Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-05-23
AT OUR DOORS.
Outbreak of a Strange Disease Near
Golfers Station.
A MaIady Which Battles the Skill Of Physi-
Clans Nothing Like It in the
Medical Records.

Yesterday mornings papers contained 8
brief mention of the outbreak OF mystic
rious disease at q small town in Washing.
ton county, Pa, on the an-Handle road.
The account stated that the local physicians
had refused to attend persons afflicted with
the disease, and that medical aid had been
obtained from Steubenville. Later details
of the outbreak are as follows:
Paris Cross Roads, the town in which the
MYSTERIOUS disease has made its appearance,
is little hamlet on the Panhandle road,
few miles from where the railway. crosses
into the State OF Golfers Station. 1t Is
nothing more than hamlet with few hun
bred people living in the cluster Of houses
around the railroad station and on the out
living farms. While the disease is called
THE BLACK FEVER,
there is no certainty that this is the correct
name, as the physicians are puzzled, and
powerless to stop Its ravsges.
About two weeks ago the disease first
made its appearance. 1t was thought to be
typhoid fever, but as it developed this theory
proved 10 be wrong. The village doctors
could find nothing like it in their medical
works and had never met similar disease
in their experience.
The fever appeared first in the family Of
a man named Nelson. There were six
children in the family and in a few days
five of them were down with the disease, as
was their father. Since Monday the FIVE
children, ranging from to Is years, died
and Mr.. Nelson is lying so low that the ply
sicians have given up all hope of saving
him. The trouble has unsettled Mrs. Nell
sons mind, and she has become insane.
From the first the fever had its own way. 1t
caused
INTENSE AGONY
to the sufferers, who could only be relieved
by the use ofopistes. Until death came to
their relief their sufferings were intense
unless under the influence Of drugs that
dulled their sensibiities. The disease
proved to be contagious and spread rapidly.
While no deaths have occurred, except
in the Nelson family, eight persons have
been stricken down and are expected to die
before the end Of the week.
The disease is very offensive, the patient
throwing off an offensive odor and discharg-
ing q mucus from the nostrlls in great guam.
titles and of the most dissgreeable nature.
The fever is so intense as to completely
PROSTATE the person attacked from the first
and leave them powerless to aid themselves
in tie slightest manner.
The residents of the village are greatly
excited over the fever and when their own
physicians confessed their incapsbility to
successfully combat it, called in DR.. Hill, Of
Steubenyiile, as consulting physician. He
has been at Paris Roads for several days
now, but has not yet found method Of
chtckirg the progress Of the disease. In
some resJects the malady resembles yellow
fever and again is
LIKE THE CHOLERA.
1t lacks certain characteristics of either of
these diseases and it is only for lack ola
better name that it has come to be called
the black fever.
The people living in the adjacent towns
are growing alarmed and are talking about
establishing a quarantine and having strict
sanitary measures inaugurated. Paris
Roads has no local government, being stu
ated in q township, but the citizens there
are in favor of the quarantine suggestion
and will cooperate in any measure for
stamping out the fever. The news of the
outbreak of the disease, We understand, has
created good deal of excitement in that
portion Of Brooke and Hancock counties
lying along the Pennsylvania line.