The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-07
STUNNED BY EVERY ONE.
THE HOME OF THE LEPERs AT
TRACADIE.
Csnada's Outcasts Wearing Out Their
Lives Attended Only by a Few De-
voted Nuns.
From the Nets York Times.

excited every year in the condition of the
Canadian lepers when parliament is called
upon to vote the annual sum for the sup
port of these unfortunate beings. But
more popular interest is beng created by
the Investigations of two journalists, who
are presenting all the facts connected with
their dreary life, and placing on record
testimony to the sacrificing labors of the
gentle sisters who minister to their bodily
and spiritual needs.
Away up between the counties Of Glou-
cester and Northumberland, in the province
of New Brunswick, is a broad bay, into
which noble river emptIes, after draining
with its many branches the whole surround
ing country. This bay and the river, with
the well-wooded district through which it
flows, are known as the Miramichi, signify
ing in the Mic-Mac tongue Happy Retreat.
This section of the province has passed
through many strange experiences, the
vicssitudes of war, the devastating blaze of
fire: but yet it remains one of the fairest
spots in picturesque New Brunswick. Here
is the leprusy-taint-d parish of 1racadie,
upon which terrible scourge has been laid,
but which permits to few devoted nuns
an opportunity of exercising self-sacriice
Down by the sea stands the lazaretto of
Tracadie, the lepers' home and world.
where the Gulf OF ST. Lawrence forces its
way amid sand bars and flats, until IL
spreads out into peaceful bay, land-locked
except on the seaward side. A little arm
winds round a point of land, and small
creek the more securely guarantees the
fatal spot from the rest of the world Over
this creek small wooden bridge is thrown,
A. ,.,1.v ha%..
tomb and the fright world beyond. The
surrounding region is dwelt in by the tract
able, peaceful Mic Macs, and one of the
districts is known as the Burnt Church.
The frigate charged with conveying the
remains of Wolfe from Quebec to England
in 1859 was driven by stress of weather into
Miramichi, and the accidental anchorage
was thought favorable for securing a fresh
supply of water. Six of the crew were de-
tailed to fill the casks from the springs with
which the coast abounds, and, after loading
their boat, they strayed off for a ramble m
the forest, where they were captured by
the Indians and barbarously murdered
The captain OF the ship thought the deed
was the work OF his natural enemies the
French, and he determined to be revenged
He sailed up the river and poured broad
side into French Fort, killing all the inhab-
itants, and afterward destroyed the settle
ment at Canadian point. Turning seaward,
he burned the village and church at
Nequanal, and the region lying around the
lazaretto is known as Burnt church, to
this day. This Is country rich in relics
and remains of the old regime, and to this
day the plow turns up the treasures of
copper vessels with French and Spanish
COINS.
The lazaretto is a square wooden build
ing, and is In no way marvel of archi-
lecture, but looks like a sllghtly-built
wooden barracks for temporary use, instead
of structure designed to withstand the
herce winter winds that come in from the
gulf. The nuns in charge of the hospital
are OF the order of the Hospitalieres of St
Joseph, and are a branch sent out bv the
Hotel Dieu of Montreal, the rest of whose
earthly existence will be spent at this lonely
spot.
One sultry afternoon in the August of
1928, the Rev. Mr.. de Bellefeuille, a mis-
sionary priest visiting Tracadie, was called
upon to administer the last rites of the
church to woman named Ursule Landry.
who was dying of a mysterious and loath-
some disease to which none could give a
name. Soon afterward she died, and her
coffin was borne to It's last resting place on
the shoulders of four of her countrymen.
1t was still IN August, and the weather
was warm. One of the bearers, a Door
fisherman, Francois Saulniers, was in his
shirt sleeves, and the coffin weighed heavily
upon his shoulder, cutting through the
wooden garment into the bare flesh. From
the edges of the rude coffin came a poison
GUS discharge, which inoculated the fresh
wound Of the pall-bearer with the terrible
poison, and he died leper. The sister of
Ursule Landry also fell victim, and the
wife of Scotch resident of Newcastle
named Gardiner, was similarly affected
and symptoms of the disease were developed
in their children. What the strange disease
was no one knew; no one had ever seen
anything like it.
A young physician from Mramichi pro-
ceeded to Europe to attempt to find cases
similar TO these perplexing ones, and on a
Norway ford he came upon Stunned and
isolated community "a community of
lepers-and then he could report that his
countrymen were afflicted with that most
hldeous of all diseases-leprosy. On his
return he laid the matter before the pro-
Vlnclal authorities, and a board of health
was constituted for the cou ties of Glouces-
ter and Northumberland. This was in 1928,
put nothing was done until sixteen years
aIterWard, when the disease had spread to
such an extent that twenty persons were
affected,
There is email island in the Miramichi
river by the name of Sheldrake, and at
that time it contained one small unoccupied
nouse. 1t was purchased, and became the
HrsC canadian laZaretto The wretched
victims were sought out and conveyed in
Doats to the spot. A man and his wife were
put In charge, who supplied the patients
win the bare necessities of life. The misery
at tunes became SO uncomfortable that
escapes were frequent, and once woman,
WIN few weeks old infant, made her
escape to the mainland, but she was re-
captured and sent back to tine hateful "hos-
pltaL" Next year the lazaretto was burned
uown and then rebuilt, but it was deter
mined ~ TO erect a quarantine station on the
we island, and to remove the lepers to
another part of the province.
IL was now 1S49 and the number had in
0teaSeo IN five years from twenty to thirty
me me new building has been erected at
tiacadie, few miles distant, and thither
Ohe sufferers were conveyed, in boats, to a
S1leerless, comfortless building, their life
ttIng nome. The Rev. Mr.. Gauvreau was
sne cure of the parish, but though he tried
n.s utmost he was powerless to give them
s Guy aid- Without any supervision, the Of
d 1cIaiS wasted the appropriation that was
uole s out monthly for the patients sup
potU, and the only medical care was the
SCcasional visit of a physician. There was
- young French doctor practicing on the
tVspposlte side of the bay, and he pronounced
t Tue disease durable, and offered to become
I've SGe resident physician to prove the truth of
n'S view, but he was powerless either TO
tS AZ Cne disease or prevent its appearance.
LAn 1909 patient named TwipleV in a Git