The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-10-06
THE ISLE OF LEPERS.
An Oregon Priest Writes of His
Awful Surroundings.


cAt from the [ matilda Indian res4r-
Fassoa. Oregon. to Join Father Damien
in his work among the Eepers az
Hawaii, stationed on the island OF MOI
akai, gives terrible account OF his
surroundings He says
The portion OF Molakai lie iepers
occupy Is assont three miles long and
bali or three quar- ers OF a mile wide.
. perfect place Of seeiusion. for il the
poor iepeTs thought Of escaping very
few OF them could 10 so, as VERY
high cliffs separate Us from the other
part OF the island--so high that clouds
most OF the time cover their tops. As
for lsprOsy. don't think il can he
avoided II il Is contagious by contact
or inhala'ion, for any one who lives
among them comes in contact with
them in 4 thousand different ways. |
believe there is no more possibility OF
remaining uacontaminatesi than for a
man TO live in 4 Ere without being
burned. We have now some 10 BOYS.
am most Of the time with them, and
beside live in the same house with
Father Damien, who, as you know,
II affected with the disease.
The disease has peculiar smell, very
offensive. In the beginning the sight
OF poor Father Damien, whose ears,
face, meek and hands are quite bad.
was enough 10 take my appetite away,
and / was troubled with continued
headache; but now | feel am used
to these little Inconvenience. Every
thing here is done and handled ny
iepeFs; cattle are killed, meet cut and
distributed. and brought by lepers
bread baked BY them; but eggs are
clean-yes, only the hens eat rotten
flesh thrown 10 them by iepers. Poor
Father Damien sometimes will speak
to me in q confidential way, approach
ing very near. Many things that he
and other lepers handle have also to
be handled BY me, bat il seems 10 NE
that the smell is more injurious than
the simple contact. How 10 live in
the midst of them and not become one
day a leper myself, | don't see; /
leave that TO God, happen what
may
Since Father Conrarsiy's arrival
about ninety lepers had died on tie
island. The week before he wrote rs
many rs eleven died in enc day.
Some very bad cases are among
them. Some are without lia- and
noses, having bat portion OF their
hands and feet, and the balance OF
their wretched bodies in a very bad
condition. 1t is sad TO see Young bows
with crippled and mangleSi hands,
some under 10 years of age, washing
their clothes or trying to mend them.
] heard some OF them saying at the
sight OF 50 many Deaths We will
die ii We stay here. Were we home
we would not die not thinking they
had been brought to Moiakai 10 die,
and that t4ey viii never see their
home again nor any OF those once
dear to tiem-father, mother, brothers
and sisters Eut by a divine and
Inereiful Providence We. Father
Damien. Brother Dalton Ga convert
from EpiSc1paiianisn and last Of all
myself, have been chosen to re-
place them here below till the
day OF their reunion in the
next world comes Leprosy does not
work or appear on all in the same way.
In each of Its victims one part is par
ticulariy affected generally the ear :,
nose, lips, eyes, cheeks. neck. throat.
hands and feet are affected, but in diff
feYent ways. Some are blind because
their ewes rot away, or because they
double--ike sockets OF the ewes come
out as ii they had their eyes outside.
Father DamIen's ears are badly swol-
len. and his face. neck and hands are
covered with boiis and swellings; one
knee is particularly affected, but in
spite of all that he Is very active, al
ways working at something. Beside
providing for the whole household,
about 100 strong food and some cloth
ing. also matches and soap, are fur
nished by the government. and at
tending to the dying. he is now busy
putting an addition TO our little chapel
Go feet by 20 feet, the work being
done by lepers. A new dormitory go
feet by 60 leet) is also in the course of
construction, for which lumber is fnr-
nished and other expenses paid by the
government, but the work is done by
some lepers."
The board OF health. Father Conrar-
DIV continues, is very anxious to pro-
cure the services OF men and women
as nurses for the lepers, and the gen
tlemen of the board are fully convinced
that ii Is entirely useless 10 look for
them in any other religion than in the
Catholic one.
II heard. myself, one of them,
member Of the committee appointed
by the legislature to visit the leper set
Element. say: Questions OF religion
apart, il is useless 10 look FOR nurses out
side the Catholic church. but he
added. L pity those who are coming
10 live in such place and with such
people Already the service OF the
Sisters OF st. Francis of Syracuse,
New York, have been secured by the
Hawaiian government. Those sisters
are actually in charge OF the branch
hospital near Honolulu, where lepers
are previously kept before being Sent
TO Moiakai for life The good sisters
have decided to cast their lot for life
with the poor lepers Of Molakai.
10 soften and alleviate their
suslerings; as for cure. there Is
none. am also informed that
the Hawaiian government, willing TO
do all that is in it, power for the poor,
wretched creatures, Is on the point OF
securing the services of an eminent
German physician. In addition to the
above, the government of the Sand
wioh islands is able 20 get lay brothers
IS nurses for the male lepers, and
some steps have already been taken
toward IT, Then Molakai. or leper ct
Element. viii be Ike an earthly para
disc TO the poor tepers. for all that
skill AMI devotion can accomplish for
their relief viii have been done. The
tepers were telling an honorable mem
her OF the legislature that they need
not only care and nursing, bat also
good examples, for, a. sou know, BIS
she present system family ties are
broken, mother, father, q soa. =
daughter are taken from their families
and seat here. where they are perfect
strangers. This state OF affairs could
l.e remedied by allowing q husband.
81 willing. to follow hi wife 20 Mo'a-
ksi. or vice versa. Yonng girls with
ont s protector Sill be taken in charge
by the Sisters, rs Is nov done Tor the
boys b Father Damien.
THE ISLAND TRADE.