The Wilson times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1896-19??, 1899-04-14
Death hid in old Clothes.

submitted to the board of health this
morning DR.. NJ. B. Feeney, Chief
Sanitary Inspector, sets forth a fright
full condition of things in regard to the
handling of second hand clothing,
and it's shipment to Raleigh, Rich
mond. Norfolk, Charleston, Baltimore
and other Southern cities.
DR.. Feeney on Friday and Saturday
nights visited several shops in Hester,
Bayard and Eldridge streets and dis
covered that clothes taken from the
bodies of persons who died from con-
tagious and infectious diseases were
handled and sold without the least
compunction. Clothing taken from
drowned men is dried and then re-
paired in these shops and sent South,
where it is sold in stores.
DR.. Feeney says that through these
clothes diseases are communicated,
and that the clothes are responsible
for epidemics in the South, and for
much sickness and death among the
poor in the communities mentioned.
Acting under orders of President
Murphy, DR.. Feeney and several
policemen of the sanitary squad will
raid the places complained of. In
one of the places complained of the
shop is used Saturdays as synago-
que.
Here is part of DR.. Feeney's report,
which is attracting much attention
here.
After referring to piles of foul SMELL
ing clothing ready for shipment to
North Carolina and contiguous States,
he says:
"An examination Of these articles
showed that every one of them was
extremely filthy. In many cases they
bore evidence of having at some time
been deposited an a manure heap,
hile other articles had suffered from
saturation to such an extent that
they must have been immersed in
water for long periods of time, and
bore evidence of the fact that they
had given their previous owners long
service.
"In fact many of the articles pre-
sented the same appearance as the
clothing taken from dead person at
the morgue after they have been re.
covered from the river.
"In view of these facts would re-
commend that the filthy clothing
found in these places be forthwith
removed and fumigated. would
also recommend that all second hand
clothing be submitted to an examina.
ton before being sold by peddlers
and manufacturers" +"
New York, April 10-The Board of
Health inspectors have found two
secondhand clothing factories that
they claim are hotbeds of disease.
Sanitary Superintendent Roberts has
issued orders to close up these places.
They are at No 81 Eldridge street
and No. 100 Hester street.
At tenement house in Eldridge
street there was found in the apart
ments of Hatschold Katz large piles
of cast.off clothing. Some of it was
wet, and all was filthy and foul
smelling. "Many articles the re-
port to the Board of Health says,
presented the same appearance as
clothing taking from dead persons at
the morgue after they had been res
cued from the river
Conditions were found just as bad
in David {'ohen's place. His daugh-
ter said the clothing was procured
from peddlers at the second hand
clothing exchanges in Elizabeth and
Bayard streets. Her father made no
inquiries as to whether the clothing
he handled had been worn by persons
suffering from contagious or infec-
tious diseases
She further stated that after her
father had remade clothing he dis
posed of it to merchants in the West
and South, where it was sold in stores.
She also stated that her fathers profits
were from $500 to $1,000 year and
reckoning on 10 per cent would make
the total sales from $4,000 to 81, ,00C
per year. Miss Cohen admitted hav
ing had II severe attack OF typhoid
fever two years ago. She said Cohen
had followed the business for eighteen
years.
1T No. 100 iiester street, kept by
Issac Cohen, conditions similar were
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