The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-09-27
STAMP IT OUT.
Diphtheria Allowed to Spread
Without Hindrance.
Visitors Are Permitted to Go
and Come
AT INFECTED HOUSES.
Criminal Carelessness by One of
the Guards.
The Disease Breaks Out in Har-
risOn School.
TEN PATIENTS DIE.
Mayor Has Appointed No Ad-
ditional Sanitary Help Yet.
No Doubt Looking for a Ward
Heller to Appoint.
The Disease Breaks Out in Har-
rison School.
TEN PATIENTS DIE.
Mayor Has Appointed No Ad-
ditiOnal Sanitary Help Yet.
No Doubt Looking for a Ward
Heller to Appoint.
PartisanP PoliticsResponsible for
Topeka Children's Deaths.

The people of Topeka have a right to
demand that more sanitary officers are
put to work and that more precautionary
measures are taken to prevent the spread
of diphtheria The board of health this
morning gave the first evidence of real
life. They had meeting and discussed
the situation. What they did they will
not tell, but they say that their plans for
preventing the further spread of diph-
liberia have not been entirely formed and
that another meeting will be held tomor-'
row morning.
The careless manner in which the
contagion has been managed is evident
from case in coiored family by the
name of Patterson at 1851 Lincoln street.
The neighbors complained that the
family is careless and G Guard Morgan was
detailed to watch the house. This is
how he does his work as told by J. w.
Tincher who lives at 1149 Lincoln, next
to the Patterson family:
"The guard is there a good part of the
time, but he spends his time reading,
and does not pay much attention to the
house. The child which has diphtheria
is allowed to come out in the yard and to
play, and he does this while the guard
is there. When he is away there is a
woman in the neighborhood who goes
and comes without interruption, and
members of the family come out on the
street. The child has been allowed to
play out in the yard ever since the house
was quarantined.
81 have five children and ! cannot help
being frightened. l would leave the
neighborhood if the people would not
think that my family might communi-
cate the disease l do not know why
the city should permit us to be placed at
the mercy of the disease. | understand
that two more children in the same fam
lily have diphtheria."
A lady who lives near the house says
that since the place has been quaran-
tined she has seen the child which has
diphtheria sitting on the sidewalk and
has seen people come and go from the
house.
Competent men shou Id be employed
as guards and there should be enough of
them to see to it that the quarantine reg
ulations are observed. Physicians say
that there should be one guard for every
infected district and that it is not neces-
sary to have one for each case. Perhaps
as soon as the mayor can find out who
his supporters were he will appoint more
than two quarantine officers He uses
public office to pay his petty political
debts.
Yesterday Charles Warner the four
teen year old son of J. S. Warner. was
taken with diphtheria while at Harrison
school. He lives at 1927 Buchan
an street and Mr.. Warner is
| of the opinion that the boy
! contracted that disease at school, as there
are no cases in the neighborhood The
/ child was sick during the afternoon. but
he remained at school, and in the even
/ ing a companion helped him home He
WAS compelled to lie down on the
| ground several times on the way home,
| and it was with difficulty that he reached
| home at all. Today the boy is very
| seriously sick and the house has been
/ quarantined. How many cases will
break out by next week? Harrison
school should be closed at once.
+ Another case reported this morning is in
the family of William Raft at 1900 East
! Sixth street. Other cases will probably
| be reported before evening.
There have been ten deaths since
diphtheria first appeared in the city.
] Stupidity and incompetency reign
everywhere, particularly in the mayors
office. If there had been ten deaths
from small pox the town would be wild,
yet this epidemic of diphtheria is fully
| as EaIdE anu dangerous.
The board of health evidently has a
different idea about the meaning of the
word epidemic" from the general pub
lie. When disease is prevalent in all
parts of the city and contagious. the peo-
lIe are of the opinion that it is epidemic.
1t has been several days since
! the secretary of the board recon-
mended that the sanitary force
be increased and the mayor
had made no appointment up to noon to-
! day, but it is reported on good authority
that he intends to- The reason he is
/ waiting is because there is a political
/ point to be made by the appointment and
/ the details have not yet been arranged
! The people of Topeka may wait
and the diphtheria may increase while
the political mayor is waiting until he
] can appoint the man who will best serve
| his purpose politically.
| Mayor Fellows with his dickering and
buying and selling of little offices while
death spreads over the city is entirely toe
slow in comprehending ais duties to the
whole people.