The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-30
IMPOSITION ON RALEIGH
OTHER TOWNS SENDING THEIR
SICK AND DYING HERE.
Two Cases of Typhoid Fever Sent
Here Yesterday--A Negro Al
most Dead.
most Dead.

sections Of the State that Raleigh is n
sort of eleemosynary institution and act
ing on this belief they send their poor,
sick and MANNED here to be cared for.
This condition of affairs has maintain
ed for a long time and Raleigh has done
her best to care for the strangers within
her gates, be they well or ailing, rich
or poor.
But recently this flood Of wholly I'M
desirable immigration has grown so
great as to become a positive IMPOSE
ton. 1t therefore becomes necessary to
remind the surrounding towns and coun-
ties that Raleigh and Wake county, like
themselves, have about all the poor
and sick of their own that they can
care for; and the Hospitals and Homes
here are not open to whatsoever may
come, without money and without price.
During the month OF May a negro,
named Tom Aston, in the last stages Of
consumption, was sent here from Chat
ham county to the hospital, as a chart
| ty patient He was informed that no
one, other than citizens of Raleigh could
be admitted without pay. He was there
fore given q ticket and sent back. Again
he came, saying he was sent, and asking
to be put in the poor house. A second
time he was sent back; but third time
he came, wanting to know if they could
not put him in the asylum. This time
he was found to be dying and he did
die next day at negro house on back
street His body was given to an I'M
dertaker, who embalmed it and used it
as an example of his art at the recent
meeting here Of the Undertaker's AS
ISOLATION.
From time to time since then there
have been other similar cases, but none Of
them so aggravated. In every instance
the person, usually a negro, has been put
on the train at once and sent back to
the town or county from which he came.
But yesterday two struck town-a white
man and negro-that could not be dis
posed of in this way. They were too
nearly dead.
The first one to get here-though the
less sick of the two-was the white man.
He is a strong robust fellow Of six feet,
some 40 years of age and giving his name
as r. FL. Wilson, of Savannah, Ga. He
says he left home slightly unwell and
when he got to Salem he found that he
had raging fever. He got off there and
stayed several days and Monday the
chief of police bought him ticket to
Raleigh, put him on the train and told
him to come here to the hospital. He
got here about 8 o'clock Monday night
and went at once to the police station,
and there he was yesterday morning,
wracked and burning with typhoid fever.
A doctor was summoned early in the
morning and yesterday afternoon he was
taken out to the County Home.
With him went a dying negro, who
reached here on the train yesterday
morning from Selma. He too had
typhoid fever, in its most virulent form,
his temperature being 106. He was I'M
able to speak and there was nothing on
him to identify him. A telegram was
sent to Selma to know something of him.
They knew nothing save that a negro
bought a ticket there for him and put
him on the train and then handed the
conductor the ticket as the train started
off.
A most remarkable case when it is re-
membered that the man was too sick to
either move or speak.
Under the rules governing the hosp-
tall of course he could not be taken there,
anu lue city udu uON mere W CdAt lVI
him. The county authorities at first
also refused to have anything to do
with him, and so the railroad authorities
summoned their physician and gave him
the best attention possible until the af-
ternoon, when he was taken out to the
County Home.
1t can easily be seen what an imposi-
ton on Raleigh such cases as these are
to say nothing of the increased danger to
its citizens from contagious and infec-
tious diseases. Surrounding towns and
counties ought to care for their own
poor and sick and not persist in trying
to force them upon Raleigh.
The white man who came here sick is
evidently a tramp, and claims that he
was on his way to Richmond or Wash
ington to enlist in the United States
army.