The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-11-05
.nNcLEAN, UNcLEANr,
The voluntary Exile of a Leper in
California.

! Twice in the history Of California
ileper colonies have existed here, and
have been destroyed by immediate ae-
/ ton of the authorities, the Chinese and
Hawaiians composing them being re-
turned to their own countries. At the
present time, however. the Pacific
coast is alarmed over the existence OF
number Of incuraDle lepers, some OF
them whites, and leper hospital with
about thirty patients has been estab-
lished. Prompt action in shipping
these lepers Is demanded b. most of
1 the San Francisco papers, as there IS
danger that in time the disease may
become thoroughly established IN Cali
fornia, and thus leper quarter st last
become as much q San Francisco sight
as the Chinese quarter is now.
It is easy to discover the sources OF
leprous infection which most threatens
California. One is Chinese. from the
lowlands OF the great rivers, and from
the Malay peninsula and the Phillip
pines, In both of which places leprosy
Is more common than in China. and
from both of which points Chinese have
removed to San Francisco. But the
most dangerous source is undoubtedly
Hawaiian, for in that group Of islands
the best medical authorities declare
that 2 per cent. of the natives are in
fected. There lies the awful leprosy
isle of Molokai. the most horribly fas-
cinating and Dantesque sight 10 be
witnessed in the world. The true story
of the Hawaiian savage life that devel
oped leprosy on these islands can new
err be told to civilized ears It is enough
to say that centuries of debauchery
corrupted the blood of the race, and
in its paradise is the sting of the SER
pent leprosy. 1t is no light matter for
| California that commercial and social
relations with the Hawaiian islands are
| increasing every year, that young Cali
fornians find employment on the sugar
plantations for few years and then
return, and that the advantages of
Honolulu as winter resort attract
many thither. The upper classes of
| the natives are intelligent and cult
waited, but from the lower classes in
lection may be and has been spread TO
| Americans.
The saddest case of leprosy on the
Pacific coast that ever came under nv
| " ID thUOdt ton ~
Leaving q log-cabin school-house in
San Luis Obispo county, where l had
| taught barefooted mountain girls and
sturdy young vaqueros through the
summer months, saddled up my wild
| brown broncho for ride northward
through the passes of the hills to the
old stage road. was careless and alb
solutely guileless of woodcraft. SO it is
little wonder that ] lost my way before
nightfall, wandered in northeasterly
direction, and involved myself for some
| time, almost ineXtricably, in the wild
| est portion of the headwaters of the
| Naciemiento river, the boundary line
between Monterey and San Luis Opispo
counties. There is no moro picturesque
or interesting region in the entire Cali
| fornia coast range than the spot to
which / penetrated before nightfall.
Nominally it was a cattle range, but
| practically, at that time, one might
sRend week there without meeting
anything except birds. squirrels and
lynxes. Now 1t is no joke to be lost,
even if it is in the mild climate of Cali
fornia, for certain hereditary food in
stincts of the normal man crave salts
faction at not too remote intervals, and
Nebuchadnezzar' diet has never won
human approval. So when, late in the
afternoon, l rode into narrow ravine
and found signs of occupancy. great
was my rejoicing. There seemed to be
a narrow path trodden in the tall. dry
wild oats, leading to a spring set low
in the bank, and little further, in an
open space, at the head of the gulcb,
with cliffs behind it. was a rude cabin.
Something about it thrilled me with
strange feeling of dread. There was
curious sickening odor that came from
it OH tho breeze, and started me into
wondering whether any one lay there
dying of fever or disease. know now
what that odor was, but l did not
know then. A great live-oak tree stood
by the path, near the spring. and as
rode past l saw q board nailed to it.
and on that board rudely painted in
weak and wavering letters was the
sentence: For Gods sake, come no
nearer" did not understand it. lido
now.
| thought a moment. SLOWLY; I was
young and foolish; l rode on past the
sentence. ready to turn and gallop off
at any sign of danger. On the slope
of the canyon a rod of garden lay,
brush-fenced and watered; quail-traps |
were piled by the door; this hermit |
had food in abundance. A harsh,
cracked voice called out to me from |
the cabin door; hand projecting
closed it, and then, speaking through |
the crevicc, heard in good English
words like these: 'You must go away;
it is death to stay here. am aceursed.
The air is poison" / asked the way.
Climb that mountain" he cried; Ego.
60 at once" The words were spoken
with intense earnestness, and with an
quality of superhuman
agony. if the phrase may be pardoned.
For hours after l had left the place |
kept finding new meanings in that
harsh. painful cry.
A mile from the cabin bit of white
duttered in the grass. l dismounted
aud examined it. A fragment of let
ter it was; most of the words illegible,
The handwriting delicate and femi-
nine. the paper of the costliest. Had
it belonged to that poor leper. crouch
ing in his loathsome cabin. crying
''unclean?' This is one of the secrets
for the hereafter to reveal. Before dark
was on the hilltop, and saw the shin
ng course Of the river. the great peaks,
height beyond height in vast ridges of
pine and spruce, the Pacific lying low
along the western horizon. / found n
,attle trail and followed il to pion-
,er's cabin, sometime about midnight,
hiding food and blanket on the hay
tack for the rest of the night, but of =
he hermit IN the mountains said not
! word.
Five years later a local Journal men,
Toned the fact that cabin had been
ound in the mountains, at the head
waters of the Naciemiento, and il It
mans skeleton lay. Some refugee
rom justice, it was thought, had per-
shed at his own hands there, or died
i disease. met one of the cattle
'wners of that region and questioned
i'm concerning it. Yes. they had seen
board by the spring. but the writing
Fas faded. No books, papers. or cloth
ne; all had been burned in the fire. :
lace. They raked the ashes over and
ould tell there had been a bible,
album, and packages of
stters; but really it was no conse-
uence. they said. He was q Sheep
order. or lunatic, or stage-robbeF.
hey believed. But / knew had seen
nd spoken with . self-exilesl leper, and
nat his torture had come to IN end,
ecause flesh and bloesl could bear no