St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-03
NINE TEEN HEALTHY PEOPLE
PERNED or Nv AH0USE WITH WRO-
LENT CASES OF SMALL-P0X.
1T WILL BE MURDER

If the Health Officers Do Not Be.
stir Themselves - Declaring
SMALLPOX to Be Chicken-PoX,
and Neglecting Sanitary Fro"
ceeding-Merriam Park Citi.
zens Aroused.
To say that the health authorities are
handling the smallpox in the Midway
district with egregiouS stupidity is TO
put it very mild.
1t is questionable whether it would he
too harsh TO say criminal stupidity.
Thereiare four cases OF smallpox at the
Union hotel, on University avenue at
the junction of Prior avenue, Merriam
Park, one of them exceedingly virulent.
And during this affective illness nine
teen healthy persons are kept confined
rs prisoners in the hotel, with police
men guarding the exits night and day.
That this state of things exists is EN-
tirely due to bad management by the
authorities.
On Feb "a two men. Newton and
Clark. of Chicago, who had been at Min
neapois and Montevideo. Mimi, during
the week previous, arrived at the Union
hotel, Oh University avenue, at the
junction of Prior, st. Paul. They
stayed at the hotel over night, and the
next day came to the health office at
ST. Paul, and were sent to the pest
house The health commissioner and
the assistant city physician, DR.. ID. g.
Jones. gave it out that the men had
"cbicken-poX."
The papers were assured that 1t was
only chickenpoX, and telegram was
sent by Dir. Hoyt, the health officer OF
the city, to DIR. Hewitt, of the state
board of health, declaring that there
was no smallpox here-Only chicken
pox."
And still the two men were sent to
the pest house, and regular run OF
smallpox was developed. Beyond vac
cinating the nineteen occupants of the
hotel, no precautlon was taken. and
every one came and went at will.
On March 10 an inmate of the Union
hotel named Brophy was found to be
suffering from what was then said to
be measles. On March % the attention
of Health Commissioner HOyt was called
to the case of Frank Ryan, a son of the
proprietor of the hotel. who DR.. Stock
ton, of Minneapolis. said was suffering
from black measles. On making an eX-
animation DR.. Hoyt found Ryan to have
severe case of smallpox. The house
was at once quarantined. and the pa
tients suffering from the disease. small
poX. were placed OH the third floor of
the building.
The patients were then Brophy, Kill
len, Frank Ryan and an infant four
years old, named Strickland. Ryan's
case is most frightful. and still, thanks
to a good constitution, it seems possible
that he may recover.
Following UP the negligence of not
fumigating and quarantining the house
when the Chicago men were taken
away. the new victims and the residents
of the hotel had still worse fate in
store. 1t was decided not to remove
either the sick or well, and the nineteen
healthy occupants of the house were
made prisoners, and for the past seven
days have been compelled to remain in
constant exposure to the fatal disease
The police are constantly OH duty, and
one victim who sought escape, was
forcibly thrown back into the charne
house 10y the police.
AS if there was not already Sufficien
distress, the wife of Frank Ryan. the
man who has the virulent smallpox