The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-02-28
The Honolulu Lepers.

When aleper is reported to the poles
| If any district an officer is sent to fetch
him or her to Honolulu, where there is
detention hospital put on the outskirts OF
he city and on the bank of the bearti-
ful bay Then they are examined by
the doctor who decides whether it is q
case of leproSy or not. Once declared
a leper the person is civilly dead, and
is incapable of suing in the courts or
being sued. At the hospital there are
accommodations for about 12O. 1t Is
| filed every two months. The establish
ment consists of plot of ground, say
i've acres, around which IS very high
picket fence, with 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 construction of the houses
is primitive, their furnishing plain to
| the verge of discomfort, but they are
clean. To the north rises the groteSque
/ form of the Punch Bowl, the crater OF
an extinct volcano, and beneath it are
/ the green slopes and lower lands OF the
beautiful city. Sweeping around to the
east is Wekiki, with its graceful forests
Of cocoa palms, and in front the green
/ sea splashes and roarS over the coral
reefs that form the harbor bar, In this
place the leper must give up all hope.
| Before his admission here he had at
| least the expectation of dying among
friends friends so loyal that they hide
their afflicted relatives in the mount
aims, and bring them poi and water in
1 ealabaShes. But now comes the harsh
| discipline of a government Institution.
| No wandering in the cool Algeroba for
est, or bathing in the loved surf, but
simply period of suffering and waiting
for death by mercenary, if cruel law,
and from whose horrible provisions
| there is no escape.
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 finally
to Molokai, his excellency having at
last exhausted his reasons for my not
going. 1t was not my lot to witness
many sad scenes, but none of them APP
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 to mothers whom they
might not embrace; wives held up
their mouths for kisses which their hus-
bands could not give; babes, heldin 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,
''alas! that come from the depths OF
hearts wrung with the misery of hope
less condition. Presently the1 lines
were cast off, the little steamer turned
her head away and steamed slowly to-
ward the bar. 1 went into the little
cabin set apart for the captain and
closed the door, determined to hear nc
more and see no more of such grief.
The little port was open, when sudden
" it was darkened, and, looking up,
saw the dark but beautiful face of q
woman whose young husband was on
his way to MOlokai. She had swan
out to intercept the steamer, and being
as indeed are all her race-as much
1T home in water as on land, she had
no difficulty in accomplishing her pur-
pose. "Ah," she said, ''you are not
doctor nor a constable. Tell my hus-
band to look over the side to me, and
God will bless you" .ays...
went on deck. We were steamino
slowly, waiting for the Government in
spector to complete his task before
taking 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 launches
and moaning, a 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 sores, was held toward the
sun, the tears were streaming down his
disease-cut features, softening them by
their agony of supplication.
William" said, "your wife ia
alongside. Go quietly to the place
shall point out to you and YOU will sea
her."
The man sprang up, and for mo-
ment was perfectly beautiful, such
Joy as came in his face. Then he turned
and ran to the place 1 indicated. Hall
an hour afterward L saw him alone.
We were then under a full head OF
steam, passing Diamond Head.
"Where is she?' asked. He pointed
astern, and there, not an eighth of 3
mile away, we saw her, swimming to-
ward some fishing-boats, her soft black
nair floating out behind her and .heI
arm every now and again waving to US
good-by.
The leper 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 al
the foot of great ravine, through
which at some time stream of Laws
has poured. On either side are great
precipices reaching far into the sea.
At their bases the surf beats high,
sometimes breaking as high up Their
brown, hard fronts as seventy feet
Here the northeast trades roll up the
seas they gather in passage of two
thousand miles over an unobstrueted
ocean. But the rocks stop them, and
sullenly they fall back again with 8
heavy monotone. The two cliffs run
backward in sharp ascents till they
meet over the narrow pass through
which admission to the leper settlement
by land is alone possible. Is is as d
nature had made prison. One man
conld hold thousand at bay over the
bridle-path; and one guard is sufficient
to restrain the thousand lepers which
are at this place.-Cor. N. = Times.
ghanghaeine AT San Padra- 4s