Arizona republican., 1897-09-25
IT MAKES HEROES.

Yellow fever has developed the i worlds greatest heroes and heroines. l
 Out of the horror, mystery and ter TOT of an epidemic of the dread dis
 ease there have come characters
 whose sublime acts or courage and iheroism will ever be remembered. i The fever which is now causing a panic in the south recalls to mind that greatest epidemic in our history, 1878. | During that epidemic thousands of
 people died, entire cities were depop- ulated, some of the fairest of south
 ern cities almost plotted from the
 map and the whole south was demor-
 alized. The epidemic ragged fiercest 1 in Memphis and it was in this city | that the greatest acts of bravery were
 displayed.
 The most touching example of he
 roic devotion to duty and absolute in
 difference to fear in helping the peo- 1 pie he loved, is furnished in the acts of young Herbert Landrum, brother
 of Dr. W. w. Landrum, pastor of the First Baptist church in this city. Her bert Landrum was one of the martyrs
 of journalism who went to their death
 during that famous plague at Mem
 phis because they were too brave to leave their posts.
 Young Landrum cheerfully gave his
 life in trying to save young Jeff Da- 1 wis, the son of the president of the
 that time Landum was city editor of the Memphis Ava
 lanche- When the epidemic broke 1I,. IO 110
 reporting a democratic convention.
 He left at once for home and during
 the rest of life never left the city
 of death and desolation. Though but
 20 years of age, he was among the
 brightest newspaper men of the coun-
 try. He had displayed rare ability
 and talent in his work and had won a fine reputation as a writer. Mem } phis at that time had population of 45,000. This was reduced by fright
 to 15,000 and strict quarantine stop , ped the exodus or the city would have been deserted. Of the 15,00O left in the city, 5000 had the yellow fever. } Of the patients, 1,50O died For
 weeks the city was shut off from the l world. Sickness and death were in . every house. The police force was l disorganized. Riot and outlawry 5 prevailed and added to the already l overwhelming terror of the situation. g Such conditions necessarily develop = ed the best and the worst in the hu- 9 man character. In this reign of ter , TOT hundreds who had never display
 ed any very striking qualities devel- = oped natures full of enduring strength l and courage.
 g Among the bravest and most active = was Herbert Landrum. He would la = bor all day at his newspaper duties 3, and would sit by the side of some l suffering patient all night minister r, ing to wants that were soon to enc y with death.
 : Every day hundreds would die e Thompson, the noble editor-in-chie It of the Avalanche, fell a victim to tn, e dread destroyer. Other members O d the staff died or left the city In e few weeks after the beginning of tn le epidemic the young city editor wa a the only member of the staff left. Tn 01 printers had died or refugeed an
 only one compositor was left. He an e. Iandrum swore to stick to their post a until death tore them away. The or kept their oath.
 TX It was on bright September da h. tldL Je1erSOn DaV1S, Jr., was TOucn 1T, ed by the breath of the disease tn NurcaS uara ccaroo an5 tho voun ga mans friends had to nurse hin IT. True to his friends even in times ( ne greatest danger, Herbert Landru1 to went to the bedside of the son of tn nd great man whom all the south sti en loves and llonors though he is deat IS For days Landrum was by the sid op of his friend. Then death came an re- relieved the devoted watcher. A en this time he continued to publish ey l small daily paper, in which thel py was mo news except of fever. to The fever, of course, claimed La1 Ut drum. He knew that he would hay n ie when he went to watch by Davi ne but he was not afraid. He had in h ny nature the same brave loyal qualitit ay that made his father famous durir
 that long epidemic
 He was sick but one day before
 began to recover. In a few days
 was able to go to work He wei ri- back to his duties and with the a Is. of tSae printer published the Av: D. lancfle- He worked but one da 9l- Then he relapsed. In a few hours l D. was (ead. He had kept his wor 'l- He died at his post, the last of u ed staff
 Id The next day the composition di,