The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-04-28
The County Authorities Neglect
of the East Side
PEOPLE ARE GETTING ANGRY
A Mass Meeting to Be Held Next
Wednesday Evening
The Residents Express Themselves Freely
About the Criminal Neglect Which
Exposes Them to Horrible Danger

The pest house aGi tatlOn on the East
Side has grown to large proportions and
the feeling to degree of intensity that
will compel action on the part of the
authorities who are responsible for this
danger to the health and lives of the resi-
dents in that portion of the city.
While some of the people are mild in
their protests large number OF the be st
class of citizens express themselves i'll
very emphatic terms that this menace not
only should be. but shall BE-, removed.
They consider the plea of the supervisors.
that there is no law covering the case, "a
very lame apology or gauzy excuse for
their failure to do their duty in isolating
or transporting these pests from the
community. If the board has not tn e
authority to lrnlrson or restrain these
poor wretches sufficiently to prevent their
running around and mlngling with tn e
public DIT large. they certainly have not
the authority to build Il pest house and
place them right in the midst OF a resi-
dence portion OF the city. Yet that is ex-
actly what has been done.
\ Herald reporter secured the opinions
of qu TIC a number Of representative citi-
zens and property owners of the East Side
and boyle heights yesterday afternoon,
and found them unanimous III the de-
and the hospital as well, for they con-
slider it q standing menace to the health
OF the entire community.
MIR. }. c. Cox. 40 South Hayes street.
said: "This nest house is a disgrace and
an outrage and has got to be removed. Ii
the board hasn't any authority to re
move it, where did they get their au
thoritv to place it here? That excuse is
too thin. And now they are wanting us
To tax ourselves to bulld Il sewer up by
the hospital so they will have nothing to
do but connect with it. Let them bull
sewer four blocks and connect with the
East Side sewer, or sell their graund and
remove the hospital outside OF the city
limits, where it ought to BE-.
- understand this pest house business
and there is no place in the world but
where they isolate lepers. tell you, il
they don't remove this we've got men
here who will remove it for them. We
won't stand it. We're going to holi a
mass meeting here next Wednesday even
ing and Mr.. Herald. If you'll just come
over then you'll find out what we think
about this matter.
James Russell. groceryman, corner
Kuhrts and Sichei streets. said: Il think
it is u very great wrong to allow those
lepers TO be running at large III our midst
They have been around in this vicinity
frequently"
Alex Russell. son of the last named.
said: The Spaniard has been down
! ere to our store often, buying cigarette
papers.
MI. J. Dix. shoemaker, at same loca-
ton, said the Chinaman had been GOWN
to get him to mend his shoes. but he
didn't want the job.
Mr.. Hiram Beach, who was found at
Mr.. Russell's store. said: This wage
from tie hospital is a great nuisance.
The hospital ought to b removed. We
demand IT..
Where do you reside, Mr.. Beach?
. have been residing at ll22 East
Main street. but have recently removed
my family to Pasadena
II came to Los Angeles for ny wife's
health and located on the East Side and
could live here all right if it was not for
this hospital nuisance. But won't
tring my family back while the hospital
remains here.
MIR. Theo Marley was next encoun-
tered. Mr.. Markey resides at 90j Da irwin
avenue and has been Il nurse at the hos
pital lor eight years.
What is your opinion OF the location
Of this leper lest on the hospital grounds,
Mr. Markey?'
There ought not TO be a pest house
there. But as lar as danger is concerned
there is no more danger from these lepers
than from any other inmates Of the hos
plttl.
That Spaniari came here from
Madrid, Spain, on ticket furnished
~ his government, while suffering with
the disease. He was sent to the hospital
and be lived with his wifi. in private
room in ward IL and raised their family
there. Those children are certainly both
ltpers and they are now living over in
tine city 1t takes seven years for iep-
rosy to develop, so it may not show on
tnrm yet. These lepers do not belong
here and should be sent back by the au-
Ghorities from whence they came.
There are a number of syphlitic cases
in the hospital who are more dangerous
than these lepers because they are
allowed to mingle with tho other inmates.
eat and sleep with them and can be seen
in the kitchen washing pots and dishes.
They also use the same bath rooms. |
would prefer to stay among the lepers
myself.
But that shanty ought to be moved,
and it is the doctor place to move it.
The board relies on the doctors judg-
ment in such cases They were kept in
the tank house formerly. but the new
doctor thought they ought to be further
from the hospital, SO he had this shanty
built for them where it will add its pollu-
ton to the stream from which many par
ties use the water. saw Il woman once
filling IL teakettle from this stream and |
left my ward i'll the hospital and went
down and told her not to use it, as it
was full of the sewage from the hospi-
tai.
W. H. Sloan. grocer, at 100 East Main
street. said: Il think it is a disgrace
and Il shame that these lepers run at
large. They have come here to my store
frequently to buy tobacco and small arti-
Giles. | can't well order man out of
place of business, but they can't
come here again, for my family live in
this store and | can't have them exposed
to the danger, and it will injure my bust
ness. tell you. by Georg? they We got to
be taken out of here. We won stand it. 3"
Mrs. j. b. Lawrence of 31S East Main
street said: II was on a car coming from
the city when one of the lepers got on
the car. was so badly scared [ hardly
knew what to do. He presented such a
hldeous appearance, his head and face
were SO swollen that [ couldn't tell
whether lie was Chinaman or what be
WAS. He was continually scratching
himself. He took his nickel and rubbed
it between his fingers before lie gave it
10 the conductor He seemed to want to
I've as mean as possible. The conductor
put the nickel down and secured 1T with
his shoes ON the floor before putting it
with The rest of his money. | was care
full to always carry nickels since then for
fear I'd get that one in change. | was SO
frightened that when | got home my
husband sent for the doctor and got me
some stiumaDt. | didn { get over it for
several weeks. We've got to have that
nest house moved ont. We cant Stand IL ,,