The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-05-09
Among The Lepers.

the victims in exile await their inevita.
BILE doom. And while l am not pre-.
pared to endorse common rumor, | am
prepared to tell much what l believe
will be of interest about the mysterious
blight One day last month l called
upon the premier of the Hawaiian king
dom (His Excellcncy William Gibson),
and said / would like permission to go
to Molokai and have week with the
lepers. His excelleucy had no objec-
tion, no, none in the least
The Hawaiian Kingdom has leper
population of two thousand. OF these
less than one half are in custody.
There is no physician on the island
who knows enough about leprosy to
convince any other physician that the
truth has been reached. There are no
white lepers under restraint, and prob
ably not more than fifty or sixty whites
afflicted with the disease.
In the doctors books you find lepro-
sy classed among the neuroses, or skin
diseases, but if there ever was disease
that goes beneath the skin, reaching
to every vital organ, leprosy is that af
Fiction. The flesh sloughs off, tuber-
cles form and drop away, sometimes
being blown from their place of forma-
tion by the harsher winds of the trades,
which sweep over Mookai at certain
seasons. The bones rot away at some
places, and crumble into dry dust at
their points of articulation, the colors
of the eye blend, the tongue shrlnks,
the teeth drop from their unresisting
sockets, the senses deaden, the face
falls into the neck and between the
shoulders, and shortly afterward comes
death. But the decay is of every or
gan, the heart and lungs succumbing
at last, sometimes the brain having al
most disappeared. Leprosy, indeed, is
the one disease which attacks every
portion of the human body, and not
until 1t has fastened its fatal grasp
upon every organ does it close its la
bors of death and give its victim sur
cease of pain. Sometimes the leper is
the sport of anaesthesia for period,
but sooner or later comes the pain
which knows no parallel, and at night
at the leper settlement l have sat for
hours listening to the cries of anguish
from hundred lips, which no medi-
cine could still. And these cries are
always heard. A leper may for day
or two have an interval to pain, but
among the thousands on Molokai there
are always the cries of hundred or
more to be heard.
When leper is reported to the po-
lice of any district an officer is sent to
fetch him or her to Honolulu, where
there is detention hospital put on the
outskirts of the city and on the bank
of the beautiful bay. AT the hospital
there are accommodations for about
120. 1t is filled every two months.
The establishment consists of plot of
ground, say five acres, around which is
very high picket fence, with deep
ditch outside of it. Within are Gotta
ges or wards. There is little shade,
except that made by the houses, no
sward or running water. The construc-
tiou of the houses is primitive, their
furnishing plain to the verge of dis
comfort, but they are plain. In this
place the leper must give up all hope,
waiting FOR death by a mercenary, if
cruel, law, and from whose horrible
provisions there is no escape. The hos
pital full, steamer comes to take to
the Island of Molokai, those whose
condition is most advanced, there to
remain until death. 1t was with such
party that travelled to Molokai. 1t
was not my lot to witness many sad
scenes, but none of them approached
in any way those which attended the
separation of families as these handful
of lepers sailed away to their exile.
Daughters reached out their arms to
mothers, whom they might not EN-
brace wives held up their mouths for
kisses which their husbands could not
give babes held up in the arms of
strangers, laughed and cooed to their
mothers, to whose breaking hearts they
might not be held in one last, loving
clasp. And sobs--such sobs, "aas !!
that come from the depths of hearts
wrung with the misery of hopeless
condition" Presently the lines were
cast off, the little stermer turned her
head away aud steamed slowly toward
the bar. / went into the little cabin
set apart for the captain and closed the
door, determined to hear no more and
see no more such grief. The little port
was open, when suddenly it was dark
ened, and looking up | saw the dark
but beautiful face of woman whose
young husband was on the way to
Molokai. She had swan out to inter-
cept the steamer, and being-as indeed
are all her race--as much atrhome in
water as on land, she had no difficulty
in accomplishing her purpose. "Ah,
she said, "you are not a doctor nor a
constable. Tell my husband to look
over the side to me, and God will bless
you"
went on deck. We were steamiue
slowly, waiting for the Government In,
spector to complete his task before tax
ing his own boat for the shore. The
lepers had become quiet or compare
lively so, except for pain. A few
women were rocking on their lunches
and moaning, young half-white
girl had flung herself on the deck in a
wild abandonment of grief, and behind
the smoke stack found the husband
kneeling in prayer. His face, serrated
by the leprous sores, was held toward
the sun, the tears were streaming dowr
his disease-cut features, softeninine
them by their agony of supplication
"William," l said, "your wife is along
side. Go quietly to the place ! shal
point out to you and you will see her.
The man sprung up, and for moment
was perfectly beautiful, such Joy al
came in his face. Then he turned and
ran to the place / indicated. We were
then under full head of steam pass
ing Diamond Head, "Where is she 7
] asked. He pointed astern, and there
not an eighth OF mile, we saw her
swimming toward some fishng-boats
her soft black hair floating out behind
her and her arm every now and again
waving to us goodbye. The leper set
tlpment ia generally called MOlOk al