Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-11-16
BYE.wAY STUDIES In THE SOUTH
NO ".
What I Know About Yellow Fever-How
"Xellow Jack" was Brought to Decatur,
Ais. ~-Sights and Scenes in tho In
feCted DigtriCt

When one is in New York aud the daily
papers announce that yellow fever has
broken out in the town where ones fami-
ly is residing the first sensation is pecul-
lar and disagreeable. That was the effect
on me at least, and in few hours | WAS
on my way to the affected town, Decatur,
Ala.
At Chattanooga, which 1 reached in the
early evening, we found that all the towns
were QUara, ined against Decatur and
that no trains, either passenger or freight,
were allowed to stop at that station or
near 1t. In fact trains were forbidden to
stop in Morgan county, in which Decatur
is located. No tickets would be sold for
Decatur at the ticket office Here was q
dilemma. However, we bought tickets
for the nearest point beyond Decatur
where the train would stop and entered
the cars as the train was pulling out from
the depot. There was with me gentle
man from Brooklyn who had been sum
moned by telegraph to his brother, sick
with typhoid fever, at Decatur. Think
ing THAI the conductor might be more OBJ
liRing than was the ticket agent we tried
TO prevail upon him to agree to stop near
the place we wished to reach, or even TO
slow up the train at that point, but he was
deaf to all our entreaties. His orders
we're imperative aud ne dared not risk the
loss OF his position by deviAtinG from
them in the least The fates seemed
against is. AS the train whirled around
the base of Lookou mountain, at
the very spot where Rockers men crept
up In the fog and charged the entrench-
Uents, the big harvest moon came over
the mountain and flooded the valley with
light But it threw no light on our affairs
as We sat and stared out OF the car Win
dOws.
Al length we came to a resolve to stop
the cars ourselves or make the attempt,
at some, point near, Decatur. Owing to
the yellow fever scare travel WAS nearly
suspended on this road and there were
not more than halt dozen passengers in
each car. We noticed that the conductor
spent most of his time doing AT the rear
OF the train, and the brakeman at the
front end of the smoker, so we de termiued
that on the up grade, just after leaving
Decatur, one of Us should pull the bell
rope from the middle of the train, and
the other put on the brakes, and thus we
might check the train enough to get of
before our ruse was discovered.
Comi0rted with this hope we went to
sleep and did not awaken until the train
was rumbling across the bridge over the
Tennessee at Decatur. To make sure
that we should yet the signals properly
| mad entered into friendly converse ion
with the elderly colOred man who acted rs
brakeman as we left Chattanooga.
Uncle what is that rope for there ~
why boss, yer pull dat wen yer wan
ter stop de kyar"
up -sbIe :"
''> q. san, pull er tree times"
Aimed with this knowledge we station
ed ourselves near the door with our
grips" in our hands as the train entered
the town at the rate of II or IS miles an
he N IL. - a
the engine bell Changing rs II frightened
just then the brakeman appeared and
locked the front door 9th car and started
Tor the one we were at This would fru5-
trate our plans and there was not a mo-
ulent to lose. | sprang to the platform,
threw off my valise and swinging off the
lower step to the ground, landing in safe
", but 1t waS sometime before | came TO
III, full stop. Ny companion VINO fol
lowed my example fell as he struck the
earth but was NOT seriously hurt.
There was no one in sight IS we land
ed except two men who were returning
from house where there had been q
death. They looked as astonished as il
we had fallen from the clouds.
acre was not sigu OF life anywhere
besldes THESE two figures. No lights nj
'H4 depot, none in the streets, or at tn
"a -ls tue town looked as il it might
-..e been long dead The train puffed
out Of sight as If glad to get away safely
leaving US SlAuNluR tDcrS III LDe moon
light ike benighted ghosts.
On questioning the men present found
that ahaiIs were gloomy enough. The
lever was present, most of the people {
become panic stricken aud left town, al
business was suspended and those people
VINO could not get away were keeping
closely AT home.
The next day a walk about town dis
closed a strange state of affairs Their,
We're no sounds from the workshops, NJ
tlaVe, n the streets groups OF ne9roe,
were acre and there at the corners stand
luz IDLE, while occasionally white maj
hurried along. Everything denoted thai
calamity mad fallen upon the town. |
had come az suddenly and mysterionslN
as thief III the night, and in As hours
busting town had come to resemble 9Th,
deserted village"
A history OF the beginning of the out
break and the panic that followed was
given me and it was not without interest
The local papers had been full, day alter
day, With reports OF the raging OF tn,
epidemic at Jacksonville, aud til,
CITY authorities here had declared strin
gent quarantine against that place.
One morning the word went about tina
Il Jacksonville refugee was hiding in tn
city. On Investigation this was found t
be The case and the party when found wa
Immediately expelled from the city. Thu
refugee came III perfect health, he hat
never had the fever he left in good hcalt
and has remained so ever since aud ye
somewhere about himself or more llkel
il his baggage, were few OF these my
teriOus germs, these prolific microbes
that in u few days caused loss of mi
lions of dollars 10 this section, aud man
valuable lives.
The incident of the refugees visit wa
soon forgotten. A fortnight passed ava
and low the gentleman with whom tn
refugee had lodged, u friend of the Jack
9onville man, was taken sick. His ply
stefan never thought Of yellow fever "A
ais patients symptoms were not unlik
hose of the first stages of a remitteLI
The patient grew worse still no suspiC
,Ons. One evening just before darh
Then the streets were full of people It a
nouse being on the main street, the SIC
man went into commissions The di.
.racted vie, alone with her HUSBAND
rushed to the door and uttered screar
AFTER scream at the top OF her voice. TIL
passers-by rushed into the house the con
motion and cries attracted those furthe
off, and soon 100 people We're congreRt
ted in and around the house. Just the
the "black vomit" commsnced pourin
out OF the patients mouth and phys
cau who had come in said that's yello'
teVerp