipal Pal
ace two loafers got big basket Of figs and
in the presence of large crowd began to
eat them on q wager. The police marched
them or to jail. A woman who was sell.
ing fruit on the corner of the Piazza del
Martini fell over dying Of the cholera. The
crowd made bonfire OF her chair, stand,
and fruit, and then left her to die. Nobody
would carry her to the hospital.
Al. t. ..ll af
mild character compared with the number
Of cases, there are many instances like the
foregoing of its startling suddenness.
Several people have already fallen down
In the streets and been carried of dead.
A lady who was taken with vomiting dur.
ing mass died before she reached home.
The terrors of the plague have been inten-
sihed by the scoundrelly action OF the
butchers, who trebled the price OF meat as
soon as the panic began, but the King was
followed in his carriage by a mob Of wom-
en- shrieking to have the price Of meat re-
ducod, and the officials accordingly took
steps to import cattle and Ireduce prices.
People in the slums still defy the laws
boldly. Yesterday the body OF woman
was buried In the little garden of her
home, and when the police arrested the
husband great mob threatened to rescue
him. Under the inspiration of the Arch.
bishop the Priests are now exerting every
effort to discourage professions and the
like, though with little success. There has
been an enormous revival Of religious
sentiment in Naples. The street shrines
which were walled up by Garibaldi In 1850
have all been opened, and the whitewash
scraped off OF the holy pictures.
i Crowds wild with joy watch the
work and hail with shouts each
restoration The professions are
continued In the poorer streets, chiefly by
women. The churches are thronged and
street altars are erected. The police do
not dare interfere with the altars. Most
extravagant stories of miracles worked
are received with credulity by the popu-
lace. The hospital and ambulance sys.
tens have been overpowered by the awful
increase in deaths, and for day or two 1t
has been necessary TO leave corpses wait
ing so long that they became putrid, this
adding vastly to the contagion. The sit
uatlon in this respect, however, has been
improved by the Kings ordering the mill.
tary to give assistance. Scores Of old ON.
nibuses covered with black have been con.
yertsd into hearses.
Tie heroism of King Humbert makes
the most welcome royal picture Europe
has looked On for years. The King Is &C
companied always by his brother ANA
deus. lie has visited oil the hospitals and
the affi cted quarters, scattering money
and kind words right and left. He wished
to explore the Fondaici, containing prob
ably tho most hideous human habitations
in Christendom, with its narrow court
yards, its houses eighty feet high, the sun
light and air excluded, and the althiest
rooms, each with dozen or fifteen inmates
OF both sexes. There is no water there tc
wash with; the place is alive with YER
min; IL is literal sink OF pestilence, and
contains fully one-fourth of the whole
population Of Naples. All efforts 10 dis.
suade the King had failed, when despair
iny official cried out: "Youhave no right
TO commit suicide. Nor have you right
to deliberately murder many Of these un
! fortunate people who will follow you into
that hot.bed OF deathp Upon this th,
King bowed and got into his carriage
again. All classes are becoming demoral
ICED as the horror grows, but there can b'
no doubt that the Kings example has hat
the effect Of preventing what would hav,
otherwise been fearful panic. Tn,
Italian people are almost crazy with en-
thusiasm for the King, and the Catholic
newspapers vie with the Democratic ones
In lauding his course TO the skies. Tn,
King and Archbishop have fraternizeC
from the start, and the feeling is genera
: that rdpprochement between the churcl
and State is nearer to-day than in many
} years. The total number Of deaths II
! Naples Is now considerably over 1000. Al
have occurred since August 20. Naplei
passed Toulon on the 9th and Marseilles OF
: the 1lth In its CHASTITY record OF death,
and In another week, at the present rate
II will have as many deaths as all France
In, Northeast Italy the disease abou
, holds its own. La Spezia has bad over 2O(
Z deaths and is still seat OF the epidemic
There have been no deaths at Turin sincs
the 9Th, and the disease seems TO have dis
appeared from CosenEa and parts OF Mau
rfzio. The explanations OF the frightfu
0 ravsges In La Bpeza and Cune Is found IL
q the local custom OF preserving all refus,
/ from the houses for fertilixlng purposes II
. great cistern called the "pozzo." Thii
= "a connected with the street cutters by ar
Y overflow pipe which carries of the surplui
: | liouid Whanaver there Ia n sudden rain