The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-06-30

forever under the tall hanyans and the
flowery jasmines.
But here comes the funeral of Parsi
On litter covered with white draperieS
the dead man, clothed in white, is car
ried by eight men also clothed in white
and wearing white gloves The Parsis
custom exacts that the dead must be
brought to the Tower of Silence by
these Inen, who form separate
caste and cannot take part in any
public ceremonies without having first
gone through eight days of publication;
and they remain in house specially
| built for them. Now, on account of this
epidemic, they are obliged to wear
gloves, which they throw into the fire,
| just as they do their clothes after having
undressed the body in order to leave it
absolutely naked. NAKED he came into
the world and naked he must return IN
! to aust"
| At the Tower of Silence the vultures in
few hours leave nothing of the body
but the skeleton, which the burning sun
will soon reduce to dust, and the dust it.
self will be carried away by the first
mOnsO IN.
A long file of men in white march two
by two, bound to each other, as a sign of
union, by white handkerchief. Very
slowly they follow the bier, exactly at
forty PAGES distant from it. They pass
on TO the tower where the Yultures, gorg-
ed just now, await their feast while
| sleeping in the sun.
Today accompanied by Mr.. Snow, the
municipal commissioner of the city of
| Bombay, visited the hospital where the
sufferers were cared for. Outside of the
city for a considerable time the wagon
brought US through wretched locality,
and then through the grounds in the
neighbOrhood of the factories. In the
shade of the great banyans and palm
trees delicate and pale flowers grow,
rose and mauve color. Hedges constel-
lated with tender yiolets and jasmines
on the old walls alternate with the roses
and give out their perfumes. We reach
the Parel suburb, at the end of which,
in great field, stands the hospital for
the plague stricken. 1t is a huge iron
| framework covered and surrounded with
mats that are burned as soon as they be-
come impregnated with microbes. The
air in the place is constantly renewed,
and in spite of 30 degrees Centigrade,
which in this season is the average tenn
perature here, it was almost cool.
All the sick in the hospital are coolies
of the lowest HindoO caste. On beds
with thin mattresses the unfortunate lie.
One after the other the doctor who was
attending them showed them to us.
The nurses uncovered them. At first
nothing remarkable appeared upon their
brOnzed naked bodies. Some had band
ages under their arms and On the groin.
1t is the hardened gland in the neck,
under the arms and in the groin that
causes all the trouble. The patient gets
a fever which makes him sleep, exhausts
him and quickly kills him.
In the ward which we had just passed
through there were only cOnvaleScenGs
Or mild cases. At the end Ct this room
there was little emaciated creature.
He was SO thin that his body in the bed
was hardly outlined under the covering.
He was asleep as we were passing by.
He came from one of the districts ravaged
by the famine. To fly from the other
evil he came here and caught the plague.
They woke him up and he opened his
enormous and superb eyes. He seemed
delighted when he woke up, or it might
be that he was still in hair dream. He
had the laugh of a happy child, and
comically shook his little shaved head,
on the top of which was the Aussulman
queue that looked like a cOrkscrew
then Immediately he dropped back to
sleep again. The doctor said he was
getting better. His fever was diminish
ing, and he was as good as saved.
In a room further on there were four
very bad cases. Delirium held one in
agony. He constantly called for help in
hOarse voice that was gradually com
ing more and more faint, The attend
ant held him. Another was gnashing
his teeth, and third was motionless;
perhaps he was already dead.
Still further on was a HindOO woman
that was brought there he day before,
along with her husband, who died this
morning. She was singularly beautiful,
with a delicate pale face and blu 3-blac
hair. Her arms were Ornamented by
bracelets and golden rings hung from
her ears. For an instant she opened her
beautiful large eyes, and looked at us
like wounded gazelle. Then, with a
painful sigh, she turned toward the wall,
making her bracelets jingle as she NOV
ed. She still wore her blue tchol. A
vareg ated covering was thrown over
her, and beside her bed was collection
of boxes and pots of polished copper
that looked like toys. AS l said, she
was marvelously beautiful, not yet MARI
ed by the disease, which she caught only
yesterday. She slept there quietly,
more like some figure in fairy tale than
an unfortunate plague stricken creature
doomed 10 die in a few hours.
sc Tslufned the To city by another
Z road Which brought ua 10 front Of the
/ field Of tuaeiol piles. Iu the blue air Of
/ Tie night ylicb comoa On very quickly
under ibe x anl b pans, sHtek columns