Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-11-16


jack" and nearly every physician III town
| took sides with this party. Experts were
| accordingly summoned from the different
parts of the State aud an autopsy was
| held upon the body of the victim. AnX-
ious crowds were awaiting the result of
the autopsy and when the announcement
| was made that this was the genuine yell
low fever there ensued u panic that Deg
! CARS description. People rushed for the
| railroad trains as they came in, from every
direction they filled the seats, and over,
| flowed into the baggage car, and swarmed
upon the platforms, and clambered upon
the roofs. Extra cars were put on ana
| filled at once Those who had not the
means to travel to distance hlreu any
and every sort of vehicle that could be
obtained, threw in few household goods,
| and then their wives and children and
streamed out into the country. There
| they took possession OF every empty
| house abandoned cabin and disused cot
| ton gin, and went to camping out
All night long and the next day and the
| following night mule teams and OK teams
and every form of gO-cart loaded with
trunks and boxes and with women and
children sitting on furniture and roosItng
on barrels, went by the house II was not
| holiday excursion either, for many Of
| the women were in tears at being thus
compelled to leave their homes unRuard-
ed. 1t was estimated that 5000 people
left within As hours.
Meantime word had gone out that yellow
jack" was at Decatur, and the whole re
zion was in "a termeut for 200 miles around.
Town and city authorities were called to
gether and quarantine declared trains
were forbidden to take on or put OH pas
sengers or freight at this point, and the
neAr-Oy places put men on all the dirt
roads around with shot-Runs to prevent
refugees from entering. Those who were
late in leaving found themselves thus con
fronted, ana were obliged TO turn BACK.
Many were put off the trains outside OF
towns and, with difficulty obtained food
aud shelter. Some or the smaller towns
Quarantined against the world and re
fused to let any one enUer the town from
any where would let no trains stop Or
mails be put of or taken on.
knowing what oDstructiOns would he
put in their way it is hardly to be wonder
ed at that people fed in such haste AS to
forget in some cases to put out their lights
and lock their doors
such was the history Of the great panic
and | could well believe the accounts foi
foui -dtths of the houses were closed and
deserted when | reached there.
Many amusing as well as striking Incl
dents might be related of the effects Of
quarantine, and the fear of yellow fever
a lady told me lately her experience al
Cairo, Ill She had left Decatur Tor hel
! home IN Cairo at the first alarm and reach
ed there before quarantine was put In
force. The next day she started ont to set
some friends without thought that she
might be an object of fear. From some
, to her unaccountabie, reason, all her
friends were out and the servants an
swered her through a nearly closed door
Not only that but If she CHANGED to see a
friend on the street, that party seemed u
have urgent business around the corner
or at the other end of the block She wa;
highly indignant at this treatment unit
she learned the cause
laA oil Q6 Z
leave the tram five miles from Memphis
r at night IN pouring rain at a place wher'
| there was a store and one house. No on'
would let them into their houses ana they
would have remained in the rain unshel
tered all night had it not been tor thu
| Kindness Of colored man. Neither haC
1 come from an infected point
Owing TO the difficulty in getting sup
plies III IL Quarantlned town, and for pru
, Dental reasons, | decided to remove IN.
family farther north and then return u
fight the disease. Word was sent around
} to us that at midnight special cars would
be at the disposal of people who yet wish
, ed to leave the city, but that none woulC
be allowed to leave the cars until tn
northern line OF Tennessee had been pass
, ed. AT the hour named people carrying
bags and childI N came from all dlrec
tons towards the depot and entering tn
cars already standing there took thei
2 seats IN silence, At length the switch en-
t CINE was attached and the cars were ruI
SOuth of the town about three miles ant
t out upon switch track in the woods
i Here the mails and baggage were takel
, out and dlSnfecLed over ire OF burning
j. sulphur. The baggage smashers' VIII
had this work in charge 3rofessed to b
j able to see the fever microbes tarl
e swarming out of the baggage and wheT
1 an unfortunate night moth flew toward
| IN flames or bumped about the on look
e ers every one WAS warned TO "bewAre o
: that mcrobe.' The unfortunate peopl
who were being driven from home al tn
! dead of night by the real microbes coul
Z not appreciate the humor of the situation
o A last the express came along from tn
$ South, our cars were attached 10 the re6
J. of the train, and then with steady clam
n or from the whistle and bell Of our engine
{ we dashe through the town at the rat
I OF 10 miles an nOur. The passengers peer
y ed ont of the Windows at their home.
a looking deserted and sad in the morBiu
e light, until the town was ont of sight
when most dropped asleep, their heaC.
= Topping about on bundles aud backs {
S seats most intentionally.
{ Two passengers broke the quarantine {
J. the first town at which we stopped, h
: jumping from the train Just before
g reached the station. We saw them In IN
/ bright moonlight skurrying down Ii
: street to escape the guards. After tn
i the car doors were locked as we approach
{ ed each town.
~ AT Nashville, which we reached q
,s breakfast time, a BASKET OF sandwlcht
4 were brought into the cars for those Wi
n were going due north without change, hr
A. as our party were bound for st. Louis "
70 were escorted under guard to the diuin
y room and then back to the proper trail
: Here we We're no longer under survei
p lance and felt less like eugrants or pr
Z oners Of war. We judged it best to mail
> tain discreet silence, however, in regar
10 to the incidents Of our previous jOurne
y ~ after we had overheard the following col
% versstiOn from the people III the seat b.
,, hind us:
y Say, Maria did ye see that crowd
Is refugees in the cars that came IN from tt
"a South ~
I, Eyes | did"
G. well, wayn't they rough lookin
Z set ?"
"a Maria agreed that they were. So "
* sometimes 'see ourselves as others ST
g. us"
d, This ended our troubles as refugee
m We reached st. LOus without further e
lie venture and in Il short time was OF II
n way back to the Infected district
or In returning saw one or two incident