Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-05-31
IN THE LEPER COLONY.
Tragic Incidents Attend the rindlng q

Tragic 1ncfdents Attehu ito clHnlhS oA
white victims in Hawaii.
"While we were in Honolulu" said
one of the young men who went to
Hawaii as an attacbe of the Hawaiian
commission, 'there was a lot of ex-
citement among the white population
of the city over the discovery that two.
well-knowr white citizens Of Honlulu
were igpers. They were both sent to
the leper island of Molokai: One of
these unfortunate men wasia wealthy
German merchant wio had passed the
greater part of bis life on the islands,
having left Germany for Honolulu i'll
his early youth. He was about 70
years of age. For some months be-
fore it was discovered that he was a
victim of leprosy he had been complains.
ing of violent pains in his head and
numbness in his members. His fam.
ily physician was puzzled over the
case, and finally called into consulta-
ton physician who had spent period
of study among the lepers at the Mo-
lokai colony. The old gentleman be-
came violently insane when he'was in
formed that he was leper and would
be compelled to go to Molokai. It was
necessary to place him in "a strait
Jacket, and, thus secured, he was car.
ried aboard the leper steamer. Kilauea
Hou, together with over a dozen Ka-
naka and Japanese lepers, and trans
ported to the leper island. Within, o
week after the announcement that her
husband was leper the unfortunate
old gentleman's aged wife died of
grief.
"The other white victim of the dis
ease was the signal telegrapher sta
toned on Diamond Head to report the:
arrival of steamers to the people OF
Honolulu. He was comparatively
Young man, still under 40, and was
known rs frst-rate fellow by most
of the white people of Hawaii He
took the announcement that he, had
the disease quietly, saying that he bad
suspected for some, time that he was
victim, and had contemplated so in.
forming the board Of health. His
nerve under the circumstances was
really admirable. 80
Gas soon as the discovery of these
two cases was made the Kanaka SER
wants in the households in which the
two men had liked were subjected to
careful examination. The telegrapher
had lived alone in small house out
at Diamond Head, with q Kanaka'
youth rs his only servant and attend--
ant. The youth was found to be in
the secondary stage of leprosy, and
was sent to Molokai along with his
master. The establishment of the old
merchant was a very large one out
near Waikiki, one Of Honolulu's sub
urbs, and was cared for by over a
dozen Kanaka servants. One of these,
an old washerwoman, was discovered
to be leper, and, she too, was sent
to the leper colony.
''The alarm of the white population
d Honolulu, all of whom employ
Kanaka servants, over these discover
les may be pictured. The board Of
health was swamped with applications
for the immediate examination OF
household servants, and was utterly.
unable to cope with the. task at the
outset. The work, I understand, is
still going on. Meanwhile, the discoy.,
cry played excellently into the hands
of the japanese and Chinese, who were
sought as servants all over the islands.
1t is exceedingly rare that a>leper is
discovered among the Japanese OF
Chinese living in Honolulu, although
cases are efrequentamong the two races
on the other islands, especially on,
Maui, the great sugar island. In the
course OF the examination of house.
hold servants number of-cases of
incipient leprosy were found, and:ttiaSs
victims packed off to the leper colony.
The people employing these leperss
were themselves rigidly examined by
physicians able to detect the very
slightest eyidencesEof theIdisease. bit
none of them was founddto be affected.
"'There are now, I understand, eight
men of American birth at the leper
colony on Molokai, all of them, with
the exception of the two recently sent,
sailors who deserted their ships at one
or other of the island ports, and con-
tracted the disease either by. .mingling
or marrying among tho Kanakas..
There are also three Germans, and five
Englishmen, also sailors, who con-
tracted the disease in the, same, way.
The white lepers are said to give more
trouble through constantly complain
ing than all the 1900 Kanaka, Japan
csc and Chinese lepers put together.
The white leper, it seems, is not able
to accept the burden lait upon him
with the same degree of fortitude ex--
hibited by the native. The only cases
of suicide since the colony was estab-
lished have been those of white men. J"
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An American Naval Officers Spanish Wife