Evening journal., 1897-10-19
LEPERS IN LIMBO.
But It Is Hard to Say What
Will Be Done With Them.
SAY THEY DID NOT TRY TO ESCAPE.
Claim They Were Taken Ashore by Or
derly Hill and Make Charges Against
uim-One of the -Four Out
casts stnI at Large.

NEW YORK, oct. l9.-Three OF the
four lepers who ,Sre said to have es-
capped from North Brother island last
week have been rounded up and are
now IN the contagious disease tent
within the grounds Of Bellevue hos
ptal. The city health authorities, hay
ing decided that leprosy Is not conta-
glous, have declined to take charge Of
the men or send then back to the is
land, on which for a year or more they
were virtually held as prisoners. The
case Of the lepers will be brought to the
attention Of the commissioners Of char
tiles
The trio afflicted with the incurable
and loathsome disease are: Lin jug,
Chinaman, 2s years Of age; Philip Sgd
ney, colored, "a years Of age, and Fred
erick Fleming. 40 years Of age.
Sydney and his companions deny that
they escaped from the island last
Thursday night. as reported, but charge
that against their will they were
brought TO this city by Orderly Hill,
who landed them from n rowboat at the
foot Of one Hundred and Thirty-eghth
street.
The Iepers say that on Sept. II last
that ten days before Orderly Hill and
Dudley Hanley, a clerk on North Broth
er island, had brought a comedian nam
ed George Moore to their lonely cabin.
HILL Hanley and Moore who were ap-
parently on a debauch, knew that
they would be free from discovery in
the abode Of the lepers. They were
well supplied with whisky and spent
20 he M nf A.
tients, drinking. singing and dancing.
Sydney and his associates further
charge that Orderly Hill sent bandages
intended for them TO his friends in the
city and also appropriated a barrel of
apples which some charitable person
had sent for the use Of the little colony
of lepers.
The men say that Health Commits
sioner Fowler and DR.. Bryant. the resi-
dent physician on the island, after MAX
ing a sort Of an Investigation Of the
charges. decided that there was no
truth in the story Of the drunken ca
rouse OF Hill, Dudley and Moore and
declared that the orderly could do as
he pleased with the bandages and APP
pies: that he was responsible for the
former, and that the fruit was con-
signed in his name
It was admitted that Hill had given
the four lepers a small quantity OF the
apples, but they were all bad ones, and
he kept the best and the greater por-
ton Of the contents Of the barrel for
! himself.
While Commissioner Fowler was on
/ the island one Of the lepers named VIII
| liam Bryan asked permission TO visit
his mother, who lives on West Sixty
third street Sydney says that the re-
quest was granted and that on Thurs
day night the four lepers were ordered
into a rowboat and taken to the city
They had so cents each, and with th'
money, Sydney and Fleming say, the.
enjoyed themselves in the Tenderloir
district, and Lin jug went down 10 Chi
lnatowh Bryan went to his home, anC
the others have not heard of him since
Saturday afternoon last Sydney
Fleming and jug returned TO the ont
Hundred and Thirty-eighth stree
wharf, desiring to go back to Noru
Brother island, but Orderly Hill threat
ened TO throw them overheard If the,
attempted to get into the rowboat, say
ing at the same time that they wer
not wanted on the island.
When I'm was asked by one of tn
men if the authorities would not hun
them up, the orderly is said to have re
piled;
"Don't worry about that. They ar
only too anxious to get rid of 70
muckers."
While the health authorities say tina
leprosy Is simply an infectious diseas'
the Bellevue hospital officials say it
contagious and have therefore isolate
the three men.