The Portland daily press., 1895-12-13
STRUGGLING FOR LIFE.
4 Piteous Tale Of Suffering on the
Coast.
BAR HARBOR FURNISHES A SAD
STORY.

Door-While He Struggled One BY One
His Family Died-Discovered BY the
Authorities in Terrible Plight-Where
Nsbobs Roll in Riches in Summer Grim
Hunger Stalked i'll Winter-A Peculiar
Disease.
A Bar Harbor despatch to the Lewiston
journal says:
Down at Otter Cliffs on the fashionable
Ocean Drive, the Board of Health of Bar
Harbor, Wednesday, burned the little
shanty OF John Young, together with it's
contents. This hovel has been the scene
of misery, destitution, death and con
tagion for over three months, the details
of which seem scarcely possible. Within
few days three corpses, blackened by
most contagious disease, have been
carried from this shanty by John Young,
the owner of the place. and till recently
the husband and father Of wife and six
children. Today there remains of the
family circle but four little children, the
wife and two children dying within a
few days of each other.
The Young fami ly was reported to be
suffering with typhoid fever which has
existed in the filthy shanty since last
September, until it has assumed the most
deadly form known to the medical pro-
fession. Monday a consultation of
physicians was
HELD AT THE SHANTY
in the presence of thirteen -year-old boy
who was dying of the disease. In fact he
died shortly after the consultation was
over. All autopsy held on the boys body
by Drs. Averin and Douglass showed
that the worst fears Of the physicians
were realized. A case like it has not ex-
listed On the island for years. The
physicians ordered the strictest quaran-
tine and no one has ventured near the
house from the neighboring village of
Otter Crbek for several days, and the
lonely little cottage has been as complete
ly isolated as If it YVES in the desert of
Sahara.
The story of John Young is one of
terrible prlvation and suffering. He is
thirty two years Old and is q fisherman
| by occupation. Last almrec he was fish
| ing on Duck Island y, nc he contracted a
disease from a sick sailor Ii is thought.
! He lay five weeks in his little cabin with
scarcely anything to eat except what
some kind hearted summer visitor who
! heard of his plight brought him. The
| living place consisted OF three shabby
rooms on one floor in which were two
| beds and a cot. In these slept his wife
ana six children. The youngest was one
year old and the oldest thirteen. The
provisions consisted OF barrel OF flour
and
FEW PIECES OF SALT PORK.
| Young struggled with the sickness,
which the phsyicians said was typhoid
fever in its most malignant form.
He recovered sufficiently 30 minister to
his five year-old child, Josie. and his
wife, who were striken with the disease.
The five other children had to shift for
| themselves and grew thin and sickiy
from starvation and cold. The cabin
stands in the shelter Of the forest, but
the 10y winds from the ocean whistled
| through the crevicas of the walls.
Young grew worse and
GAVE UP IN DESPAIR
praying that God would end the lives of
I
notified and few days ago went to the
sorrow stricken shanty. He found Young
sitting in despair by the bedside of his
| wife and child.
II can't stand this AWFUL strain any
longer he said. my little girl is dead
over there and my little Albert has the
fever. Mary there in that bed has not
spoken since last night and she, too, will
die. Oh, God pity me and end this hell. u
The child Josie had died during the
night and lay in the bed just as she had
closed her eyes on the scene of sorrow.
The mother was still unconscious and the
thirteen -year-old boy Albert tossed in a
fever. From another cot four bright faced
little tots peeped from under blanket.
One of the little ones cried. Mister,
have you got any thing to eat for me and
mamma Mamma won't eat any more
and she says we can have it all.
That day the Board of Health finally
succeeded in getting man to assist the
almost exhausted Young. His name was
Walls and he promised to stay by the
family until they either died or re-
covered.
Josie was buried in q lot near the
house. the only mourners being the father
and Walls, who carried the corpse in d
rough box in their arms to the buryine
place. Thursday the blizzard came and
the scene in the hovel was dreary one.
THE SNOW FLEW IN THROUGH
THE CRACKS
and the winds threatened to overturn the
shanty. The doctor had told them not te
allow any one to enter the place for feal
Of contagion aud Walls threatened tC
leave the dying ones to their fate.
At three o'clock Friday morning, wher
the blizzard ragged and the snow wa
piled in deep drifts along the ocean road
Walls disappeared and trudged six miles
to Bar Harbor, where the authoritie
caught him and compelled him to take
bath of bi-chloride of mercury and CAV,
him suit of clothes. He is now unde
quarantine here. The four little children
were brought to Bar Harbor and caret
for. 1t is reported that one of them has
shown signs of the same form of thu
disease as the sick ones.
That night Mrs. Young died and th
husband fitted her for the coffin, whicl
, was brought down from here and place.
at the door, the unde, taker driving ava,
according to instructions of TIL
physicians. With difficulty the father go