Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-03-26
ANOTHER SMALLPOX CASE
DEVELOPED IN THIS CITY YES
TERDAY AFTERNOON.
Like the First Patient, the Unfortu-
nate Is a Colored River Man.
Sessions Of the City Health
Committee Held-A Quar-
antine Against Infect
ed Boats Ordered

I INTRODUCTION OF smallpox mere last
Thursday, by the colored roustabout
Amos Smith, who was landed here
from the steamer Hudson, and sent to
the North Wheeling Hospital as a
marine patient before the exact nature
of his malady could be ascertained.
Yesterday it was developed through
the Health officer and DR.. Ulrich that
on Sunday the steamer keystone State
landed man in this city, whom
the city medical authorities are pretty
we'll convinced also has the smallpox.
This patient was shipped out to the
pest house yesterday afternoon, and
he will be kept there until the dis
ease can be certainly diagnosed.
This patient is Henderson Wither-
spoon. and halls from Memphis. He
| says himself he thinks ne has the
smallpox, and the indications at pres
ent are that he is correct in his sur
mise.
Another extraordinary session of the
| City Board OF Health was convened at
! the office of the Health officer at four
o'clock yesterday afternoon to consider
| this new complication. The Health
! Officer made q statement of the situa-
tion to the Committee to the effect that
the man had been landed in this city
from the keystone State on Sunday
suffering with some disease, and hay
! ing a paper. which Dr. Ulrich said was
signed by the clerk or some officer of
the boat, the name not being remem-
bered. The man called on Dr.. Ulrich
| Sunday morning, but the Doctor was
out, and he returned Sunday afternoon.
| A. that time he had no pronounced
| smallpox symptoms. but was suffering
| from diarrhOea, and received pre-
| scription. Yesterday morning he again
| called on the Doctor, meanwhile run
ming about at full liberty, and later
! presented himselfto Clerk Smith, atthe
| office of the surveyor of customs, at the
Custom House. There. the Health Of
| ficer stated, the paper presented by the
| patient was pronounced irregular or
! defective, and was destroyed by Mr..
Smith. and WitherspoOn WAS told to
take himself Off. He again called upon
DR.. Ulrich, and then, the case being re-
ported to Health Officer Walden, the
! Chief of Police was instructed to hunt
! the fellow up. About two o'clock in
| the afternoon he was found and taken
to the City Hahn where the Health Of
/ ficer saw him and heard his statement
! of the situation. He was at once re-
moved to the pest house, but placed in
| a separate room from that occupied by
| the patient Amos Smith, and then a
! call was issued for a meeting of the
Committee on Health.
At this session there was good deal
| of plain talk as to the action of the
/ boats of the Pitsburg and Cincinnati
/ line putting off infected people here,
! and the Health Officer was instructed
/ to at once notify the Marine Hospital
authorities at Washington, by wire of
the facts. and also to write them fully
regarding the circumstances. especial
| ~ as to the fact of the paper given
! WitherspoOn to take to the Custom
| House, the destruction Of that paper,
/ and the turning Of the man loose upon
the community. The matter of Geclar-
ing a rigid quarantine against the
| PittsbuTg and Cincinnati packet line
! boats was also earnestly discussed, but
! the matter was allowed TO so over un-
! til last night, in order to have the City
| Solicitor and the Chief of Police pres
| ent. and also in the hope Of hearing
! from Washington by telegraph.
! Meanwhile the Health Officer was in
structed to do everything proper for
| the care of the patient until the dis
| ease more fully develops. and COM
munication of the situation to the
State Board of Health was also order
ed. The Health Board then adjourn
! ed until half-past seven o'clock last
evening.
! Capt. Crockard was seen last night by
! a Register man in regard to the case
! of smallpox said to have come off the
keystone State. and said that he did
not think that such was the case.
Il was on the wharf-boat," he said,
| all the time the keystone was mere
| Sunday. end saw no one leave here and
was not told of any one having gone
/ off. Was talking to Capt. Charles
| Knox and he did not say anything
/ about anyone having left When
there is anything Of this kind happens
on any of the boats am almost always
told about it..
IF this man Witherspoon had left
/ the boat while she was lying up at tho
wharfboat here Sunday. / would have
known something about it, and would
have seen him.
DR.. {. RI. Ulrich. the resident marine
J physician. also made a statement to a
REGISTER reporter The man came
into my Office Sunday afternoon he
said. showing a certificate from the
| keystone State. which looked regular.
did not notice the name signed to it,
| but il was signed. In answer 10 my
| ouestions. he stated that he had diar-
| rboe. nothing else. / told him he could
not be taken to the hoSpiStal for that
complaint. and told him to wait until
I had communicated with the customs
authorities. He had none of the symp-
tom of smallpox, but l was afraid the
disease might have been in his system.
/ understand that he told a police
I man Yesterday that he thought he had
! smallpox, and was directed TO the Gus
/ IONS House. where he presented his
I certificate to Inspector Smith. ! have
/ hean 10 the pest house, and l found
mar his temperature was 10S. while
The other patient is in very bad
J shape"
I Mr. Fred Smith. OF the Customs Of
fee was seen at his residence on the
Island in regard to the case and said
The man came into the Office and
showed his papers, saving he thought
he had smallpox. Mr.. Smith Ques-
toned him and the fellow said he had
I been in Memphis in a house where
the smallpox was prevalent FOR sew
eral days. From there he came 10