Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-12-10

WATER AFTER LONG DROUGHT-THE DEATHS
NUMBER 800 IN A POPULATION OF LESS THAN
2.OOo-THE HERoIsA OF A PREACHER.
From the New York Sum-
Pike, Leteher, Harlan and Bell are the four
counties IN the extreme southeastern part Of
Kentucky which border on the state of Virginia.
where it forms big V between them and the
state of Tennessee TO the south. The border
counties in Virginia are Buchanan. Dickinson.
Wise and Lee. These eight counties form the
district in which a most fatal plague has ragged
for very nearly two months. carving off more
people in proportion to the number of inhabi-
tants than the cholera in its worst stages in
France during the past Year The center Of
this district is near the junction Of Letcher and
Harlan counties in Kentucky. with Wise county.
Virginia. point that is about $50 miles south
east OF Cincinnati. Ii is in this region that the
feuds between families become known to the
public through the determination of one of the
families and the subsequent acquittal of the ex-
terminatOrs by jury of their peers.
The Cumberland range of mountains forms
the dividing line between the two states. and it
Is here that the numerous creeks rise that form
the Cumberland river. which flows to the west:
the Kentucky which flows TO the northwest
and the Big Sandy. that flows away to the north
and empties into the Ohio at CatIettSburg, On
the line between Kentucky and West Virginia.
Perched on Lodges on the mountain sides. or
nesting in wooded hOllOws between the noun
tain tops or standing close under bic prPci pieces.
are the log cabins of the Inhabitants There is
always piece Of cleared ground enclosed BY a
fence of brush and brars. near each house. In
IL are raised patch OF corn another of pota-
toes. and some stalks of tobacco. small drove
Of half-wild hogs ranges for mast in the
woods around, and few "critters" get their
living in the same precarious way. Wheat is
unknown, but corn. pork and mOOnshiners'
whiskey are the mainstays of life ard chewing
tobacco is its sOlaCe- Game abounds in the
woods. Such water "a they need is obtained
from the creeks and springs. and occasionally
where family is less favorablV situated than
It's nefghbOTs from surface-watPr well.
The Cumberland is only one OF many high
ridges that trend from southwest to northeast
IN Kentucky and Virginia. and in consequence
some of the rain storms that sweep up from the
Mississippi valley are intercepted, and drourhts
are not uncommon in summer. But when. i'll
last September. it was noticed that no rain had
fallen for sXweeks. the people who occasionally
lounge in the few country stores TO be found in
that region BEGAN to talk about the way the
wells had all gone dry. and to say that they had
never seen the water low in Poor Fork or iii
Greasy. Browns. or Pucketts creeks. No relief
came with October. About the middle of the
month Joseph LAY, brOSher Of County Judge
Day of Letcher county. while on his way from
Whitesburg Courthouse to his home on Poor
Fork. in the southeastern part of the county.
was taken suddenly with severe gripping pains
in the abdomen. In less than an hour his limbs
became paralyZed, and friends carried him to
his home high fever at once set in with
burning thirst and swelling of the throat.
Then he was taken with bloody flux followed
BY vomiting of blood and mucous and in less
than twenty-four hours he was dead. He was
the first victim If the plague. Before he had
breathed his last some OF those who had helped
him home were taken In like manner. and from
this point the disease spread 10y jumps through
out the region. and in modified form toward
Cincinnati as far as Bath county.
The progress of the disease was no. rapid at
first. and little attention was paid to it, The
houses We're scattered along the streams some
times miles apart, and TO pass from one settle
ment TO another required tedious trip or foot
lover the divide" TO the next stream. There
is not railroad or a telegraph line within
eighty miles, as the bird flies from the house of
Joseph Day. at Pools Fork. and the mail ser
vice has never been expedited. whole
neighbOrhood might be wiped out and the next
neghborhood rot hear o. it for week after
Blu the causes OF the disease were growing
stronger daily. Springs which had never
Jailed to pour out volumes of limpid water be-
gan to dry up. and the water itself became
bitter. The water hardly flowed through the
north and the middle forks of the HOlston.
Louisa Fork of the Big Sandy became q success
sion Of foul puddles and the bed of Maiden
Spring creek became dusty gulch. The leaves
bare as In midwinter. and the grass was burned
up by the sun. People who had depended on
wells had to bring water from great distances
In some instances as much as ten miles, and
even then goou water was hard to get. few
persons noticed that when the water began to
boil brick-cOored sediment would settle to
the bottom of the kettle. With the beginning
OF November the disease spread rapidly. One
afternoon the inhabitants of Pineville. the
county seat Of Bell county, were astounded by
t-ao Of
Elements along Pucketts. Houses. Straight and
Greasy creeks. They all came to find Dr. Burch-
held, the only physician In the county. They
told one story, of the sudden appearance of a
bloody huX with new symptoms among their
friends, which usually proved fatal within FORTY
eight hours. This almost produced a panic
Thereafter the reports of the spread of the dis
ease seemed to travel faster and at length the
outside world heard of the condition OF affairs
up In the mountains of Eastern Kentucky
The work Of the plague cannot yetibe fully as
certalned- The disease has been most fatal high
up on the mountains that divide the two states
In Bell county and the eastern townships of
Knox 2l1 deaths have been so far reported In
Harlan county 200 people have died In Wise
county. Va. the mortality has been more fright
full still. The Gaysville Times has reported $50
deaths, including the entire Clark family of FIVE
who lived at the foot of Garrison's Gap In adj
dillon to this Al deaths have been report ed along
Colds Camp creek. including an entire family of
AlOus RIVER creek % more have
died. Six people were buried in one graveyard
there In one day. Cranes Nest is four-corners
settlement in West county. near the Dckenson
county line A gentleman who rode overland
from that place to Ervnton. a distance of
81 miles. said yesterday that he passed houses
where few more than 400 people lived during
the month OF September. but in the last two
months l16 of them had died. The population
OF Eryinton and vicinity is abOut $50. Or these
Il have died of the plague in SIX weeks
The suffering in some neignborhoods and in
come families has been much greater than in
others. At Poor Fork Post Office there are %
new graves, although the population is less
than 100 Along MOccasin creek there were 30
families. numbering in all 80 people. and of
these but 81 are left. In the MOccasin valley
the horrors of starvation We're added to those
Of the plague. There was not a well person in
the community. and although there was corn
enough on hand, no one could take il to mill
1nere was no one able to cook it If Ii had been
ground and there was no water fit to cook the
meal in II 1t could have been obtained Abra-
ham Smallev lived in this valley with his wife
AID three children. He was taken first. but his
wife and the two older children followed during
the day. When neghbor called few DAYS
later he found the man dead in one corner Of
the room with his two children beside him On
bed In another corner was the dead body of
the wife. and the third child a baby two years
old. lay by her side. 1t had died of starvation.
and 10 Its hunger had torn the breasts of its
mother with its teeth
gainesville and Lebanon. two Kentucky VII
lases, are almost depOpulated. At Gladesv:lle
tnere hved Methodist circuit rider the Rev
Joseph Emmons. who received $3.50 for his years
salary the most Of il coming from missionary
society. He had wife and three children to