The Forrest City times., 1893-01-06
1T May BE CHOLERA.


ice, Fears the Disease Is Cholera-So
Proper Sanitary Safeguards.
"a LITTLE Rock. Jan. 3.-One dead and
one dying is to-day's record at the Ar
kansas penitentiary. Iziah Wilkerson
died at O'Clock this morning and a
white convict will die before morning.
Mayor Fletcher called meeting of the
board of health to-day. City Physician
q Dickinson was requested to make daily
visits to the sick and report his find
#ings. This afternoon he reported as
Follows:
Pursuant To the order of the board of health.
s J have made visit to the state penitentary
to-day, to Inspect cases OF sickness of the kind
causing the number Of deaths lately at the
state pententiary found that one patient
had died during the night and one patient Is
4 now in dying condition an will probably not
survive TO night. Both men were taken sick
II on December 81. The first one of the above
bad been sick with implication of diseases in
the hospital for considerable time, but was
taken with diarrh al complications on the 3lst.
The second OF the two WAS taken sick fIom out
side OF the hospital. find two other cases In
the hospital with like type of disease. but of
much milder type, and both will. think, re-
cover. These mon were both taken sick out
side of the hospital. Ols assistant to the
tresses The hospital is clean aud being
scrubbed with antiseptics every other day
The lessees We're arraigned in the po-
lice court to-day and fined for main
tanning a burying ground within the
limits of the city. They refused to pay
the fine, and appealed the case to the
higher courts. The cases against the
state officers who. constitute the board
of penitentiary commissioners were
dismissed for want of jurisdiction.
The dead convicts were buried to-day
in the potter's field, three miles from
the city.
DR.. II. ID. Giddings. of the United
States marine hospital service at Wash
ington, arrived to-day. AS soon as he
left his ear he went to the penitentiary
and made a thorough examination. A
consultation was held at the mayors
office this afternoon, at which were
present Mayor Fletcher, DR.. Dickinson,
:. NJ. Apperson, representing the
lesses, and DIR. Giddings. The marine
hospital surgeon stated that it was alb
solutely necessary to keep the convicts
isolated for the present He hoped the
management of the penitentiary would
grant his request and prevent all in
mates from leaving the walls of the
prison for three days, until his exam
nation is finished.
Mr.. Apperson said the management
would suffer much Inconvenience in
consequence, but would issue orders
Immediately in conformity with the re-
Guest. DR.. Giddngs stated that there
were evidences of suspicious charac-
ter within the walls of the peniten-
tiary, and the disease which existed
among the convicts was undou btedly
of great virulence He was not pre-
pared to state what the character of
the disease was, but hoped to be able
to within n day or SO. He brought
with him apparatus for making bac
terial test, which will determine
whether or not the disease is cholera.
1t was evident from DIR. Giddings'
conversation that he would not be sur
prised if the disease should prove to be
cholera. lie said. however, in signifi-
cant manner:
If the disease is cholera, the peni-
Tertiary is good place for it," mean
ing that il would be less liza BILE TO spread
from that point
DR.. Giddings mentioned the existence
of the dump within the walls of the
penitentiary, and from his converse
ton it was inferred that it was very
dangerous nuisance. For instance, if
the disease is cholera, it would be pos
sible for some of the convicts to carry
cut infected dirt ON their feet, which
might be washed off in some running
stream and thereby communicated TO
persons on the outside.
Another serious fact has attracted at
tention. A drove of hogs. which had
been allowed to feed on this dump,
have been driven out in the country
DR.. Giddings expressed surprise that
convicts from within the walls were
allowed to work on the streets under
the circumstances.