The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-04-18
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BOMBAY SUFFERS AN AWFUL PEN
Atty FOB O0N0EALMEET.
Shops Are Shut up. Merchants Ruined
Towns Depopulated and Everybody
Panic-stricken Because the Authorities
Did Not Take the Plague When IL Started
Picture of the Terrible Results of the
Awful Disease-City is stiIl in the GRASP
of the BubonIc Plague.
| Bombay, April 1.-THE plague began
lin Bombay early in September. Its pres
lence ir the city was sedulously concealed.
Neither police nor municipality thought
fl 10 let it be known that the Great
Death had entered the town. Yet only b.
the spread OF this knowledge could means
be taken 10 prevent the growth Of the
disease. No adequate means were TAX
er. The plague was allowed 10 run it's
icourse from the beginning. 1t grew under
1
gloom Of the tenements where il started.
Dirt, darkness and concealment strength
cred ii. The native inhabitants person.
ally provided the first. their houses the
second, the municipality the third.
But in September the disease progress
ed slowly. No alarm was felt. A few
more deaths than usual were recorded
from day to day. The Plague took its
own time, roofing itself gradually but
firmly, unimpeded by natives or Euro
peans. The former did not know what
was killing them. The latter suspected
the truth. but remained passive. No TO-
tice was Issued TO tourists. who were even
then beginning 10 embark for the winters
holiday; and no care was taken to sep
arate the plague patients from the others
But further concealment shortly became
impossible. The raitves grew anxious.
They died mysteriously, awfully; and
they died IN increasing numbers. The
news got abroad. The reluctant munich
patty found 1t necessary 10 publish a
statement. Towards the end of Septem-
Der the announcement was formally
made that the bubonic plague was in the
city. The ntivse began to slip away The
daily trains leaving the city becam some
what crowded. Little was said, but the
people feared. However, there was as yet
no general appearance of terror. The Oc-
tober tourists arrived as usual They
made inquiries, but were met by the
smiling hotel keepers with the same an
swer: ''The little sickness" An, il is not
important. A few cases perhaps among
ha rix-nc e
apprehension. SO the tourists filed the
hotels and drove along the esplanade, Wis
iting the bazaars, and taking their after
moons outing on the Queer's road. Be
side the Queens road the burning-ghats
Of the Hindus were more steadily occu-
pied than before; and here and there in
the bazaars shop or two would have the
shutters closed. The visitors did not ro-
eice either fact. The papers were very
quiet about the matter. Why frignten
away trade? Keep still. That was the
motto Of the municipality and Of the pa
pers.
It was now the last week Of October.
The bazaars were still full. The exodus
of a few thousand made no appreciable
difference in the appearance Of a town of
from plague were reported, twenty
deaths, thirty deaths. Then happened the
incident in connection with the queens |
statue. This statue, the pride of Bonn
bay, was found one morning smeared |
with tar and decorated with a necklace, |
especially insulting, of native slippers. |
The perpetrators Of the act have never !
been discovered, but the excitement pro- |
duced was Intense and lasting. From |
this time on the underlings of the native |
population, ignoring the deaths of the |
past, attributed those that occurred and
were still to occur TO the wrath of the |
queen, whom the ignorant regard as a
divinity armed with occult powers. Then
frally, after weeks of inaction, in face Of
a danger recognized too late. came the
demand for segregation. The demand
was made by the papers, but. with one
or two exceptions. it was made timidly.
Would it not be better 10 segregate the |
plague patients? asked the Angio-Indiar
editors. This inquiry met with a howl Of
Indignation on the part of the native pa
pers and the native populace. Segregate
the sick, intrude on domestic privacy,
violate the caste feeling? Infamous pro- /
posal. The proposal was dropped for the /
1ine. or only weakly renewed. So the
plague increased.
But now the tourists had caught the
alarm and were off al once. The land
ords could not keep them by any sof:
The Little Sickness al last
got its true name. One spoke of L TO
onger. but whispered OF the mahimari,
he Great Death. The populace. fearing
rore the suggestion of segregation than
he disease itse,f, departed in larger bod
es. Every outgoing train was full. The I
,oasting steamers carried sick and hale :
like TO other seaport towns, returning. 4
Is in the case Of the infected third-class I
.ariages on the trains, which no one :
bought of disinfecting, TO pick up new
rowds. and with the germs Of the dis
ase lodged in compartment ard cabin. !
o make sick those that were well, and .
AIRY the plague again 70 other ports. i
'eople began 20 die more rapidly, more
A reign OF terror set in. For {
ow the crdulous nativs had conceived a !
ew idee-an idea absurd. fantastic, but !
eeply implanted IN the minds not only
( the lowest classes. bu; OF the higher !
tratum represented by the small deal I
rs and the domestic servants. This vas i
hat the queen. in revenge for the insult c
nered 10 her statue, had demanded the :
yes OF thirty thousand inhabitants of :
.ombay. Who can say whence original ]
j 50 silly a tale? Blu; 70 these childish :
a;ives il was no tale, and there was 70 :
1olishness in il. L was dread reality. T
Ience. said they, this strange demand e
u segregation; hence the proposal tha, 7
le sick should be taken u the hospital. d
yho thar enters the hoSpital retu-us7 L