The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-09-04
HYDROPHOBIA IN ALABAMA.
Thirty.two Negroes, q Herd OF Mules,
and Several Dogs Attacked with
the Dread Disease.
[Eufaula (Ala.) telegram

Nhio~J hicsiaAAj
People are greatly excited in this section
over the wholesale spread Of pronounced
hydrophobia on the plantation of Punch
Doughtie. the freaks Of whose mad mule
were telegraphed day before yesterday. DIR.
Il. Il. Johnson has Just returned from the
Doughtie plantation, where he had been
summoned TO attend the sudden sickness.
He found thirty-t two persons suffering with
a disease which heat once pronounced to
be hydrophobia in mild form. All are
negroes. Three Of them are very sick
one in delirihm and so low that the Doctor
says he is liable to die at any time. Over
three weeks ago hog bitten by a dog died on
Doughtie's plantation, and the carcass was
given to the negroes to make soap-grease.
Instead of using it for this purpose, however,
thirty two negroes on the place and in its
vicinity ate fresh pork, with the result
stated. Mr.. Doughtie says that July Is one
of his dogs went mad and bit a mule and
several hogs. Aug. - the first hog died
and was eaten by the negroes as stated.
Two more died Aug. ID, one on the 22d and
one on the 9th, and all were eaten except
the last, by which time the disease had ap-
peared. The mule first exhibited symp-
toms of madness on the nineteenth day
after being bitten Eleven days after the
first hog was eaten ten Of the parties were
taken sick. Two days ago another dog was
discovered to be mad aud was killed after
having bitten another mule. The first dog
that went mad disappeared, and the whole
neighborhood is in terror lest he went
among the stock-cattle and hogs-through-
out the county before dying, If lie is yet
dead.
A few days ago when the symptoms broke
out in mule, Mr. Doughtie rode out, at the
request of It field hand, to inspect the con-
hition of the animal On reaching the
pasture where a dozen mules were the ami
NAL Mr.. Doughtie was riding neighed,
which attracted the attention of the other
animals, and the sick one particularly,
which immediately rushed on the mule and
rider and seized the saddle of the animal
with his teeth. Mr.. Doughtie dismounted
and succeeded in loosening the mad mules
hold, but no sooner was this done than the
Infatuated beast turned upon his owner,
who fled for his life,t pursued by the mule.
There was desperate race of quarter of
a mile through underground, and Mr..
Doughtie only saved himself by dodg-
ing around saplings. A small stretch of
clearing interviewed between the woods and
the house, and the terrified man took life
and death chonce on making it, Before
leaving the woods the mule had bitten a
piece of Mr.. Doughtie's coat, and. while
maneuvering around the tree, the animal
bit himself savagely in several places, tear
ing out mouthful of flesh each time. The
race for the house was a close one, and just
as Mr.. Doughtie reached the top of the
fence the mule overlook him on dead
run, but instead of reaching his victim,
struck his head against fence-post in a
wild rush and was knocked senseless. The
mule was afterward killed by Mr.. Dough-
tie. 1t is now reported that the whole herd
of mules are affected. and will doubtless
spread the disease among other animals in
the neighborhood. The community is at a
loss how TO arrest the disease