The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-19
FOUR LEpERs EASILY FOUND.
Practically surrendsred, and Seem wiiiinE to
Go hack to North Brother leland.

Three Of the lepers who left North Brother
Island on Thursday, as told in THE Sun yes
terday, spent last night in the isolation tent at
Bellevue Hospital. They arc Lin Ching, q
Chinaman; Philip Sydney, colorcd, ana WIZ
liam Fleming, q Swedish baker. On Saturday
afternoon tho Chinaman walked into the hos
pital with an "AmClica man" (so stated on the
records) and was assigned to ward %, his case
being diagnosed as dcrmatitis. Yesterday
afternoon while tho doctors were discussing
tho question of whether he had lcprosy. tho
other two called to visit him, and from them 1t
was learned that he and they were lately of the
lcper colony at North Brother Island. The
three were QuarantincG immediately and the
Health Department was notified.
DIR. Hubbard called and saw the patients. but
refused to take charge of them because of the
Board of Hoalth's decision that lcprosy is not
contagious. Superintendent Murphy Of Belle
vue Hospital vas not willing that the lepers
should remain in the regular wards, nor would
he allow them to depart and spread alarm IL
not contagion throughout the city. Therefore
he ordered them to be placed in the isolation
tent, and will request the Board Of Public
Charities to take action in the matter to-day.
Late last night word came to the West Sixty
eighth street police station that William Bryan,
the fourth leper of the refugees, was at his
nOHne, go west SlNty-tnlru btEeet. tohCemhn
Vleith went there and found him. Sergeant
Flannery telephoned the news to tho Health
Department, which answered simply. IAN
right"
The isolation tent stands at the lower end OF the
hospital grounds, a few feet from the East River;
and although a stove was put up for the benefit
Of its OCCUPANTS last night, 1t is a far from COM
Portable habitation.
sydney, who formulated tho letter Of com.
plant which led to the lepers leaving North
g5SresF a ls1ani; d IA an thu iat9 ie,ssp Of no sa@pla Ihe
were that at 8 O'Clock A. NJ. on Aug. IL, one
George Moore, an alleged comedian, was
brought into ward Z, the ieper's cottage, by Or
clerk Of the hospital, and for three-quarters OF
an hour he disturbed the lepers by drinking
whiskey. and singing Bowery songs; that on
with:bodily injury and said: III any of you had
and that a Week later m' Hin had only m 'g given eIlt them
a small bucketful out of a barrel. of apples :: p
DR.. Georse d. Fowler, the States represents.
tive on the Health Board. Investigated these
charges last Thursday, Sydney says, and his
the lepers remaining on the island, as their
a%ffiction was not contagious. Then William
Bryan, the fourth member OF the colony
% nsafs Dr. at fo Sas Vest fSe = gfiss t. visit Streets si,
and Sydney says that DR.. Fowler answered:
Yes, go, but go in the evening"" and then he
left; At 9 o'clock tina. night, sydney declares,
people can 60" He led them to the clerk, who
gave them so cents each, and they were then
T row over to l3sth street by the regular hos,
Chinaman going to his fathers place at IL Pell
street, Bryan to his mother, sydney to a friends,
and Fleming to a lodging house. sydney says
that they wanted to return to North Brother
Island two days later, but that the ferryman
refused to take them back.