The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-04-08
NJ
IN the Lcper Colony.

Washington Star: .While we were Ii
Honolulu Z said one OF the young men
who went TO Hawalisas an attache OF the
Hawaiian commission there was q lot Of
excitement among the white population
OF the city over the discovery that two
wel1-knowns white citizens OF Honolulu
were lepers. They were both sent to the
leper island OF Molokai. One Of these un-
fortunate men was a wealthy German
merchant who had passed the greater part
of his life on the islands, having left Ger
many for Honolulu In his early youth. He
was about 10 years OF age. For some
was a victim of leprosy he had been COM
planning of violent pains in his head n
numbness In his members. His family
physician was puzzled over the case. n
clan who had spent o period of study
among the lepers at the Molokai colony.
The old gentleman became violently In
sane when he was informed that he was a
9leper and would be compelled to &C to
Molokai. 1t was necessary to place him
lin a strait-jacket. and, h u secured, he
was carried aboard the leper steamer
sKtlauea Hou, together with over a dozen
kanaka and Japanese lepers. and tran.-
ported to the leper island. Within q week
after the announcement that her husband
was a leper the unfortunate old gentle-
mans aged wife died of grief.
The other white victim OF the disease
was the signal t~elegrapher stationed on
Diamond Head to report the arrival OF
steamers to the people of Honolulu. He
was a comparatively young man. still UNI
der 40. and was known as a hrst-rate ~
low by most Of the white people Of Ha-
wall. He took the announcement that he
had the disease quietly, saying that he
had suspected for some time that he was a
victim, n a contemplated SO inform
Ing the board of health. His nerve under
the circumstance was really admirable.
AZ soon as the discovery Of these two
cases was made the kanaka servants in
the households in which the two men had
lived were subjected to careful examine
ton. The t~elegrapher had lived alone in
a small house out at Diamond Head, with
a kanaka youth as his only servant and
attendant. The youth was found to be In
sent 10 Molokai along with his master.
The establishment of the old merchant
was q very large one out near Waikiki.
one Of Honolulu's suburbs. and was cared
for by over q dozen Kanaka servants. One
OF these. an old washerwoman, was dis
covered to be IL leper, n she, too, was
sent to the leper colony.
THE alarm Of the white population OF
Honolulu, all Of whom employ kanaka
servants, over these discoveries may be
pictured. The board of health was
swamped with applications for the imme-
diate examination Of household servants.
and was utterly unable to cope with the
task at the outset. The work. | under
stand, Is still going on. Meanwhile, the
discovery played exceilently INTO inc
hands of the Japanese and Chinese, who
were sought as servants all over the ISL
ands. 1t is exceedingly rare that a leper
is discovered among the Japanese or Chi
nesc living In Honolulu, although cases
are frequent among the two races on the
other islands. especially. IN Maui, the
great sugar island. In the course Of the
examination of household servants num-
Der OF cases of ~incipient leprosy were
found. and the victims packed on TO- the
leper colony. The people employing these
lepers were themselves rigidly examined
by physicians able to detect the very
slightest evidences of the disease, but
none OF them were oun to be affected.