Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1897-03-03
THE YELLOW FLAG.

~ bbO " 10 GubbluR UlOuR
a street in n of our large cities, when
came to a barricade erected across
The sidewalk observed a yellow flag
suspended from a house adjoining. l
asked a policeman what it meant. He
said they had a dangerous and ~infecti-
GUS disease in the house, and the flag
was to give notice of that fact to the
public, and that the barricade was to
prevent persons from passing the in.
fected premises. He also stated that it
was done by order of the City Council;
and in rural simplicity l thought,
How well the city is governed; how
careful the city fathers are of the health
OF their children and of the strangers
who %sojourn in their midst" | re.
traced my steps aud took another
street.
While walking along and thinkingo of
the excellent sanitary regulations of
the city, | noticed ahead of me a red
flag suspended over a door that opened
on the street. Remembering the vel.
low flag and its object, | naturally con.
Guided thai here was another warning,
and that another infection most dan
gerous and deadly was lurking in am.
bush beneath the folds of tae red flag.
Approaching nearer, l discovered that
L was correct in my suspicious, for I
read upon its surface these words, in
gilt letters: Fancy Drinks and Choice
Liquors. | also observed the words.
"Walk in on the flag; and seeing an
other guardian of the peace near me-, l
approached him and asked him what
the flag meant. informed him that |
a just seen a yellow flag, and won.
dered if this red one was also a warn.
ing to the public of tue dangerous
proximity of disease and death. The
city watchdog looked at me for a mo.
ment with the most unbounded aston
lshment and inquired, ''Where are you
from? Can't you read? Don't vol see
it's a sign of a drinking s~aloon?" | in
formed the gentlemanly official that |
was a stranger in the city from an ex-
tremely rural district, and did not al
ways fully comprehend all l saw or
heard. Seeing my benighted condition
he softened in his manner, and inform.
ed me of the nature of a drinking sa-
loon. He said it was licensed by the
City Council, that there were a mum.
Der OF hundred in the city, and that a
large revenue was derived from the
sale of the licenses. l inquired who
paid the cost of prosecuting the crimi-
nails who became intoxicated at these
saloons, and, while under the influence
OF the liquor there obtained, commit.
ted the many crimes the history of
which was published in the daily pa
pers. He looked surprised, and | con-
tinued:
Don't you know, my friend, that
beneath that flag turks a disease more
fatal and death more certain than be.
meath the flag of Yellow Don't you
know that the disease here engendered
ruins a man, soul and body, brings
want and poverty to his wife and chill
dreny Why does the city barricade
the street and hang out a yellow flag
to warn people of their danger yonder,
while here men are invited to drink
and die?"
The nan with a star on his breast
quietly remarked, "Say, stranger, amt
you a lunatic escaped from some asy.
lump Ain't your friends looking for
you, and offering a reward for your re.
covery?" | passed on, discovering that
the seed had sown had fallen on very
stony ground The officer looked after
me until | hastily turned the first cor.
ner, and have no doubt but that to
this day, whenever he hears of an es-
cape from u lunatic asylum he firmly
believes that he might have pocketed
the reward by my arrest.-A. B. Rich.
mond.