The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1884-02-15
AMONG THE LEPERS.
The Settlement on the Island Of Mo-
IOkai.

|
The Settlement on the Island Of Mo-
lolSai.
The Hawaiian Kingdom has leper
population of 1000. 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 probably not more
than fifty or sixty whites are afflicted
with the disease. The chief item of
the budget represents the sums used for
the segregation and support of confirm
ell lepers. There is no cure recorded
in the rather meager history of the
disease, unless We except that miracu-
lous publication when Miriam was
made whole.
| THE DETENTION HOSPITAL
When q loper is reported to the po-
lice Of any district in Hawaii an officer
is sent to fetch him o. her to Honolulu,
where there is a detention hospital put
on the outskirts OF the city and on the
bank of the beautiful bay. Then they
are examined by the doctor, who de-
cides whether it is case of leprosy or
not. Once declared leper the per-
son is civilly dead and is incapable of
suing i'll the courts or being sued. At
the hospital there are accommodations
for about l2O. 1t is filed every two
months. The establishment consists of
a plot of ground, say five acres, around
which is very high picket fence. with
a deep ditch outside of it. Within are
cottages or wards. There is little shade
except that made by the houses, no
sward nor running water. The con-
struction of the houses is primitive,
their furnishing plain to the verge of
discomfort. but they are clean.
| PARTING FOREVER.
The hospital 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 final
ly to Molokai, his Excellency having at
last exhausted his reasons for my not
going. II has been my lot to witness
many sad scenes, but none of them ap-
preached in any way those which at
tended the separation of families as
these handful of lepers sailed away to
their exile. Daughters reached out
their arms 10 mothers, whom they might
not embrace; wives held up their
mouths for kisses which their husbands
could not give; babes held in 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, "alas!
| hot hn he nf hno fo
wrung with the misery of a hopeless
condition" Presently the lines were
cast off, the little steamer turned her
| head away and steamed slowly toward
the bar. went into the little cabin
set apart for the captain and closed The The
dcooTr,- defcrnrine1 60 hc csr i M more and
see no more of such grief. The little
port was open, when suddenly it was
darkened and. looking up, | saw the
dark but beautiful face of woman
| whose young husband was on his way
| to MolOkai She had swan out to in
| terccpt the steamer and being-as, in
| deed, are all her race-as much at
home in water as on land, she had no
difficulty in accomplishing her purpose.
"Ah.f she said, .'you are not doc
| tor nor constable. Tell my husband
| to look over the si:!e to me and God
will bless you.
a FAITHFUL WIFE.
| went on deck. We were steamino
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 wo-
men We're rocking on their launches
moaning. young half white girl had
| flung herself on the deck in wild
abandonment of grief, and behind the
smoke-stack | found the husband kneel-
ing in prayer. His face. serrated by
| the leprous GOES. wa| held toward the
sun, the tears were streaming down his
| cheeks and diSeasc-cut features, soften
ing them by their agony of supplica-
| ton.
William" I said, "your wife is
alongside. Go quietly to the place I
shall point out to you and you will see
her."
The man sprung up. and for mo
ment was perfectly beautiful, such a
JOY as came in his face. Then he turn
ed and ran to the place l indicated.
Half an hour aftcrward | saw him
alone. We were then under n full head
of steam passing Diamond Head.
where is she?" | asked. He point
ed astern. and there, not an eighth of d
mile away. we saw her, swimming to-
ward some fishing boats. her soft black
hair floating out behind her and her
arm now and again waving to us good
| bye.
The lepcr settlement is generally
called Molokai. but that, in fact. is the
name of the island upon which it is
placed. Kalawai is the official name OF
the town or village. 1t is situated at
the foot of n great ravine. through
which at some time stream of lava
has poured. On either side are great
precipices reaching into the sea. At
their bases the surf beats high, some
times breaking as high up their brown
hard fronts rs seventy feet. Here the
N. f. trades roll up the seas they gath
er in a passage of two thousand miles
| over an unObstructed ocean. But the
rocks stop them and sullenly they fall
back again with II heavy monotone.
The two cliffs run backward in sharp
| accents till they meet over the narrow
pass through which admission to the
leper settlement by land is alone posi-
bic. II is rs if nature had made a pris-
on. One man could hold thousand
at bay over the bride path and one
guard is sufficient to restrain the thou
sand lepcrS which are at this place.
HOAOlU u Cor. Phiiddeiphid Times.