The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-11-28
DEATH VERY BUSY.
THE MYSTERIOUS SCOURGE IN VR
GINA AND KENTUCKY.
No Abatement of Its Fearful Ravages-
Frightful Condition of the Stricken
People-StOry OF an
Investigation.

LOUISVILLE, KY, Nov. 27.-The Courier
Journal recently sent a staff correspondent
to investigate the reported ravages Of a
dread disease in Eastern Kentucky and West
Virginia, and the correspondent sends the
following from Williamsburg, KY: William
c. Lester, a prominent attorney of this place.
has just arrived from Mount Pleasant county,
where he has been for two weeks past at court
as acting prosecuting attorney. Mr.. Lester
has information of prevailing plague, prin
cipally from Harlan, Letcher, Perry, Leslie,
and Belle counties, and says that in Harlan
it appeared to be the worst 1t is more fatal
and prevails to the greatest extent up about
the head-waters of Poor Fork and Clover
creeks, in the mountains, distance Of about
twenty five miles from Mount Pleas
ant. large territory is being terribly
afflicted and the people are dying very rap
idly. In one neighborhood twelve persons
died in a single day the latter part of last
week, and there were scarcely well people
enough to make them collins of rudely- hewn
boards and bury them On Browns creek,
which rises in Harlan and empties into the
Cumberland river in Belle county, the dis
ease is raging with frightful fatality, and
the dead. All along the banks of the
streams the people are sick, and phys
clans and medicines outside of herbs and
roots, with whose curative properties the
natives are acquainted, are unknown and un
obtainable. The epidemic is rapidly spread
ing in Harlan, and so far there seems to be
nothing discovered to check or euro those
afflicted, they either dying in a short time, or
nature saving them from death only to leave
them such physical wrecks that they
are helpless as infants for weeks In
tn district covering the south ern por-
ton of LetcEer and Perry, the whole
of Leslie, and the northeast portion
OF Eelle the plague has obtained foothold,
but reports as to its violenca are very con
tilcting Mr. Lester thinks from what he was
able to CLEAN at Mount Pleasant that the
deaths run up to hundreds, while the num-
bers of those attacked cannot he estimated
The disease does not prevail at Mount Pleas.
ant, but the session of the circuit court, a.
far as the trial of commonwealth cases are
concerned, was n complete failure, scarcely
case being called but it had To be continued
because of the illness or death Of either the
defendant or some witness
Mr.. Lester further said that no one seemed
to know the exact nature OF the pastilence.
Most people called it "ilux," and it is prob
ably very aggravated form of that disease,
1t begins with gripping pains in the stomach
followed with facilitating diarrhea and
swelling of the throat, and if not fatal in
three or four days, the patient, as a rule, re
covers, All reports agree as to the
cause OF the epidemic, it being attrib-
uted to the use of improper water by
the natives. The season has been unusu-
ally dry, the streams, as rule, consisting
only of narrow threads of murEy, foul-smell-
ing, foul-tasting water, with an occasional
pool of the same poisonous stuff. The corn crop
in all of the counties named above is good,
and starvation and want only exist because
the people can spare no time from the sick to
gather it. No mills are running on the smaller
streams. In no portion Of the territory men
toned Is either the corn or hay crop less
than usual According to Mr. Lester, the
rains which visited the lower and central
portions of the state in the last few DAYS do
not seem to have extended into the afflicted
region, and no pure water is obtainabe
Truly, the situation is appalling, and no re-
lief is at hand My informant had no news,
except in n general way, of the prevalence
OF the plague in Virginia or West Virginia.
In the former state only few localities in
the extreme southwestern part of the state
are afflicted, but in the latter Buchanan.
Wise, RUSSELL and Scott counties are report
ed III truly appalling condition.