The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-09-04
WHOLESALE HyDRopHOBIA.
Thity-two Negroes on an Alabama
Plantation Said to Be Affected
Widespread Terror Existing.

tEufaula tAla.l tclcgram.l
People are greatly excited in this section
over tho Wholesale spread Of pronounced
hydrophobia on the plantation Of Punch
Doughtie, the freaks Of whose mad mule
were telegraphed day before yesterday. DR..
+. b. johnson has just returned from tho
Donghtie plantation, where he had been
summoned to attend the sudden sickness.
He found thirty-two persons suffering with
disease which he Mt once pronounced to
be hydrophobia in mild form. All are
negroes. Three Of them are very sick
one In delirum and SO low that the Doctor
says he IL liable to die Mt any time. Over
three weeks ago hog bitten by dog died on
Doughtie's plantation. and tho carcass was
given to the negroes to make soap grease.
Instead of using it for this purpose, however.
thirty-two negroes ON the place and in its
vicinity ate fresh pork, with tho result
stated. Mr.. Doughtic says that july ID one
Of his dogs went mad and bit mule and
several hogs. Aug. l3 tho first hog died
| and was eaten by the negroes as stated
Two more died Aug. Il, one on the 22dand
| one on the 27th, and NIL were eaten except
the last, by which time the disease had ap-
peared. The mule first exhibited symp-
| toms Of madness Oh the nineteenth day
| first hog was eaten ten of the parties were
taken sick. Two days ago another dog was
| discovered to be mad and was killed after
| having bitten another mule The first dog
that went mad disappeared, and the whole
| neighborhood is in terror lest he went
| among the stock--cattle and dhogs--through-
out the county before dying, if he is yet
/ dead
| A few days ago when the symptoms broke
out in mule. Mr.. Doughtie rode ont, at the
| request of field hand, to inspect the con-
dition Of the animal. Tn reaching the
pasture where dozen mules were the AMI
mml Mr. Donghtie was riding ncighcd,
which attracted the attention of the other
animals. and the sick one particularly,
which Immediately rushed on the mule and
rider and seized the saddle Of the animal
with his teeth. Mr. Doughtie dismounted
and succeeded in loosening the mad mules
hold, but no sooner wns this done than the
miiuriated beast turned upon his owner.
who He'd for his life. pursued by tho mule.
| There was n desperate race of a quarter OF
a mile through undergrowth, and Mr..
Doughtie only saved himself by dodg-
| ing around saplings small stretch Of
clearing intervened between the woods and
the house. and the terrified man took life
and death choncc on making it. Before
| leaving the woods the mule had bitten a
piece Of Mr.. Doughtie's coat, and. while
maneu,ering around the tree, the animal
bit himself savagcly in several places, tear
ing out a monthful Of flesh each time. The
n,ce for the house was close one. and just
ms Mr.. Doughtie reached the top Of the
| fence the mule overlook him on a dead
run, but instead of reaching his victim.
struck his head against Il fence-po in q
| wild rush and was knocked senseless. The
mule was aftcrward killed by Mr.. Dough-
tie. II is now reported that the whole herd
Of mules are affected. and will doubtless
spread the disease among other animals in
the nei.hborhood. The community is ut a
loss how to arrest the disease.