Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-02-21
ALEpER.s LETTER.
A MIssive From a Resident on tho
Island CT Moiokai.

MIS9lve From a heSiuent or e''c
Island CT Moiokai.
A thick, comfortable letter that
looked as II it might be the bearer OF
good news and much loving gossip,
passed from hand to hand in the De-
troit postolfice, says the Free Press,
and at last found refuge in the mali
bag of postman whose route Is ON
Jefferson avenue and was duly delly-
cred to the address recorded on the
envelope. It'would have startled the
postoffice officials and the postman
who delivered it could they have
known that it was leper's letter and
that it came from leper island. Ii Is
indeed doubtful il any one OF those
who handled it had noticed the post
mark '.Mololzai." or if they did would
have known amy reason why they
should throw it aside and cry "Un-
cleani Uncleanr' Nor could they
Judge by the pleasing bulk OF the mis-
sive that it was the last farewell OF p
wretched leuer to his former friends
and relatives in Michigan. 1t has
been permitted The Free Press to
MAKO few extracts:
The writer ctates states: 1.-The To-
cation OF this place is about fifty miles
from Honolulu, on the Island of Molo-
kai, with weekly communication by
steamer. 1t is "a point OF land OF about
six thousand acres, thrown out OF the
sea abreast Of q range OF mountains.
Its hight Is 1000 feet. IL is the bed OF
an extinct crater and is u fine grazing
land for cattle and horses and is as
beautiful and romantic as anything
that can be found in the new world;
tropical vegetation is perpetual. The
cattle feeding on the mountains are
wild, and in driving down herd ten
or dozen OF them will fall and when
found nothing will be left but the hides
and horns. This is one OF the liveli-
est places | ever have seen. Lepers
are full OF hilarity. Girls, boys,
children-some very bad-all playing
together as if there was nothing
wrong. They play the guitar and
flute constantly. When first came
here and had to go through a row of
lepers with their hideous faces and
hands wanted 10 die, but now / am
used to them l don't mind them SO
much.
"When 1 first came up here /
wanted to commit suicide. but l am )
Gained down now. / have built neat
little cottage some distance away from
verybody, all inclosed with stone
wall. l have a horse and sulky,
plenty of new spapers and magazines.
My great trouble now is my eyesight-
When | can't read any more. then
want to die | would sooner be here
with this disease than in any other
part of the world, where / would be-
Stunned by everybody"
"My right hand is giving out
have two fingers that do not have
much feeling in them. My left foot Is
also affected. | am breaking in az
horse. He stepped on my foot / let
him stand there some time and had no
pain. You see, it is curious disease
that appears to destroy without pain.
There is no cure for it. 1t is sure TO.
kill and is only question of time"
In a postscript sheet he saws: IT
have now good nurse who will see
me properly buried, which l hope
will be soon"
The letter abounds in horrible de-
tails OF life among the lepers, and is
grotesque at times in its hideousness,
but these scenes and descriptions are
better left to the imagination. Since
its receipt the news OF the unfortunate
mans death by suicide at the leper
hospital in Honolulu. has been re-
ceived. His friends live at Plymouth,
in this stlte, and the leper's letter ISL
going the rounds among them as valu-
able mortuary testimony TO fantas-.
tic and dreaded disease which the an
cient lsraelites bcqueathed to posterity
the plague OF leproSy.