The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-09
A HUMAN HIVE GUARDED
SIXTY THREE NEGROES. LIVING IN
SQUALOR, IMPRISONED.
Franklin House May he Burned
Searched by Police Yesterday
Germs sROasted.r

The Franklin House-a tenement of col
ored people at wabash street and the canal,
that is SCARED with age and dilapidaton-
has become the center for the vigilance of
those who are trying to save the city from
an epidemic of smallpox. Not that any
cases of smallpox have been found in the
house, but it is believed that some of the
occupants visited the house of George Mil
Ter, just back of it on Columbia alley"
Miller is the man who lay for a week with
the disease, was taken to the pesthouse
Tuesday and whose house was destroyed by
fire yesterday morning. Besides. the Frank
lin House is full of negroes of the poorer
class, who live in filth. 1t is characterized
by City Sanitarian Clark as breeding place
Of disease and crime" and it is thought
that the germs of the disease could hardly
have a more favorable place to multiply.
DR.. Clark says he will recommend to the
board that the house be burned, but until
it is he is determined to keep its occupants
inside. He set three men to guard the place
yesterday morning Some OF the quaran-
tined ones yearned for Hberty-because they
knew they could not have it-and threat
ened to escape. To prevent an outbreak
the number of guards was increased to ten.
Tents were put up and stoves set in them
and the guards were ready for the siege.
The city supplied the quarantined ones with
a good breakfast, and while they are shut
up in the house they will fare better in it
than they have before.
AT O'Clock in the morning the neighbour
hood became lively with the gathering of
the crowd to see Miller's house burned A
man named Hatch, who lived with Miller,
and kept a coal store" in one room of the
house, had been taken to the new pest
house in the shooting park, northwest of
the city, near White river. He had been
nursing Miller and the neighbors had kept
it a secret for a week that Miller was i'll.
At 10 o'clock DR.. Clark, /. part of the fire
department and others interested appeared
and made ready for the destruction of the
house. DR.. Clark sprinkled five gallons of
coal oil on it and the matches were thrown
in. 1t was a beautiful bonfire, but the
weather was cold and it grew monotonous
10 shiVer around the place. Streams of
water were played against the walls of the
nelghboring shanties in order that they,
too, might not go the way Of the infected
interested spectator, He ran into shed.
The shed was about to catch fire and the
f1remen turned a hose on it, The sufferer
inside could not escape, and he and the
shed We're saturated together. Inspector
Robinson had officially condemned the
building to be destroyed. 1t was burned
NN@'@ANN'
with water and the officials were satisfied
that the germs had all lost their lives in the
roasting. Two men were posted to see that
the saloon formerly owned by Wade Hill,
on Ohio street, in front of the site of Mil
ler's house, was really closed and not doing
side-door business.
FINE LIVING IN QUARANTINE.
The negroes in the Franklin House-men,
women and children-guyed their guards,
for they had eaten good meals had plenty.
of al nd a Of Yio liz
ing which would only end when the quaran-
tine was raised. Fed and warmed by the
city, they also demanded amusement from
the city, and they had fun with its agents
all day. In the afternoon the guards put their
heads together, and out of the conference
rose the suspicion that at night some of
their captives might grow reckless and at
tempt to break through the lines. The repu-
tation of the Franklin House was well
known to the guards. Was It not only few
weeks ago that man had been lured into
the place by colored woman, struck on
the head and robbed of all he had? The
guards communicated their fears to DR..
Clark. He went to Superintendent Quigley
and asked him to send a squad of police
men to the Franklin House and search
every person and room He said he did not
think there would be danger TO the police
men because there was no sickness in the
house. Sergeant Giblin and Bicycle Patrol
men STREET. Lancaster, Schroeder and
Hauser were detailed to do the work. When
they reached the place some of the guests
of the Franklin House. whose heads were
thrust out of the windows and who were
grinning and chattering to each other, be-
came intensely excited. The policemen
climbed over the railing of the porch with
q great noise. A number of the guards, who
were in a tent poured out to see who it
was that had the temerity to break through
the lines.
guard, a small man, but determined Il rep
resent the Board Of Health"
Il know" said Sergeant Giblin, but DR..
oh all right then" said the captain of
the guard, graciously allowing the five big
policemen to pass in
the policemen addressed the host of the
Franklin House. Harris's wife is white
woman and they have several children.
Harris was surprised at the invasion of
police but he hurried to execute the COM
mand that all the men congregate in one
ROOM He didn't know exactly how many
people there were in the house. The captain
of the guard said there fifty-three.
Someone else said there were sixty-three.
The men were all searched, but no weapons
were found. Harris delivered up a % caiiber
revolver, but it was not loaded and it was
returned to him. 1t was then decided to
search the house.
Tie house is aged and broken. One part
of il is three stories high and another part
tyao stories 1t seems that there are several
landlords. The floors ale packed with peo-
pie One VINO was Interested in learning the
construction of the house bent low and
locked under the mont porch. IHeIe we're
sex oral little windows, So dirty as to be al
most opaque, in the cellar wall. He saw
something moving on the other side of the
window and it took shape in the head OF a
colored baby, peering curiously out into the
little it could see of the world. Several fam
lilies live in the cellar.
From an attic window two colored women
looked down and laughed at the policemen
1t had been said that the women in the
house had asked for cocaine and one of the
policemen called up to the women, Don't
you miss your cOcane?"
.Lcok here, replied one of them. Don't
you imagine just because 1 live in tn
Franklin House that / uses coke But
would like a little GIN"
Whereat both women broke into such
spasm Of laughter that it seemed they
would Writhe out of the window.
Up the decrepit stairways the policemen
climbed to the rccms. They found several
families, each living in one little room, fur
nished with dirty bed a chair or two and
a stove little larger than fruit can, packed
full of coal that il was red hot. All were
happy. They did not fear the possibility of
smallpox, and, anyhow. it a thing OF
the morrow and not to be worried about to-
day. Beds were taken to pieces in the search
for revolvers knives or clubs, but none
were found. The filth and stencil drove the
policemen to the fresh air. Two men who
lived in one room with the ceiling SO low
that ones head almost touched it, said they
became satisfied that there were no weapons
in the house and also that the negroes
could not be driven out of the place while
there was plenty Of fuel and food free,
much less would they try to escape. Just
as they WeTe about 10 leave it was said