The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-03-01
SMALLPOX IN BIsaoPvILLB.
An Unfounded and Unjust Charge
Against Sumter

In Sundays State the following CORES
pondeuce from Bishopville, under date ct
February Oath, appeared
.Qaite an alarm was occasioned here on
last Saturday afteraocn by the report that
there was case of smallpox 90 plantation
in the suburbs Of the .own in 6 family of pe-
groes One physician who examined this
case prououoced i. not smallpox Dr. Evans
was wired to aend an expert here, and Dr..
Bacot and Health Officer Reardon came in
to-day end proceeded al once to make an ex-
anioatioo Of the cases, of which at this II e
there seems to be three Dr. Bscot pro-
nouuces it genuine smallpox, and vaccination
of all cclors, ages and conditions is now the
order of the day. 1t is believed By many
that if this is smallpox, it has been here for
the past IL mouths, as great many children
suffered from an eruptive disease ayear ago,
which covered their bodies from head to foot
with sores, and which Was thought atthat
time to be cbickenpox.
The town of Sumter has been the nursery
of smallpox from which it has been trans
planted to different sectious of the county for
the past year. The Sumter papers bave been
generous in publishing accounts of the
smallpox at Msyesvilie, Scottsville, Oswego
and other places, while it is well-known
fac. that there are from 20 to 80 cases OF that
dread disease in that town, many OF them
among white citizens, end yet not one word
of 1t was ever published I"
The statements in reference to this city s:e
as unfounded on fact as unjust to this city
The writer of the article is not acquainted
with the facts, or else would not have made
the assertions that he did, for there is no con-
ceivable reason for the publication OF un-
founded reports that are calculated to ipjnre
the city of Sumter The writer knows foil
we'll that when smallpox was epidemic in
Sumter last spring the fullest publicity was
given to the fact by all Of the papers of this
city, and M effort was made to coaceal any
thing connected with the epidemic. Within
the past Eve weeks there have been Eve cases
of smallpox in this city, the disease being
reintrcduced into the city from other sec
tions of the county.
The best answer to the remarks of the
Bishopviile correspondent of the State is the
following statement from DE- 8 G Baker,
chairman of the city Board of Health
ssWhen smallpox list appeared in Sumter
last summer, sometime about the lst of Juoe,
it was found that it was brought by student
vi Va Ot3ok0SuiS. oo SOoo
as the disease was pronounced smallpox, to
prevent the spread of the disease, compulsory
vaccination was ordered by the city authori-
ties, and as far as the physicians knew every
body in the city limits were vacciuaied, with
the exception of some who said they would
no: be vaccinated and eluded the pbysicisus
saying they would ''ruther" have smallpox
than to be vaccinated. Zone of these is now
enjoying his ''rutbers.") Ia about FIVE weeks
from the time tie FRS. case appeared in
Sumter there was not single case,
and there were no cases from the 18th
of July until about 18th of January. During
that time great many people moved into
Sumter who bad not been vaccinated, and
some tinoe about the middle of January the
disease again broke out, this time neg1o by
the name of Reese Scott from Clarendon
county was found to have it. The second
case was Faonie Singletary from Scottsyille,
which is few miles from Nayesvllle AS to
there being 40 or SO cases in Sumter now,
that is absolutely without Foundation, as
there are only Eve cases, and some of them
are the ones who are having ;heir "rathers." !"
Bat fou, or Eve of these cases vii. be dis
charged within three or four days and the
other in about one week. Such in the situa-
ton to day"