Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-03-02

for the purpose of vaccination. Those
who are able are expected to pay 12t cents
each toward defraying the expense"
In January the outbreak, such as 1t was,
subsided, but in the issue of January IS it
is announced that one csse had occurred
in The family of Newman Allen "about
mile north of the village on the Newfane
road" This was where the Retreat farm
house now stands. The victim, a girl, had
not been vaccinated. The disease was
brought to the family by physician who
recklessly came there direct from the hos
pital without proper attention to change of
clothing and disinfection. This was the
last case, and Feb. 16, 1S49, the announce
mint was made that "the smallpox has
entirely disappeared from this village"
Tho fright was much greater than would
be the case now were four times as many
cases to appear. The Brattleboro people
themselves seem not to have been greatly
alarmed, vaccination having been general,
bur Il all the surrounding towns exagger-
atiA stories spread and Brattleboro was
avoided as If IL meant sure death from the
p.ague to come here. For the greater part
| OF December the streets were like Sunday.
Perhaps this was a case where misfor-
tunes never come singly, for just at this
tree olumns were printed on hydropho-
hia scare which appears to have been gen.
er'd In New England. Mad dogs were
said 10 have appeared in Greenfield and
other Massachusetts towns, and every dog
which was i'll was under violent suspicion.
| Two were killed in Westmoreland, n. H.,
and two or more in Newfane. There were
10 cases in Brattleboro, but The Phoenix
evidently did its duty by declaiming week
after week against useless dogs, and call
ing for their destruction. Another item
recorded the arrival of cholera cases in
New York, brought by a ship from Havre,
an1 worst of all was this local item, Just
as here printed
"DREADFUL DEATH.-Died in this viii
lage on Friday morning, Dec. s, of delir'-
iam tremens, Mr.. Roderick Burke, black
smith, aged 35."
This was a very bald way of stating an
Unpleasant truth, but the columns of the
! paper show that the temperance agitation
was getting strong hold at just that time.
| But there were compensating circum-
stances in those days also In spite of
smallpox and hydrophobia and cholera
and delirium tremens, the iron horse was
making his way up through the Brooks
/ meadow, and Feb. 20 it drew its first train
If passengers, loaded with distinguished
!
while cannon roared, thousands of iubilant
and wondering people crowded the bluff
| overlooking the track, and the fervid i'm
/ agination of The Phoenix writer conceived
! of every tree on Wantastiquet transformed
thto animate existence and lending its
| voice to swell the loud acclaim.
| Smallpox During the War.
Geo. E. Greene, who served as steward
Of the government hospital established in
Brattleboro on the old camp ground dur
| ing the war, recalls the appearance of
smallpox twice among the troops during
that time. In March, 1868, soldier re-
turned from the front, became i'll with
| disease which the steward did not recog-
! Eize, though he cared for him through the
! Early stages. When the eruption appeared
! the surgeon pronounced it a case of gen.
uine smallpox. Separate quarters were
arranged for the patient as far remote as
possible from the main hospital. The dis
ease ran its course, the patient recovered,
and there were no other cases. A year
from that time a young recruit appeared
one day anxious to be returned to the
front, where he thought he could secure
promotion. An eruption was noticed on
his face, and he was detained, though he
declared that he was perfectly well. The
disease proved to be varioloid, and three
cases of smallpox resulted from it. One
of the victims was a man who had been
previously reduced by disease in the army,
and he died and was buried at night in the
soldiers lot in the cemetery. The other
cases recovered. The appearance of the
disease caused no alarm because the sur
geons felt sure of being able TO control it,
and its existence probably was not known
to the inhabitants of the village. During
one of the years of the war l. K. Allen
had varioloid while at home on furlough
in the house recently sold by W. F. God
dard.