The Daily Texarkanian., 1894-04-27
SMALL POX SITUATION
DISEASE CONFINED TO NE
GROES AND ISOLATED.
People of Texarkana Not Alarmed,
but Hopeful of the Early Extinc-
tion of Disease--No Deaths
and Patients all in
Pest House.

The TExARKANIAN will give the
true small pox situation, in this city,
daily.
There is three times as much
alarm outside of this city, as here.
Disease is confined altogether to
negroes, not single case among
the whites.
There is now not single case OF
small pox in observation-disclosures
having disease having been sent to
pest house u miles north of city.
DR.. H. A. Webster, was made
city health officer yesterday, Vice
DR.. Simmons resigned. He reports
one new case yesterday, none today
and no deaths; says there are now
total of % cases, all of which have
been placed in pest house; reports
10 negroes, who have been exposed,
as under strict quarantine in a
separate building, some distance
from pest house.
The Arkansas Gazette of this
morning published another batch
of false reports as to the extent of
the disease here, Iron Mountain
officials of Little Rock told Mayor
Hall that three deaths were re-
ported here yesterday, and fifteen
the day before. The truth is no
deaths occurred yesterday and only
one the night before Another
false report was given as coming
from DR.. Read, saying that eight
new cases developed yesterday, Dr.
Read tells us this is a lie from the
whole cloth, The Gazette should
be more careful and give nothing
but official correct reports, as these
false reports do our city great harm
abroad.
AS a newspaper we deem it du-
ty to give all news regarding ma
ture and extent of disease. On ac-
count of it being confined to ne
groes alone, many of our citizens
still side with DR.. Simmons in say
ing they do not think the disease is
small pox. Among these we might
mention Messrs, Ben Collins, e. W.
Frost, Charlie Reeves, Joe Winter
James Crenshaw and othe rs.
A great boog-a-boo was raised
yesterday afternoon over a tele-
gram sent Gov Fishback by
Mayor j. G, Edwards. AS many
have a wrong impression regarding
same, we give exact wording of
telegram: 1--WE have small pox.
What assistance can We expect
from the State. In view of the
fact that other states take hold
and help stamp out such diseases,
we see nothing so outrageous in
this plain telegram, especially
since the state alike with this city,
receives revenue from our wealth,
by taxation. For the common
good of the rest of the state, it is
meet and proper for her to help
stamp out the disease as quickly
and effectually as possible. In view
of the complaints raised, that his
telegram was calculated to leave
the impression that our city was
unable to cope with the disease,
Mayor Edwards afterwards sent an
other telegram to the Governor,
as follows: "The cases referred to
in my telegramme this morning are
some negores in the suburbs, We
have isolated them in a pest house
out of town to ascertain the nature
and extent Of the disease, The
matter may not be serious" May
or Edwards did not know that the
state had made no appropriation
for suppressing malignant, infec-
tions, or contagious diseases. Nei-
ther did we know of it, or if we had
heard of it, we had forgotten same.
In Justice to Mayor Edwards, as
well as in news gathering capaci-
ty, we give true facts and status OF
of this matter, There two sides to
the question,
DIR, w. G. Spearman showed us
this morning urgent letter from u
S. health officer DR., A, r, Booth,
Marine hospital surgeon OF Shreve'
port, asking that he make daily re
ports of small pox status in this
city. SO it seems that the U. s.
authorities hereabouts are more in
terested in the matter than oui
State authorities.