The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1890-02-26
In A COLONY OF LEPERS.
1900 LEPERS CONFINED AT
MOLOKAI.
A Visit to the ScOurged People ON
the Island.


There are upward of 1900 lep-
ers confined at Molokai. OF this
number, at least two thirds are
native Hawaiians, $50 are Chi
nese, 100 are Portuguese. and the
remaining fifty, or thereabouts, are
whites. Of the latter eight-tenths
are from the Uniteds States. The
lot of these poor creatures, con-
signed to a living deoth in 6
noisome tomb, cut off from home
and loved ones forever, bereit OF
everything that makes life happv,
and chained down to all that
breeds misery and discomfort, is
more than pitiable it is horrify-
ing.
The grounds comprise several
acres, and are roomy enough for
the inmates who are physically
able to take out-ot door exercise
but it is an arid, rocky, sandy spot,
as desolate a prospect as ever the
eye Of mortal looked out upon.
it seems to have "Cursed" written
upon its face and to exhale disease
and death from its cracked and
seamy SURFACE. There are enough
buildings, such as thsy are, to
house all the involuntary citizens
Of the blighted pace but it is
safe to say that no one, of his own
accord, ever enters their warped
and heat'craeked doors, except for
the purpose of shutting himself in
from the heavy gloom and desola>
ton which abounds without.
But it was rot to these things
that | gave my first, attention. 1t
was to the poor human creatures
themselves the i'll cled, the uns
clean, the sad.eyed and hollow-
checked wretches who stroll about
aimlessly and detected, each one a
prey to dependency and despair,
| noted that they did not gatl.el
into groups, as people consigned
to common lot usually do. They
held aloof from each other: each
Stunned the society of his fellows.
What did this mean? / made in
quiry of a young white man whom
l found lounging upon a rickety
bench alone.
"Why do We shun each other p
he began, repeating the question |
had asked, "well, because We
hate each other, because We are
disguised with everything and
everybody about the place. Aside
from this, cur humanity has been
crushed out of us-we are beasts.
Look at ne? What am /? A
disgusting, abhorent, living limp
of human carrion, into whose
Ioathsome flesh the monster dis.
ease has fastened bis talons. Does
anyone want to look at me, talk
with me? Leaving out of the
question the fact of our mutual
Ioathing for each other, TO what
end might we cultivate each others
society. To kill time, you sayi
Why, man, don't you see that
time is killing us, and we don't
care one fly how soon the job is
done? We are a wholly passive
people and are entirely tree from
care Of any future happening.
Maybe you can understand thi.
when Hell you we are absolutely
without hope. The old saying
that hope springs eternal 10 the
human breast, is all well enough
in the world in which you live
but it is a glaring lie when APP
piled to u.s." Here the poo
wretch grew savage and smote thu
wooden bench with his fist. alt
a lie, 1 tell you, Tor we are with
out hope-oh! did | say we wcr'
wholly without hope? Let mi
correct myself, for that can no
be literally true while We have on
thing to live for, and that w
have. My good friend, we liv'
for death. Think of it; we liv
for death"
Chow long have you beef
here?"
"six years. l have a darIinI
wife and the sweetest babe; bu
what do you care for the story G
such a wretch as /? Is it interest
ing? Well, l was the happiest c
men. My name is, or was, job
W. Gibson. l cane from tn
home of my parents in New \ or
| -. G. ,,,o;coO and fnaIl