The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1884-12-10
THE GREAT PLAGUE.
CONFIRM ALTON OF IT'S EXIST-
ENCE AND GRAVE EXTENT.

ENCE AND GRAVE EXTENT.
Half n Dozen Counties Swept by the
Plnguc-Whole Houses F;nlp'icd of
their Inmatcs-Thc Diagnoses OF
the Disease, and the Course it
Runs-Peoplc Almost Starving.
LOUISVILLE, Ky, November 26.-Thc
C0uricr-,ToWrnnl recently sent a staif
correspondent to investigate he report
ed ravagcs Of the dread disease III East
crn Kentucky and Western Virginia.
The correspondent sends the following
from Williamsburg, Ky:
w. Lester, a prominent attorney Of
this place, has just arrived from Mount
Pleasant, the County seat of Harlan,
swhcrc he has been two weeks past at
Court, as acting prosecuting attorney.
Lester has information Of the prevailing
plague, principally from Harlan, Lctchcr,
Perry, Leslie and Bell counties. He says
that in Harlan it appears worse. 1t is
most fatal and prevails to the greatest
extent up about the hcadwatcr of Poor
Fork and Glover creek, in the mountains,
about twenty-five miles from Mount
Pleasant. This large territory is being
terribly afflicted. The people are dying
very rapidly. In one ncighborhood
twelve persons died in a single day in
the latter part Of last week, and there
were scarcely we'll people enough to
make them collins and bury them. On
and cmptics into the Cumberland river,
in Bell county, the disease is raging
with frightrul fatality, and there is no
means Of keeping a record Of the deaths.
All along tho banks of the stream the
people arc sick, and physicians and med
%icincs, outside Of herbs and roots, with
whose curative properties the natives
arc acquainted, are unknown and unob-
tainable. The epidemic is rapidly
spreading i'll Harlan county. In the dis.
trict covering the Southern portion Of
Letchcr and Perry, the whole of Leslie
md the Northwest portion of Bell coun-
ties, the plague has obtained foothold,
but reports as to its violence arc very
conflicting. Lester thinks that the
deaths run up into the hundreds while
the number Of those attacked cannot be
estimated. The disease does not prevail
mt Mt. Pleasant. Lester further says
that no n seemed to know the real ma
ture Of the pcstilcncc. Most Of the
people called it 'hux," and it is probably
n very aggravated form Of that disease.
1t begins with gripping pains in the stom-
nch, followed by n facilitating discharge
and swelling Of the throat, and if not
fatal in three or four days. the patient.
rs n rule. RECEIVERS. All reports agree as
to the III Of the epidemic, it being at
tributed to the use Of impure water by
the natives. The season has been un-
usually dry. The streams, rs n rule
consisting only Of narrow threads of
murky, foul-smclling and foul-tasting
water. The corn crop in all the coun-
ties named above is good, and starvation
and want only exist because the people
can spare no time from the sick to gath
er it. No mills arc running on the
smaller streams. Ny informant had no
news except in a general way of the
prevalence Of the plague in Virginia or
West Virginia.''
LATER acrnI-Sr
LOUISVILLE, KY, November 29.-Ar-
thur a.. LOOMS, travelling representative
for n New York firm, was in this city
to-day, having just returned from n trip
through the plague-strickcn district of
Eastern Kentucky. Mr.. LOOMS said he
was four days i'll Manton county with
out disposinS Of a single article. The
people arc absolutely crazy. They have
no use for anything but collins. In an
interview on this subject he describes in
picturesque language the situation as
being a great deal worse than has been
heretofore published. lie describes the
streams, wells and cistcrns rs having
dried up; sheep and cattle dead upon
parchcd fields, and every human being
I'm the entire ncighborhood dead. Thou
sands of persons persisted within a few
weeks. Starvation, Mr.. Loomis saws.
has been the chief agent of death in the
stricken locality.