The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-11-20
A NEW YORK LEPER.
A Chinaman to Whom Death Was a
Blessing.

New York, November 19.-Poor sam
Sing, the Ieper, in the lazaretto OF SNAKE
Hill, Nd, will never see China again,
for he did on SATURDAY in the little cell
that was a prison to him, and yesterday
his body was put in a coffin very quick
Iy by men who were not anxious for the
Job Of touching 1T, and who dipped
their hands in disinfectants afterward
and shivered little, wondering ii oy
chance any of the germs of leprosy haa
adhered to them. The body will be
buried today in a bed of quicklime,
which should destroy il in few hours.
The afflicted Chinaman~ had spent
more than four years in the cell-llke
room in which he died. He was COM
pletely isolated, his food being pushed
into his room by Attendants, who too K
good care not TO come into phys cal con
tact with him. The doctors could DO
only a little to palliate the dreadful
scourge, and Sing gradually became
weaker and weaker. His skin was
blotched and his hair was gone, ana
head that was ahnormally large when
he was put in the hospital seemed TO
increase in size. Death was indeed
welcome to the patient, and with ahls
burial disappears large weight OF ahA-
lety from the shoulders Of the Hudson
county health board.
Sing was captured in kearney, N Sd,
where he was conducting Laundry.
The police heard that he was leper;
doctors looked at him and confirmed the
rumors that were about as to his COM
plant. Then the board OF health seized
him and took him to the pest house
For long time they were IN guam
Diary as to what to do with him. Having
heard that New York had leper settle
ment on North Brother Island, they
made an offer to the authorities there TO
take him off their hands for consldera-
tion, The offer was curtly declined, the
New York doctors making counter
offer to nav the Hudson county health
board to assume charge of the New YORK
-lepers.
PUT HIM IN A CELL.
So Sing was put in his little cell. He
was not told that he must rem ain there
until he died, but everyone knew It,
There were fears at one time that be
might have com panions, for he had con
Quoted his laundry for year, and had
done business as if he were we'll man.
associaling with mis- conntrymeL, whc
had no fear of leprosy. When Sing was
first caught he denied stoutly that he
was affected, and sent for DR.. Samuel
F, Smith,sof Newark, and pr. Henry
A. Alters of Harrison, to certify that ne
was we'll, but they shook their heaos
and pronounced Sings genuine case o. o.
leprosy. Whenever a visitor went 20
peep curiously into Sings room he
would get excited, thinking. perhaps,
that the dav of his deliverance bad come.
With tears in his eyes he would plead :;
"Can me 90 back to Chinee. Mister,
please? Me want to go back. Let ms
out and l swear I'll go there without
stopping anywhere on the way. NE no
leper. Nobody here for mo to talk TO;
no friends; everyone aiald OF me. Please
let me go back"
When be saw that the visitor had not
called with reference to releasing him
he would become very respondent ana
sit down and NOPE. But presently II
would occur to him that he had not
pleaded hard enough, and he would be-
gin again: Me no leper, Mister. NE
slept out at night and the mosquitoes DIT
me. That's what these marks are. Please
let me go back to Chinee.
The board of health would have been
glad enough to have shipped Sing back,
but it could not be arranged. The doc
tors watched him with interest. and
heard his prayer to be returned grow
feebler week by week. The man died
by inches, there having been only a
small spark of life in him for long
time before he drew his last breath. All
the consolation he had was that his dis
ease was painless and that his faculties
were numbed.
THE NORTH BROTHER LEPERS.
Thus passed away the last OF the lep-
ers uuarantined in the vicinity of New
York. Three years ago there was set
Element Of two of them in an old army
tent on North Brother Island. These
men were Dug Moy Toy, a Mott street
fantan player, and Tsang Ding, mer-
chant. Guarded SO that they could net
make their escape, they led JUST such a
life as did Sing at Snake Hill. They
were. fed -on the same food as the Other
patients on the island, with the excep-
ton that they were allowed unlimited
rice Few of the residents ever ventuTed
within gunshot of their quarters, their
malady insuring them against all visits
except from the nurse detailed to watch
them. FROM tnoH teHt tHey Coulu seo q
pile of collins stored in the open air
against an outhouse, the supply OF which
was continually drawn upon, and then
replenished from time to time. They
soon found out.that they would never
leave the vicinity of their tent until they
were taken away in one of those pine
boxes, and perhaps they speculateds when
fresh batch of collins came whether it
would be one of that lot that would hold
a Chinaman, and which Of the two
men it wonld be.
Ding was man of some education,
who had little in common with the gam
bier Toy, but the two were there togeth-
err, and they soon becama very friendly.
Toy wanted always to play fantan, but
could find no one to play with, Ding be-
ing much too dignifed. Toy tried.to in
duce the doctors and the nurse to learn
the game, but they would have nothing
to do with it either.
The gambler seemed to he the worst
afflicted, his face being swollen and of
blueish tint The other man was
swollen and blotched, and his hands,
which he always hid inshis long sleeves,
when strangers ca,'e in sight. were al
most destitute of skin. Ding died i'll
April, 1899. and one OF the collins was
lifted from the pile. The gambler was
heart broken when they took his friend