St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-01-05

4l=sE sa sna ss,s easa IL .'Tn: III:
distance the big black mountain. full
to overfowing with coal and iron,
looks down upon it with its many
foundries and factories.
Twenty-Five miles east of Decatur is
the mountain of Monte Sano, on the
summit of which is the Hotel Monte
Saro. one of the most d1al9hA1al eam-
mer Fueorts ot the south. Voc eaA at
= on the hotel raoe and look down =
distance Of thnee a1Se - The city Of
huntsville. A9s0 1nna~ 6syond
Huntsville can aeAin b seen the Ten
oea6ee river tw istin& itaelf around and
around like silver saa1Ee.
1855 the natural advantages of
fhinnnction of the state became known
3 northern capitalists and in
years the sleepy little village of
Necatur, with its six hundred inhab-
itants, had grown to be city of ten
thousand.
In the month of July. 1888, was
called to Decatur on business, and ex-
pecting to remain some time / took
my wife with me. The weather being
exceptionally warm. l sent her to the
hotel at Monte Sano. Toward the end
of September. the gay crowd began
saying goodby and leaving for their
homes. My wife, with . party of
friends. decided to spend the winter in
New York. /, not being able to 60
with them at the time, promised to
join them later. On the twelfth OF
September saw them board the train
at Huntsville, and returned the next
morning to Decatur. the doomed city.
Upon my arrival at the depot handed
my satchel to Andy, my colored driver,
and told him to drive me 70 my Office.
His reply to my greeting showed me
that something was dreadfully wrong,
for he said: Bless yor life, faint gud
mornin', boss, dis is dee wus mornin'
dis yer town eber did see. Der is Yell
low JACK yere. De man dat brought
it from Florida died las night, and de
news is spreadin' like viii fire."
1t did not take me q moment to see
that he was correct, for looking about
l saw fear and panic depicted upon
every face. Families were packing
what things they could carry and hur-
ryiDg to every train. In many homes
the half-cooked breakfast was left on
the stove. Their only thought and
desire was to get away at once. BY
ten O'CLOCK long lines of wagons. car
riages and improvised conveyances of
all sorts passed up and down the street,
loaded with families and household
goods. driving they knew not where,
Nvyt 80
every face, and even death upon some. |
At the end of few days, out of the |
population of ten thousand less than . |
thousand remained, and nearly half
of these were down with the dreadful
disease.
The news spread to the surrounding |
towns and the outside world. Those |
of us who remained knew it would |
only be a matter of = few hours when |
the city would be quarantined. Our |
predictions came sooner than was ex-
pected. Orders were sent from head |
quarters that 'sall trains should pass |
through Decatur at not less than thir- |
ty miles an hour" The surrounding |
country established = shotgun quar-
antine. Each man volunteered to
help form Gordon around the city,
and an oath was taken, that any man.
woman or child attempting to cross q
given line must be shot
was the only person in the city who |
had passed through an epidemic of vel
low fever, SO had 40 fear of il, The |
one doctor who remained (for as vet NO |
help had arrived from the outside
worid) was taken : the fever while
talking to me.
All. places OF business were. Of
course, closed and deserted. The mail |
bags were thrown each day from the |
train, taken to the post Office, where |
the few remaining people helped
themselves to their mail The banks |
ASere closed. There was not penny
Of currency in the town except that |
held by individuals
Through. the thouGhtfulness Of |
friends in New York, who kept the pa
pers from my wife. she was in igno.
rance Of the condition of a1fairs. I
hoped each day would open up some
avenue Of escape for me.
At last . small party Of MS deter
mined to Try toGssto the next railroad
station. At us56night we went to . |
livery stable and helped ourselves TO |
she hest team of four horses and . |
lieht cart (the owner having hed). and
drove for tie woods We had not
driven more than ten miles, and we're
to feel thet tAere WAS some
xHo6S, r. - .seee ee wese - J