The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-08-13
4 COMFORTABLE HOME
'ias becn Provided ior tho Wrctchcs.
thcrc arc Many ConIlictin. Stor.
les as to tho Origin OF
HI. tho Awful Disease.
InAcADlE, N. b., Angus. lo.-One bas
not TO 90 far away from Molokai TO wit.
ness that awful blight Of tho flesh, lip


ness which, for no fault of their own,
excludest them forsver from the world.
1t Is true they aro treated with more con.
sldefation than the lepAra OF Scrptural
times. who dwell: in the open serulchrts
about Jerusalem, subsisting on the frap-
ments that accidental charity dropp.d d
on the ground in the wilderness, Nrr
Is heard from them that terrible cry:
| "unclean! Uncleanl" No, the lot OF
these unfortunates is made as endursl Ia
rs the ghastly malady OF which they a,e
the victims will permit.
The Dominion Government has erect.
ed n commodious hospital on the ban ku
ot the Tracadie river, overlooking tho
gull into which the slender stream fnlls,
1t would be difficult 10 find anywhere a
iovelfer combination OF .'streamiet and
hill" than this. Would that one could
forget the peoples fate of this place.
All that makes life worth enduring has
been withdrawn from them. Neveitho-
less it is pleasant to know that their
lot is moro endurable than it was wears
ago. When the lazaretto was estsb-
lished, about 45 years ago, the poor
creatures were lassoed like beasts, drawn
by ropes and beaten with long poles 10
force them toward the lazaretto. No
one would touch them. They were
TORN FROM THEIR FAMILIES, s
although in many cases they were tho
sole support Of wife and children. Tie
cottages which then constituted the hos.
pital were filthy and uncared for. Males
and females were cast together, and tho
contamination OF immortality was added
to the other horrors. Their food was laid
down on the ground, to be eaten when
and where they chose. To the peop'o
in the surrounding country the mans
"lazaretto" }" was clothed with all the hor-
rors of Gehennn. Little wonder, then.
that when a member Of family was al
tackled with the loathsome disease his
relatives took every precaution to con-
ceal his condition. 1t may well be SUM-
posed that this secrecy tended to spread
the disease.
The condition Of the lazeretto at
length became such public scandal
that in 1865 1t reached the ears of Sister
st. John (A1ies Viger) Of the Hotel Dieu.
Montreal. She volunteered to 90 and
care for these poor outcasts. Other vol.
unteers were asked for, and every sister
IN the house rendered her seryices.
Seven were chosen, instructed in The
treatment Of leprosy and started on their
mission, compared with which the task
OF cleaning the Augean stables was a
light one. They found the lazaretto a .
veritable abode OF the damned, but tho
sisters cheerfully set 10 work and in a
few years everything was transformed.
The Provincial Government of Nav
brunswick. glad to have the scandal re-
moved, provided all necessary funds for
meeting the expenses Of the institution.
From being loathsome charnel house
1t was transformed into home.
The inmates and the house itself era
kept scrupu!ously clean, hired attend
ants do all the manual work, the in-
mates have no tasks imposed on them.
Their path to death lB Bmoothed and re-
lieyed OF cares, they have small farm
with which they may do what they
choose, and they have boats in which
they may fish and trawl or simply idle
away the summer days.
ORIGIN OF THE DREADFUL DISEASE,
As to the origin OF the disease. eomo
find it in the deterioration caused hv
generations ofinter.marriage. The county
Of Gloucester, which ia the seat Of the
disease, was settled by Acadian French
shut out from the outside world by the;r
different tongue. The little community
married and intermarfied until npariy
eve, ybody was related to everybody elsa
The story is that l4O years ago bark
from the coaAt OF Syria was wrecked in
the Gull OF st. Lawrence, Just off the
shores Of Gloucester county. The res.
cued sailors stayed for some consjdara
bio time with the Acadians, and from
themthe latter contracted the first roso,
Of leprosv. Another version has il tbot
a stranger hailing from Quebec was
afflicted with the horrible disease anI
lett it as a legacy to his entertainers
while still another story is TINT the dir.
ease was contracted through some Of the
people eating putrid fish.
The disease is called leprosy, althouoh
It isprobable that it is in many respecta
different from the leprosy which whit.
ened tho skins and rntted the bones M
the Hebrews OF old. utthis is updonht.
edly malady OF the same nature. r.
has been called by medical men Graz
elephautiass. A recent authorize ,Lms
describes iis symptoms: "' -.
| THE FIRST rNDieATloSs.
"The first indication OF the diseasa :,
the appearance OF tiny tubcrcles on t,,a
skin, and especially on the face. These
increase from the size of pin.bead 20
that OF hazel nut. The nose md i;eo ~
become thickened and swollen. ao ,Lps ips
the mouth is distorted and tho ieatnr"s ur"s
unrecognizable. The eyes droon ans
eyelashes and eyebrows, aud am, @ s,;",na anu
the hair drop out. After a tim" se ths
tubercles break, ulcerate and disrLo.n"no "o
tho disease even attacking the csrt;Ia",,
and bone, and piece by piece ioin,a an,
flesh fall oil until death piyes iha s"TaN Tnu
er freedom from his terrible lot " ''1er'
Tue average duration of ,ho
from the time the first sv,nn,o. mn ussease
discovered until death ensues ,I is abnne are
ten or twelve years: Tie lazaretto Das was
taken in charge by tho Dominion Gow'
eminent in 1850, and Or, Smith wa.
PLACED IN charge, who keeps n sbarn.
lookout ior injected persons. He il m,
decided as to whether the disease il IN.
durable. and discharged one man + 1r,m m
the institution two years ryo who @ h".
had no return of the malady. ~ do na nn,
regard the case as permanently cured"
he said, "and still hold hin ersI, nrt.,,
watch. The disease has been uEen du;n',
out in Tracadie, its original Sent hu, nt.ne n,,t
ol the five new cases taken in last a., uoa. ous
one was from Cape Breton nn1 I yenr ye,,r
from the parishes which udioin % Tra,nJ;n .Jaf
I have traced new focus 10 ,ha .Geaale. a;saone
i. situated between shipperan u and dd'1rrase' rase'
auet, and from this center hauo u ,""ai uara,
1t to other settlemen,s,n - "s0 ''"eeo ''0'''e
Ihe act which gives to Doctor M, bo-
, ny 70 segre2ate patients does no. not nnnlv
to the new hotbeds OF the dsease .,es bI, b"pp1y ny
leela that as soon as he possessra uut ~ ms y,
tirely. =. " 0tAinp II out en-
Tho Crew We're Saved. Ess
BAN DIEGO, CAL, August le-No,.,
! ! ns peen received here that tho acho,s
u Or Alice D, which left here two o 'unooh n,au,i
ago, has been Wreckod l., nouth