The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-06-22
CONSERVATION ON THE DEMOCRATIC RESERVATION

really invested her with q sort OF auth.
GRITTY, and enabled her to enforced some
degree Oh improvement in the state OF
the sufferers. The devoted woman
astonlshed the officials by her unshrink-
ing manner OF going to work among tho
iepers. entering without hesitation their
wants with her own hands. These
lepers were not Russians, but species
Of Calmucks indigenous to tho soil. AT
their best these arc not very favored
race, and it may be easily imagined
that under the ravages OF the terrible
disease and the neglect .ways, from
which they consequently suffered
in other they were anything
but attractive : objects of chart
ty. Such considerations. however,
could not deter Miss Marsden nor the
good nuns Of Toinsk from the prosecr-
tion OF their humanitarian labors. Ger
tainly no woman ever before found her
self confronted by task, voluntarily
sought, presenting SO many dire dill
culties and hideous aspects.
on FAN OF pF&Ttt.s: e
On reaching yellusk, in the province
OF Iakutsk, this heroic lover OF human.
ity came upon a very nest Of lepers
whose condition was absolutely appall-
ing-ln fact, it is almost incredible to
American readers. Notwithstanding,
this is what Miss NIarsden did actually
witness:-In the region OF q wide ex:
tending belt of forest Jungle line OF
quarantine was drawn within which q
number OF lepers were confined, the
penalty for any one OF their number
venturing outside the defined limit
being instant death at the hands of the
soldiers who were posted at various
points to intercept any would be fugi-
lives. AS have mentioned above,
Miss ATarsden astounded the officials
by her readiness to penetrate the pre-
scribad territory. And what q sight
met her gaze when she did SO. Shell
tered-if tho word can be used-by
miserable huts which, like their ten:
ants, never received any repairs, and
were consequently in n state Of sami-
ruin, were huddled together the VIC
tins Of q loathesome and incurNble
malady. Utterly devoid Of medical aid
and unvisited by any one from the out
side world; obliged to crawl daily to q
given point within the line OF quaran-
tine in orderto receive the food hastily
deposited there by the Gallons relatives,
who instantly retreated upon disposing
Of their burden. and constantly exposed
to the incletnencies OF the weather
these hopeless creatures were actually
the creators and the tienizens Of ter
restial inferno and ghastlier than any
Of which Dante ever dreamed! But q
worse outrage than all yet remains to
be told. While examining settlement
containing sixty-six lepers, ranging in
age from sixteen to sixty, Miss Mars
den, to her establishment, discovered
several healthy persons. She then for
the first timc learned that these were
relatives OF the sufferers, who, though
notthemselvos afflicted, were condemned
to q similar exile. One instance OF this
was the case OF a handsome healthy girl
OF eighteen who had been ordered by
tho Zemstro or Provisional Assembly OF
her native district to join her lener
mother. Another case was that OF q
thoroughly we'll husband forced to re-
main with his leper wife. Some OF tho
huts were situated in almost inacces-
sible depths of the forests, rendering it
nearly impossible OF approach, and in
such places rs these theTylctims fre-
quently died Of sheer starvation,