Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-08-08
THAT RAT SrOKY.
Nothing In 1t but Chestnuts and a wild
Eyed Rumor.


Now we have a rat story, and there
is about as much truth in the ia; story
rs there is in fish ana snake stories
In tact the rat story is 4 fish story.
Persistent rumurs have been III cir
cElation for several days to the effect
chat the troubles at the Soldiers Ilum..
was not yellow fever, but that recently
Rough on Rats hard been freely used at
che Home to cNtcrninalc rats, and the
rodents, in seeking water had been
crowned in the supply of the Institution
ana contaminated the water.
me report not only gained circulation
in this city and Hampton. but it went
the rounds uf uhc American press like
other stories that We're merely rum ors
but gained circulation rapidly that
u became necessary to publish them
me Northern papers wired their COR
respondents here to nave the story con-
lrmcd or denied. 1t was even said that
the man who removed the rats had been
tro;ttcd and at the proper time would
give out the facts.
Governor Woodtn. the cNecut tive ON
Ger at tho Home, states positively that
mere is no truth whatever in this story
and that settles it.
The New York Herald publishes the
lSl!oWlhS about the rat story:
Eat poison and not yellow fever las
been the cause of all the sickness and
death in the Soldiers Home. near
hampton. va. according to 4 promi-
nent railroad official in this city
This gentleman told me to-day that
he had receiN ed a letter from an Official
OF the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad at
Newport News. Va, which says that the
PHYSICIANS are not all agreed that the
men have yellow fever. and that it has
been clearly established that tn. man
Who is supposed to have carried the dis
ease from Santiago to the Home had
even mild case. On tho contrary, the
letter says that there is reason to be-
lieve that the man have not had yellow
fever at all. but We're made i'll by :at
poison.
ne Home was infested with rats
ana large quantities of poison arr, said
TO have been used to cNtcrninate them.
he rats, after eating the poison want
ed water. and many of them found
thelr way into ciStern from which the
inmates Of the Home secured drinking
wafer inns clstern, according to the
Fallroad mans letter. was cleaned and
no less than two bushels Of dead rats
We're taken out. The theory is that the
Water became impregnated with rat
poison and produced the effects on the
men which We're believed TO Indicate
yellow fever.
Medical authorities here ridiculc the
railroad mans ingenious theory. It is
claimed that the symptoms that would
De produced by poisoning could not be
mistaken for yellow fever, and that the
description OF the symptoms Of the men
who have been i'll and who have. die,
III the Home clearly indicates that The
physicians are correct
1t is pointed out that Surgeon Was
am. OF the Marine Hospital Service,
VINO is yellow fever specialist ana
mas been investigating the disease in
the United States and Cuba constantly
Tor some years, found all the symptoms
or yellow fever in the patients at the
home. and his conclusion that the dis
case was none other than yellow fever
vas confirmed by the post mortem OK
animation of the first victim.
His conclusion has been concurrel in
ny Surgeon Won 1cZdorf, another spe-
cialist in the disease. The symptoms
described by Surgeon Wasdin were said
Dy Surseon-Gencral Wyman to be
those Of yellow fever