Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-09-18

/ tNt tEttNit out tns why.
| Pittsburg Dispatch.
Las, December man died In city not
far from Now York under circumstances
that make one wish that Conan Doyle had
not killed Sherlock Holmes.
Tho man was carpenter. iahorlng in.
dustrlously 10 support wife. when he
was taken i'll with what was soon seen
TO be some rather unusual form OF septic
poisoning. Growing rapidly worse. no
died ON the firth day OF his illness and
was shortly buried under certificate OF
death by septieaemia.
The day bcfoM he died, however, an
eruption appeared on tho aide OF the meek,
a ulffusod red blush. such as might be
| produced By u smart blow with the open
hand, Tho peculiar color and tho general
aspect OF tho case caused the doctor TO
examine the patient more carefully, and
/ u was found that a like blush, but ieaa
deep In color extended along the sides
/ oil the thighs.
WHAT LIE RouoE1w Is.
Realizing tho possibilities no removed
small portion OF the blood and took It
\ TO a mycologist FOR examination Alter
about ten days the answer came that boz
| yond all queation tho case was one OF
rougct, occurring In tho human eubject.
lie nouget, IN English. wrhe red muilot,"
IL form OF septic poisoning that 10
quite common among the piE ptts Ia
| France. and Ia almost or quite, unknown
| In THIS cpuntry outside OF the laboratories.
and all tho attempts to identity n with
any OF the local barn yard plaques have
| Teen unsuccessful.
This disease Ia strictly contagious
plague, and there was no end OF wonder
Hmcng the fow who understood the mat
| ter as TO the way In which tho man
| contracted the disease
| just while tho Interested ones were ask
| Ing Themselves series OF conuudrunis
that they know they could never guess
| they We're informed that the dead mans
life had been insured for the sum OF $685.
| o01.
HE HAD EATEN BOILED RABBIT.
II was learned the beneficiary was the
DAUGHTER OF his wife, by former hus-
band, ana that the daughter had mar.
rlod nearly tnroa yenrs before, that the
policy WAS wedding present. md that
the husband OF the daughter had paid
| all the promiums except the nrat Here
was the material for FIRST rate romance.
| II there had been any ono to write It, and
| tho suspicion Of n tragedy which neither
| of the physiciana found ut nil TO his taste.
Obviously, tho first thing 10 do was to
verify the diagnosis, This was done. and
| the Identity OF the dlseaae was established
4
TO rabbits and TO mice and pigs. while
| guinea pigs resisted II completely,
| The lAwyorn and detectives then took up
the chase, ana found that three or four
| days before the man was taiton M the
| daughter Of his wife had sont TO him a
salad OF boiled rabbit and cnbbsgee From
somewhere they asoertained that tho
woman had made the salad from u rab.
| bit that she had purchased at the mar
kat. and. contrary to her usual custom,
| brought II home, instead OF causing the
| delivery. Having made tho salad. she
stated she took the whole OF II TO her
mother
Here appeared the only hint OF clue.
the rabbit that she purchased was Ger.
tninly n cotton tail" while the aervant
asserted that the one that she cooked
was small gray "mule ear" Naturally.
tho detectives thought that this would
lead TO something. but whatever the fa-
ture may have In store IL has lead to
nothing yet.
Every method was used 10 nnd n any
| OF Tho large Laboratories had loh, any
material, but II was found impossible to
ind anything OF tho sort or even one
that at the time was studying this dis
ease.
To hun, tho city FOR man who was
experimenting on the matter IN qucs-
tlon would be TO hunt for needle in
hay NOW still. plants do not grow with
out saed, and, although III. legal proof IL
not forthcoming. the moral demonstra-
tion IL complete.
As an Instance Of cold bloodcd and sue
ooasful crime thie stands unique. the
| Holmee-Mudgctt murders nre tho work
Of n simple blunderer by comparison.
THE SOURCE OF coNTAGIoN.
The next case OF this sort to attract
the attention OF tho interested was OF
acute phlebltiA" This disease is also
one Of the strictly contagious class, and
no case has occurred In the civilized
world In the last ten years that " not
distinctly trnonable to another OF the same
kind consequently. when two cases oc-
cured ons inter tho other in the same
city. three months apart. without any
connection, no far as human akin could
trace, with any other either in tho city
where they happened or In any other.
there was plenty OF cause for any inquiry
that scientific curiosity should suggest,
This disease IL produced Ivy the growth
In tho body OF ''micfotocouH' Ding.
small round thing. who's" relation. ram,
growth and habits, nre as well known as
those OF the potato. and there ~ a small
probability Of the ceccus growing In uny
but it's accustomed way. az there Ia that
the said potato will suddenly take 10
growing a tree. Under tbntc eircrm-
stances there was only one course pos
aible, TO start hunt for the codfae OF the
oontlgion and ind out who had commit
tod tho crimo OF treating q case OF this
disease clan iestineiy. and had let II cs-
cape from his hseping, for this was the
prlma facie case.
SHOULD BE TREATED as MURDER.
There atc two ways In which this
new form OF crime can be met. at lenat
there are two that are obvious. One Is
10 register ever culture oven owner IN
the city and then publish every ono that
~ rot 10 registered. II he 10 discovered.
and make It rniHdemeanor 10 have an
oven that II not registered.
owing TO the fact that Elmer and
Amend. In Now York city. sell much
more than hair Of all the supplies IN the
United States. II would be easy TO obtain
the sales TO private parties II II wero
required by law.
TO HtoD tho transfer OF the cultures
between those that are interested ia such
things would not In any way eid because
the more men that are able 10 make The
cultures the more there Will DO on the
lookout for this sort OF crime.
The other and better way TO treat every
ohsa that n proved 10 be enc Of the 30
called sporadic cases" OF contagious
disease a. a fnui der, and investigate II rs
such. Tho fact IL well known that these
cases can all he proved 10 he murders, or
n result OF tho contempt OF law.
w. ". Birchmore.
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THE PALACE OF DOOM.