San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-01-30
AUSTIN LETTER.
Scarlet Fever and Its Consequences Fall
Of a Derrick Double Wedding, Etc.

AUSTIN, January 2S, lSSG.-ln CONVEX
satiOn with an experienced and we'll
known physician Of Austin to-day, in
reply 10 my question as to the danger OF
q spread Of scarlet fever, he said :
"There is imminent danger of its becOm-
ing epidemic; 1t surely will do so unless
the strictsst precautions are taken and alb
solute non-interCsurse.is observed. And
! because the few cases which have occur
( red have been mild and have recovered,
that gives no assurance that an epidemic
would not be malignant and fatal Yes,
/ regard 1t as a very dangerous disease.
what do you think of closing the
schools 2" | asked. II would advise it
at once by all means. Every new case
becomes focus from which the poison
radiates, multiplied many hundred
times. Close the schools temporarily
and let the disease exhaust itself for
want of subjects. Two weeks hence 1t
will, IN my judgment, be too late. The
fever will have gotten too much head
way, and the schools will have TO be final
ly closed; two weeks loss OfsChOOl time is
lullnlltlN pltltIdDib ~ INC NtAlu VI u
single child, to say nothing Ofthe horrors
of an epidemic. Yes, think ordinary
prudence would demand the separation
Of children. and even the prevention of
large gatherings. Unfortunately, the
people, although they appear TO have a
wholesome fear of the disease, do not
realize the extent Of danger, nor are they
sufficiently impressed with the necessity
of strict nOn-inteTcOurse; they do not
know the velocity Of this fever
poison nor how subtle it is,
"Ies-One may catch it, from a per-
son who has been in a room with 1t,
though he himself may escape the poi
son can be carried in the clothing, beard
almost, If not quite, in the very breath:
can be communicated in letter or
newspaper. The results Of the scarlet
fever are sometimes dreadful. | have
known children left blind or deaf or
dumb .or manned for life. The reason
why the physicians do not advise the
closure Of the school lin reply TO my in
quiry) is, they believe that to do so
would unnecessarily create panic and
while most of them think as do, SO far
us know, they fear they would be mis-
understood, and the danger magnifisd,
were they TO officially advise the closure
of the schools at present. II smallpox
instead of scarlet fever, were in Austin
If there had been four or five cases Of
smallpox here, the people would be
CiamOrOus for their removal across the
river. Look at the Crow case, yet 1t
was mild, and he recovered. Scarlet
fever il as deadly as lOath; some as
catching, if not more so than smallpox,
and cannot be prevented AS that disease
is-by vaccination, and yet II person
will 90 in the room where it is and i'm
mediately enter a crowd! Unfortunate
" there is ut present no such preventive
as we have for smallpox In vaccination,
and therefore we should take even more
pains TO.guard against it,"
This morning one of the large der
riCks erected in front of the new Dris-
kill hotel, fell with n terrible crash. The
delivery wagon of Phil Abrahams was
standing in close proximity. which re-
suited in one of the horses being killed
outright and a. other badly manned. The
heavy pole fell across the telegraph and
telephone wires, swapping some 60 wires
with rs much ease as II they had been
so many strands of thread. That no
one was killed is miraculous. All dam
ages resulting from said accident were
promptly paid by Colonel Driskill and
the contractor, Mr.. William Theisen.
The celebrated Stoddart- Leader libel
cases viii occupy the boards Of the
County Court next week. Colonel w.
NJ. Walton has been employed TO assist
| in the prosecution. Mr.. A. ). Burleson
will defend. The opinion is that the
prosecution will fail TO secure a convic-
| ton. DR. Stoddart is very unpopular,
and many persons. among the best citi-
! Zens of Austin, are in sympathy with
| Leader.
Another cold wave struck Austin yes
terday, late in the afternoon. AS q
proof of the intenseness of this BOrean
blast, it is only necessary to quote the
following. from the Statesman of this
morning: "A double wedding occurred
last evening at s O'Clock, at the South
ern Presbyterian Church, the contract
ing parties being Mr.. Louis II. Kreisle
and Miss Lotttie A. Shipman. and Mr..
| Phocion 5. Parks and Miss Lillian f.
Baldwin. Notwithstanding the disa-
greeable wind and dust the church was
well filled with guests long before the
appointed hour, those present including
many of the most fashionable people in
| Austin. Mrs. Croker presided at the
organ and began the Wedding March
as the happy couples entered the church.
The ceremony was performed by the
| Rev. X. X. Smoot, Of the Southern Pres
byterian Church, and Rev. w. Howard,
| of the Baptist Church. After the cere-
mony the newly-married and happy
| Young people took the $50 nOrth-bound
International train and left for bridal
trip.
AS the LIGHT already knows, Hancock
has been arrested on an affidavit charg-
ing him with the murder of bis wife on
last Christmas eve. He now lies in Jail,
and to the press he dsmns the news
papers-and thereby hangs tale. The
date of his examination has not been
fixed, Phillips, Jr. already incarcerated
for wife murder, is still TOO unwell to
leave the jail for preliminary trial.
Perhaps murder will out"