Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-18
A LEPER'S LAUNDRY.
1t Has Been Turning Out Boiled
Shirts for the Meliken Men.
DANGER FOR DUDES OF GOTHAM.
Health Authorities Unearth a. Case of Many
Months Standing.
THE VICTIM A THRIFTY BARGAINER

NEW YORK, July IA Chinese 1epel
has been discovered in an Eastside laundry.
He is Chin Hop Sing, and when the repre-.
sentative of the health authorities paid him
professional visit he was industriously
ironing shirt. He has been leper eight
months, and seven months of that time he
has spent in washing the linen of East
siders. The health office decided that it
was genuine case of leprosy, but say they
cannot take the man in charge because they
have no place to take him. Here is the
story of the Chinaman:
A year and half ago, when Chin Hop
Sing came to this city from San Francisco,
he was as healthy dumpy little Chinaman
as anyone would wish to see. There were,
however, queer rumors about him. 1t was
said that Chin Hop Sing had lived with a
leprous friend in San Francisco, and that
he had helped to support him until one day
the doctors came and took the friend away.
Forsaken by All His Friends.
His countrymen Stunned him and would
hasten out of his way when he approached
them. At last he was driven into a miser-
able room, where only the lowest of the low
live, and where, it is said, other lepers have
hidden themselves from public gaze In
that place Chin Hop Sing lived until fund
of 5000 was raised to take him back to
China.
His friends were not aotuated by any
feeling of kindness or sympathy. They
wanted to get him out of the way. Chin
took the money and promised to 60 away,
ark, where he invested part of his money in
laundry The place had been kept by
Ii Chung Chung was leper and in very
bad way with the disease.
The two lepers formed a partnership.
Chung was rapidly growing worse. Hop
Sings malady was beginning to show itself
in the super-sensitive blotches which broke
out on his back and neck. The strange part
nership did not last very long just what
broke it up no one knows. Some say that
Chung got so bad that he could not work,
and that Hop Sing did not want to do all
the work.
Chin Hop Sing braved the wrath of the
subscribers of the fund and returned to New
York. His head had begun to swell, his
ears were assuming enormous proportions
and his nose had reached a remarkable size.
Besides his eye lashes had dropped out and
he was getting bald.
A Fellow Celestial Terrorized.
lie went 10 the laundry OF MS cousin,
Chin En-, and demanded admittance. The
cousin was afraid to send him away, so he
let him sleep there until morning. When
Chin En- awoke and saw how Chin Hop
Sing looked, he was terror-stricken. He
would not stay in the place another hour.
He believed it was infested already with
the fearful disease. He told the leper he
would sell out for $50. The bargain was !
made, and Chin En- has not been seen since
Chin Hop Sing took possession of the
shop Immediately and went right on with
the business He has been washing and
ironing clothes there ever since.
The little fat-faced Chinaman, whom the
people in the neighborhood have patronized
for the past seven months, is leper, and he
has been in such bad way recently that he
could hardly do the work For hours at a
time he has been compelled to rest. He has
found it impossible to get any help, for
there was not a Chinaman in the city who
would work ten minutes for him. Some
time he would find a strange Chinaman
from San Francisco or New Orleans who
would work for him, but he would leave as
soon as he found what was the matter with
his employer The case was reported to the |
board this morning.