Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-09-21

held positive views that the contagior
| which has been troubling Southeas
| Missouri for several months past is no
small pox at all. The following in
reference to the meeting is taken from
the Search Ltght, paper published In
the Flat River country: SATURDAY
night about fifteen physicians of St
Francois and adjoining counties met a.
Bismarck, pursuant to a call of the
| secretary of the meeting held at tina
place on August 19. DIR. c. L. Blanks
| of Pilot Knob, acted as chairman. DR.
j. W. Turley, of Desloge. DR.. Reese,
OF Eivins, and Drs. Williams and De
Lisser. of Flat River, were present
| from this valley. Directly after the
meeting was called to order lengthy
| but interesting discussion was entered
into regarding the ailment in question.
DR.. j. w. Turley, being the only ply
stefan present who had treated small
| pox. made 8 very strong address and
| cited leading authorities to show that
no small pox had existed in the valley.
He said that all authorities he knew OF
| claimed that in small pox. the mortal
49, A2AC " o. iAOLu LIZ W ~ per LClA. :
while out of $50 cases in this valley,
there had been only one or two deaths
| and no three physicians had agreed
| that small pox was the cause or that
death was caused by the allment in
question. The specialists from St.
Louis. DR.. Martin and Staulee had de-
cIared, he further stated, that there
were four well-defned cases of small
pox in Elvins, but afterwards. over his
signature. DR.. Martin had admitted
that two of the four were chicken-pox,
one he had never seen, which, declar-
ed DR.. Turley, reduced the number
actually claimed by the st. Louis
specialist to one. In contradiction to
the claim that warm weather had
tendency to decrease the Yirulence of
small pox, he cited cases where the
contagion had run its course with most
deadly effect in Texas and Old Mexico.
He further proceeded with scientific
description of the pustul8, how the
fevers ragged, and claimed that small
pox was from three to six weeks rum
ming its course, while this ailment in
question had invariably terminated in
from FIVE to twelve days with but
slight if any fever. In answer to
question from the chairman as to what
he diagnosed the ailment, the doctor
said that he believed it 10 be a pecul-
lar chicken-pox of yirulent nature"
David Gray, W. H. Sweeney and
boy, hardly yet Of age, Amalek Brooks,
spent Monday night drinking and ca
OF GroriSnrilTa oh
three Or four o'clock Tuesday morning
Gray and Brooks left the house of Arch
Hail. near Sheahan's quarry, where
they had been spending part of the
night, and went out in the road to look
for Brooks hat which had been lost.
In a short time Gray returned to the
house saying Brooks had cut his throat,
fell to the floor and expired-while the
blood flowed from cut in the side of
his neck. Word was brought TO Iron
ton early in the morning and Sheriff
Gregory. Constable Marshal and Cor
oner Blanks at once repaired to the
scene of the murder. The coroner |
a jury, and the facts dis |
closed were about as above related. |
The trio had been drinking together |
all night; apparently there was no |
bad feeling, and when Brooks and |
Gray left the house together there was |
no reason to suppose that a tragedy |
was about to be enacted. As to the |
killing there were no witnesses save |
the victim and his murderer, and just |
how it was occasioned may never be |
known. Gray's injuries consisted of a |
1nE,Y1lka 0f rycShos tho fhraof nf /
which has severed the iugular, and |
three or four cuts on the back of his |
head. When the officials reached |
they found Brooks in the |
rear yard of Steffen's saloon, beastly |
drunk and helpless. After awhile he |
sobered up sufficiently to tell his YER
sion of the story; when he and Gray |
left the house together Gray wanted TO
give him some pointers on sparring;
they had a round or two and Gray los
ing his temper, drew knife and made /
an effort to cut Brooks who took
the knife away from him, and in SO
doing received a cut on his fingers.
Brooks didn't say that he had inflicted
the fatal wounds on Gray but there
can hardly be any doubt as to that.
Gray was man probably thirty-fve
years of age and leaves a wife and
four small children to mourn his de-
mise Aside from his appetite for /
drink and disposition to carouse when
in his cups, he was not considered a
bad citizen. Brooks is about twenty
years of age. although his mother says
he is but eighteen. He has long been
regarded as a very bad boy, and peo-
pie who know him best have long
that he would some day
ind himself in the unenyiable position
in which he is now placed. 1t was in
deed deplorable affair. and the story
Of the facts and circumstances leading
thereto is a sad commentary on the
vices and frailties of mankind. Brooks
is now in Jail here; he waived a pre-
Iiminary before Squire Fairchild
Wednesday morning, and was bound
over without bail to await the action
Of the grand jury at the October term
Of Circuit Court.