The Daily Texarkanian., 1895-02-12
LOUISIANA AND HER LEPERs.
1t is Thought the Solution of tho
Problem has Been sound.

| Slpl river, III lOeTNlle GdTlSn,
The disease has prevailed il
Louisiana since 1850, when it was
brought in by the slave trade, il
was supposed The lepers were
mostly congregated in colonies OF
settlements Of their own, the larg,
est being upon lower Bayou La
fourche, where, amid swampS, they
lived a miserable existence. From
these centers they strayed off tc
New Orleans, and elsewhere, The
| presence of a considerable number
in New Orleans, where they mixed
freely with the healthy population
has been a cause Of uueasineSs for
years. Several efforts have been
made to get rid Of them, but the
| problem has been where to put
them that they would be isolated,
and to find persons who would care
for and nurse them
The legislature made liberal pro
visions for them, but the lepcr com.
mission had GjiHclity in finding a
site, for no sooner was one selected
no matter how secluded, than a
protest was raised against it. The
commission thought it had secured
an excellent cite at Fort Livingston
twenty miles from any house, but
the same protest came up, 1t
fronts on Lake POntchartrain, and
the people living or that lake ex-
pressed the fear that the rags or
debris from the leper hospital might
be carried to their shores aud
spread the disease, The site finally
selected, Indian Camp, in lberville,
had to be chosen secretly and the
hospital there was fitted up for the
lep2rs before the people Of the
ucighborhood knew about it, They
protested vigorously but II was too
late.
The leper commission announces
that the hospital is now open, and
it IS proposed to care for all the
lep2rs in the State, 1t is encount.
eriug a great deal OF difficulty in
III, matter, for 'hc IcpcrS do not
iiG, the idea Of being '2nhned, and
!he peopis ot J0oyDIe do Not wint
.hcn, $ooe 81 'Jc uElWrtWates
haye positively refused TO 20, and
vii have to be aaen to ,hc camp
by force, which io not pleasant, az
no Dne cares to handle hem No
att snpt has been made to move
the Latomche ieper colony, which
includes majority Of the afflicted
IN the State, The last time the
board Of health sent . commission
down Bayou Latomche tg c&a1Iue
them they became alarmed IL Che
prospect Of being capJurcd and i'm
2riaoncd and fed TO the swamps,
vhare they could not be reached,
This experience wilt doubtless be re.
peated when the lrtcUpU remove
chem is made,
The hospital authorities say that
the lberyiileans ave waging fierce
war on them The authorities OF
the parish endeayored to compel the
removoI Of the hospital Failing in
this, ihe people have refused to
sci bread VI olhe supplies to the
hospital aud all supplies have to be
Drought from New Orleans The
Sc, wants aud nurses employed In the
hospital have been warned that
they would be shot If they came
outside Of the hospital grounds,
The ospitalauthontlcs are trying
to make the lepers sell-supporting
as nearly all Of then are able to dc
a little work, and vegetable gar
dea of a few acres has been lait
out where they can raise their owl
supply Of vegetables. Their great
est suffering seems to be in the
matter Of cold, and for this thu
authorities can give little relief al
The cold seems to be internal con
fined to the bones instead Of Tho
cuticle, During the recent cole
spell some Of the lepers were badl!
burned in their vain efforts TO keel
themselves warm The cold beinl
in their bones, no fire could reael
or warm them, whereas the dseas'
rendering the skin and flesh Will
out feeling Of any kind the feeling
Of touch being completely destroy
ed by the disease, the lepers cal
stick their hands and feet In tht
flames themselves without feelint
pain or being any the warmer o
more comfortable,
Indian Camp, where the lepe
hospital or settlement Ia established
Is eli tho Mississippi near the prot
porous town Of Whitecastle tn
main building Is a fine old planta
tIon house of the anti.bellum regim