St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-12-01
DEATHS DEVASTATION.
A Drummer's Experience in the Plague
Stricken District of Eastern
Kentucky.
whole NeighbOrhOods Dying, With no One
to Bury the Last Victim of the
Dreadful ScOurge.
DrOves of Cattle and sheep Lay Dead anS
hottinG-The Country Nothing but
aParehed, barren Wilderness

LOUISVILLE, KY, Nov 2S.-Arthur Fl.
LOOMS, travelling representative of New
York firm, was in the city to-day. having
just returned from trip through the plague
stricken district of eastern Kentucky. Mr..
Loomis said;
Il was four days in Martin county with
out disposing o! a single article The peo-
are absolutely crazy; they have no use for
anything but collins. \ great deal has been
printed in tie newspapers about the situa-
ton in Martin and adjoining counties, Jut
it has been but imperfect reflex of the exist
ing deplorable condition. l know of in
stances where whole families have died
within a week; where neighborhOods have
been swallowed up in the grave; where one
man has survived to bury his family and
his friends nd then been found dead with
no living creature near him, except in
some cases Il faithful dog. Focks of sheep
and droves of cattle that used to browse on
the hjlsides and along the range of the
Cum berlands, now lay dead and rotting.
White pebbles glisten on the bottom of the
creek beds; wells and cisterns have been
drained to the bottom, aud springs are no
longer to be relied upon for q supply Of
water. The ground is literally parched.
Where vegetation formerly doomed luxuri-
anty there is nothing but decay. Thousands
said to have died within the last two
weeks"
''What, in the opinion of the natives, is
the cause of this fatal calamity!'
ut is very evident that the chief agent Of
death is starvation. People in those dis
tricts are almost without communication
with the outside world. An occasional drum
mer, like myself, strays among them once a
year, and few OF the most prosperous visit
some large cities once in a life time A
good season brings with it bountiful crops.
Wool. and other IA tive products, are rudely
manufactured into clothing. But when their
crops fail them the order Of things is reversed.
am speaking now of the backwoods neigh
hoods, where the plague has ragged with the
greatest fatality. l learned. while in Martin
county, that the crop yield Tor two successive
seasons had been failure. The natives are
without money and without means, to pur-
chase bread. Tue shutting off of the water
supply has brought to the surface
a poisonous liquid. Famished for water,
the people drank, and the consequence was
death. The first symptoms are violent grip
| ngs, and after this raging headache A
hot fever ensues, and the patient usually
| fingers two days, suffering mental agony,
before death. l understand several physic-
| ians have been commissioned by the state to
/ make careful analysis of the water. and
/ describe the poisonous ingredients. Relief
has recently been despatched to Martin from
| neighbOrng counties. Before | left there
was light rainfall, and prospects of contiu-
/ F.tIs
that the plague has passed through its most
dangerous stages and is now ON the wane.
! During the last few days of my stay heard
| of very few deaths"