The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-27
CERTAINLY IS SMALLPOX
No Longer Any Doubt That the
Disease Is Epidemic.
STEPS 20 STAMP IT OUT
Board OF Health Orders Schools, Opera
House and Concert Halls Closed.
Quarantine Regulations Were
Farce and Burlesoue.

Great Falls, Sept. 26.--It is time to
tell the exact truth. Smallpox exists
In this city beyond the possibility of a
doubt There Is no desire on the part
or any newspaper man in town to be
sensational about the matter. Most of
them have interests here and would be
the last persons in the world to make
statements which would tend to do the
town injury, but between business in
terest and duty in a case of life and
death there can be no choice. There is
smallpox here. 1t is spreading and no
proper quarantine regulations have
been observed. For time the physi-
clans seemed to doubt whether it was
smallpox or chicken pox, at least that
is what they told newspaper men; then
they had enough faith in the existence
of smallpox to advise that some kind of
quarantine be maintained about the
suspects, although they told their
friends that they did not really believe
the disease was smallpox; they even
established a pest house and there is an
ugly story current about the selection
of that particular building, but by their
own confession they took no patients to
it, but only to buildings in the same
let.
NOW IHOSl OIL IHeIil AUNT tlldL llle us
ease exists. The public is not pleased
with the condition of affairs. The peo-
pie have not yet agreed just where the
blame should be placed, but that will
come later. They know that two deaths
have probably been caused by the dis
ease, although the deaths were as
signed in the death certificate to other
causes. Other diseases may have been
the direct cause of death in each, but
the patient must have had smallpox a
the same time.
j. S. Reeder died on the north side
two weeks ago and the cause of death
was alleged to have been diabetes
Rev. Henry Van Engelen visited him
frequently during his illness and
preached the funeral sermon at a pub
lie burial. He did so because the man
was said to be Ill of diabetes. On Sun
day, Sept. H. following the funeral, Mr..
Van Engelen preached at the church as
usual and on Monday he was taken
i'll. He remained at his home through
out the week. His children ran in and
out of the house and played with the
children of neighbors. On Sunday the
disease was pronounced smallpox and
the patient taken to the pest house. 1t
could not have been the patients fault
that he did not go there sooner.
James A. Cassidy is now said to be
another victim of this exposure.
"A
allowed to remain Open People have
crowded the opera house each night to
witness the hypnotic performances of
Flint There have been practically no
quarantine regulations whatever. To
be sure, two or three officers have been
detailed to quarantine as many houses
on the north side. The officers proceed
ed to the houses in the morning, stayed
until noon, went home for lunch, re-
turned in the afternoon for few
hours and then at the end of the shift
went home for the day and the night,
too. This is not romancing; 1t is
statement of facts as learned from the
officers themselves and those who OBJ
served them They are not to he
blamed, for they were acting under the
orders of higher authorities, but that IS
not quarantine. 1t is simply playing
hoss' with death.
Another sample of the play quaran-
tine: The county auditor told the
Standard reporter that recently while
sitting in his Office during business
hours a man entered with sore face
and a written order in his hand. The
latter was a note from a physician Of
this city asking the auditor to issue
permit to the bearer to enter the pest
house, as he had the smallpox. The
man walked from down town to the
auditors office and then presumably
Fitzgerald issued the permit with all
the haste possible and thanked heaven
when the door closed on his visitor.
A reputable attorney relates that
the other day a man with sores all
over his face came to him and SAID ne
desired to enter suit against certain
physicians They had employed him
to nurse a man who they said had the
chickenpox. Later the nurse contract
ed the disease and then the doctors
said it was smallpox and discharged
the nurse. He got no further, for the
attorney waved him off with chair
and told him to take his case to some
attorney who had no one oepehdlhs
on him for support.
Yet once more, a man who has been
honored by his friends with high Of
flee, which he filled with honor to HIM
self and friends, and who is now en-
gagged in the saloon business. states
that recently man entered his place
and stated that he had the smallpox
and was waiting for hack to take
him to the pest house. He showed the
effect OF drink, and upon inquiry II
was learned that he had visited other
saloons while waiting for the hack.
But 1t is all off. This afternoon the
board of health met and adopted some
resolutions which. if rigidly carried out
will do much to stamp out the disease
in this city. 1t was decided to pay DR..
]. L. Weitman. who is the pest house
physician, a monthly salary of $4Oo and
the county auditor, John p Fitzgerald,
was appointed purchasing agent for
the place. There are now 90 patients
there and some of them are pretty sick.
but doing as well as can be expected
under the circumstances.
A word in honor of William s. Frary,
manager of the Great Falls opera house,
should be said at this point. Without
solicitation, he appeared before the
board this afternoon and offered to
close the place If the board thought 1t
would do any good toward stopping
the epidemic. AS it has been a very
months, Mr.. Frary's sacrifice should be
appreciated by the general public. The
board decided to close for two weeks
the schools, the opera house and the
beer halls beginning at 8 O'clock to-