The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-01-16
WOES OF THE HINDOOS
PEOPLE OF INDIA SCGURGED WITH
FAMINE n THE PLAGUE.
Scenes in bombay, Where Death Ii
Reapfng n Harvest-Where the
Dread Disease Thrives Best.

India is sorely distressed. and death is
reaping a grewsome harvest. In the great
city OF Bombay and its suburbs the Grim
Reaper" has employed the bubonic plague
as his agent, and in the interior farming
districts the slower, but equally fatal, fam
inc is decimating the people. Late adj
vices from Bombay show no decrease in
the number of victims claimed by either
agency. The plague, in fact, is spreading,
and If 1t should reach the ADMINISTRATOR
districts the results would be simply APP
palling. The nations Of Europe are be-
coming alarmed and are taking precau-
tons to prevent the plague from obtaining
a foothold If 1t should appear at any of
their ports.
Letters received from Bombay say that
terrible scenes are witnessed nightly at
the railway stations there, where the crush
of people anxious to get away from town
is very great. 1t seems as if every native
who can by any means raise the money
is fleeing from the scourge. All the trains
are crammed, and special" after "spe-
cial' steams away with the panic-stricken
fugitives. The danger is that these terri
fled people, in seeking to escape from the
peril llldl threatens them mere, may carr
the infection into the famine districts and
implant it there. One of the incidental re-
suits of the plague is that house rents in
the healthy suburbs are rising daily, so
that while the plague spots are being de-
populated the uninfected districts are in
danger of being overcrowded. The Hin
doc burning ground" is ablaze night and
day. The v~ultures hover in abnormally
thick fOpkS nVpr the Tower of Silence.
To a small extent the European inhabi-
tants are beginning TO suffer, especially
those whose duties bring them into con-
tact with the native population. TIL Eng
lish community, despite a natural anxiety
which is steadily g~rowing-is confident and
calm. The whole Of the business communi-
ty is united in the natural endeavor to save
the trade of the port by sitting the facts,
but there is no Disgusting the dreadful
truth disclosed by the scenes witnessed in
this veritable city of death.
TRAGIC INCIDENTS.
The malignity of the plague is testified
daily by tragically anna incidents. Yes
terday two servants employed at the Bonn
bay Club died of the plague with appalling
s~uddenness, although the place is smoth-
cred with disinfectants. For ordinary do
nestle service no servants are o~btainable
for love or money. An exceedingly sad
case has come to public notice. A Hindoo
clerk went to the "burying ground for
the purpose of cremating the body of his
father, who had died of the plague. On
his return he found that In the meantime
his mother had sickened and died. while
shortly afterward his wife was attacked
and i'm a few hours was dead also. The
clerk himself and an uncle of his are now
down with the disease. volunteers are as
a. - ,ho xvArly ~ dfCfntaRtInO IN
dwellings in which the plague has made its
appearance TO obviate the necessity OF ma.
tives of low caste entering the houses or
high-caste natives. The disease has al
ready appeared in all its severity at kurra,
chez, whence it may spread astward
through the Punjab. where the population
is already weak from famine, up 10 the
head waters of the indus.
The Bombay correspondent of the Euro
pean edition of the New York Herald says:
Thousands of people are running away
from here as If somebody was pursuing
them. Going towards the Bunders the other
day | saw large crowds OF people running
along the road, carrying bundles OF tnelr
belongings with them and Raging their
children behind A few of them were asked
the reason of their haste. and the answer
was that they were going off to their Wiz
lagos. down the coast. to get away from
the plague and the authorizes, VINO were
anxious to secure the lives or lO,oVO people
for the recent outrage on the ex-Queen
statue. They seriously believe that ten
thousand innocentS were to be slaughtered,
and were determined not to be among ,ne
number of victims. Hence. they were hur-
rying TO catch the steamer. But. 1t was
pointed out, there is plenty OF time. why
hurry? The steamer will not start lot FOUR
hours more The answer was returned that
thousands more would be hurrying TO the
spot directly. and they were afraid OF be-
ing left behind.
PITIFUL SCENES.
1.-THE scene at Bunders was a remark
able one. The people were huddled togeth-
err like so many sheep. all clamoring for
tickets. The poor officials were at their
wits end, and when the steamer started it
left behind crowds of disappointed ones,
some Of whom in the confusion were sep
arated from their families and loved ones.
and were weeping piteously. Rather than
return to their homes, these crowd re-
manned at the Bunders, waiting for the next
steamer. Similar scenes are witnessed at
the railway stations, all OF which are
crowded with passengers night and day.
all eager to get away from Bombay.
Many officers have suffered in consequence
of the clerks taking leave. Many of them
were told that they would lose their .ap-
pointments If they went away, but this does
not keep them back. They would rather
risk their appointments tnan stay in Bonn
bay. The larger employers of labor are sur
fering severely. establishments in which
hundreds of workmen are employed have
now only n few people left. Several places
OF business have had to be closed in conse-
uG0ltt- lie HI Il - Dc l.
fected. and II once the panic takes hold of
the mill hands the consequences will be
very serious for the industry. One MILL man.
ager said the other day that he had no
fewer than 35 men short that day. Streets
that a few days ago were crowded and
busy are now deserted. Driving down a
large street l came across several large
buildings totally deserted. A regiment of
native infantry, whose lines are in the vi
cinity of one of the most affected wards,
has been moved out into camp.
." Maid another visit tn the HipdOO
burning ground, and saw thirty bodies
being burned on the various spots set apart
for cremation. while ten others were wait
ing their turn, three of them outside the
gate on the public road. The bodies of the
two Hindoos who had died from the plague
were washed and dressed on the public
roadway in one of our most crowded thor
oughfares. This was witnessed from the
tram car. The ParSeeS are being attacked
In large numbers also. your correspondent
seeing no fewer than seven Parsee funerals
two days ago while driving through the
town. They are clearing out into the
suburbs very rapidly. Up till recently the
cases occurred only singly. but now when
"A case occurs in a family two or three
others take 1t quickly and all die, so that
while the funeral preparations for one
member are being arranged, another men,
Der dies.
Health authorities do not thoroughly APP
preciate the real gravity of the situation.
All their labors are wasted upon temporary
arrangements. There is no thoroughness
about them. The announcement that the
authorities were seriously contemplating
compulsory segregation has added 10 the
panic. The people will not submit 10 il,
and if an attempt should be made to en-
force II, IL is absolutely certain that Sc
the various communities have taken the
matter i'm hand and each Is arranging to