Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1898-10-29
The A. & NJ. College.
Agricultural College. Miss,
October DG 1908

Agricultural College, Miss,
October 26, 1898.
Hon. J. R. DlNsNoRE,
Macon, Miss.
My Dear Sir;
The yelll W fever scare IS about over,
and tomorrow all The guards viii be re
moved and once more there will be free
intercourse between Starkville. the SUI
rounding country a. d the College.
On Sunday. the 2nd of October, DR..
Barr reported that he had a suspicious
case of fever at the hospital, one of the
students who had remained here during
the ummer Mr.. Afford, and the coun.
ty health officer wa called in and ncti,
fed of tue fact. He did not think it
was yellow lever and sugges ed putting
off the decision till the next day. On
Monday, the 3rd, he concurrei with DR..
Barr in his diagnosis that it was yellow
fever, and asked the State Board of
Health for an expert to pass upon it.
Dr.. cant arrived at the College on the
9Th aud without hesltancy said We had
two genuine cases OF yellow fever in the
hospital. Quarantine has been rididly
enforced against the College by the city
Of Starkville and the county Of Oktib
beha since the Bird, and it will be re.
moved tomorrow. the 2Ith. DR.. Cant
advised a depopulation of the College
campus, and on the 9Th anout fifty Of
the College family went TO St, Louis,
No. Four of the families, the pre,i-
dent, and a number of employees and
students remained on the camuus.
We had nine eases of the fever, the
last one occurring on the nth. Two OF
the cases were very sick; the Others
we, e remarkably mild. I believe that
the fever was about stamped out, by he
rigid rules established here and en-
forced by Dir. Barr and myself before
the cold weather gave il a finishing
stroke, 1t is now ten days since we hal
a case and we have had several fr)sts
and the Thermometer as low as thirty.
five once or twice, We have thoroughly
fuinigated every room where there was
fever and there were only foul of these
outside of the hospital. These rooms
have been fumigated over and oyer
again, 1.-The hospital is being thoroughly
fumigated now, the mattresses and
blankets will be burned and the utmost
vigilance is being exercised in getting
rid Of everything that can cause uneasi.
ness, But n negro is supposed to
have been infected, but this is a very
doubtful case. She was isolated and
put in a hospital pr pared especially for
negroes ard her bedding burned.
Now as to the opening of the College,
my judgment is that we should not open
before the 18th of November, the same
time we opened last year. ! do not
think there would be any danger in
opening sooner, but | think it better to
go Systematically to work to eliminate
every possible feature which might
cause uneasiness, and to allow also the
panic and lack of confidence to pass
away, With this dea | propose the
first of the month to issue a circular let.
ter, accompanied by a statement from
DR.. Barr, and send it broadcast over
the State, assuring everybody that there
is no danger and asking for a full att,n-
dance as usual.
l shall be pleased to hear from you
personally as a member Of the Executive
Committee and to receive any sugges.
tons you may see fit to give me- With
kind wishes, l am,
Yours truly,
S. D. LEE,
President.