Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-05-01
A DOCTORS
Vaccinatfng at the Muzzle Of a
Gun.-MOrphine for q Mutlnous

fascinating at the Muzzle Of a
Gun--Morphine for q Mutlnous
Damp.
A Maine doctor, who weighs two
hundred pounds. and was stationed as
an inspector in the woods near the Dor.
der, recently told me in an interesting
way some Of the adventures-and ad.
ventures they were, indeed-which he
had during his official stay in the will.
derness during the late smallpox
ecaro.
II was sent" said he, Ito Lowell's
township. through which the Canadian
Pacific railroad will pass. My station
was near Gordon's camp, where about
eighty men employed on that railroad
were encamped. The nearest railroad
station was at Lake Megantic, twenty
eight miles away. l built a log cabin
and constructed a gate across the road.
No man went through the gate without
being v%accinated. 1 had to deal with
a rough class of men. and had some
scrapes that would read like a dime
novel. My two assistants, a rifle, a re-
v%olver, a Newfoundland dog, and "A
suit OF clothes with brass buttons,
which / procured after I'd been thore
awhile, helped me out. You see, no.
body lived near, and | had no moral
support. had to rely wholly on my
display OF physical force.
Soon after we were established we
went down to Gordon's camp, and in
n day vaccinated every nan of the
eighty employed there. They rebelled
against it, but we made no talk with
them, going through them like a flock
of sheep. Several days afterward word
came to me that a crew was coming
from the camp TO tear down my cabin
and send me home. Some of the mems
arms had swollen and become exceed
ingly sore. l went do vn to the camp
at once. and found a mutiny impend-
ing. Many Of the men were sick and
angry. Several Of them were laid up
and suffering severely. l explained
the nature of their trouble to them, and
told them it they kept calm l would re-
lieve them of their pain. With the
help of morphine l was able to prevent
the rumpus. ! tell you it vas an ex.
cited crowd. They we're afraid that ell
of them would b taken down.
"A burly Scotchman swore that he
would pass my station without being
v~accinated, n day. He was one of a
dozen desperate fellows. l had a
pitched battle with him at last, and
actually v%accinated him with my foot
in his windipe. Meanwhile my assist
emit kept off the others with his gun.
W. stuck the quill into every one of
them.
'Often the Canadians tried to get
by me by stealing around through the
woods. One man in making the At
tempt was lost in the night. We heard
his cries, and started in search Of him.
With the help of our Newfoundland
dog we were able TO rescue him. but
he did not arrive at our cabin till 4
o'clock in the morning, and the fellow
was nearly dead with cold and fatigue.
He would have persisted but for the
doctors and the dog. A more scared
man than he was when we came upon
him we never saw.
They adopted a curious way to
sneak by the Moore river inspector
one day. Four men concealed them
selves in a load of nav and passed with.
u being noticed. They crawied out
too soon. At the forks they were
stopped and sent back to be ~vaccina'
ted.
81 was surprised 10 see the preju-
dice these fellows had against vaccina'
ton. 1t existed among the Scotch and
English as well as the French. lew.
iston Journal.