The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-08
HOUSE WILL BE BURNED
SMALLPOX CASE CONCEALED IN CO.
LUMBIA ALLEY A WEEK.
Many Negroes About the PIace-Wade
HiIl's saloon to be Quaran-
tined.

columbia alley" that part of Toledo
street between Ohio street and the canal-a
hive of human beings-became to the health
authorities yesterday afternoon a place to
be closely guarded, for there was discovered
a man who had been laid low with small
pox for a week and whose condition had
been kept a secret from the authorities by
his n%eighbors, who feared the quarantine.
His name is George Miller, colored, forty
seven years old, and, so far as is known,
he is without family. He lived in a house at
No. 16O Toledo street with another colored
man. This house will be destroyed by fire
this morning at 9 o'clock. Wade Hills sa~
loon on Ohio street, in front of Miller's
home, was closed yesterday afternoon by
DIR. Clark, city sanitarian. The Franklin
House, an old tenement house Of colored
people on the canal bank, which abuts Mil
ler's house, will be placed under quarantine
this morning. All the neighborhood will be
watched for cases of smallpox expected to
develop. A house on Ohio street near Mil
ler's house has been quarantined for
some time. Miller was taken to the pest
house yesterday afternoon. His case is not
more serious than the others IN the city,
though he has, so far as is known, had no
medical attention.
Last night Mayor 1aSSdrC met Will TIC
Board of Health to plan to combat the dan
ger of a spread of the disease from Miller's
house. DR.. Clark had talked to Augustin
Boice, the owner of the property, earlier
in the evening and told him it would prob
ably be necessary to burn 1t. he asked
Boice to accompany him to look at the
house, but Roice refused-he cast off the
place. Mayor Taggart and the board de-
cided to have Chief Barrett take a part of
the fire department to Toledo street this
@~-f- -.-A IsaA- sc hoo. e - that tho
property adjoining Miller's house will be pro-
tected and then set fire, by the aid OF coal
oil, to the house. The house IS small ana
of one story. 1t is believed that the nelgh-
bors, and there are many OF them, nave
visited the house continually, ana When 1T.
Clark, with two policemen, entered Hills
saloon Yesterday afternoon it was full of
colored men. He set a guard around Mill
lers house. The coIored man who lived
1t was not decided last night what would
be done with him after the house is burned,
but he will be confined; me men guarolng
that there was a case or smallpox III the
alley and investigated. Though many, OF
the colored people of the neighborhood had
known of the case for a week, great care
had been exercised that it should not come
to the ears of the police.
The Board of Health considered the mat
ter of paying for property it is believed
necessary to burn in the houses of sufferers
from smallpox. According to law the city
must pay for whatever it destroys. 1t was
decided to burn all furniture that was sus-
peeted of carrying the germs of the disease,
but to be as economical as possible in car
rying out this p%recaution. DR.. Clark has
been visiting these houses with a tree spray
In one hand and a bucket full of Tornado
hyde solution in the other, squirting on
walls, floors and furniture with extreme
abandon The guarantees are now main
tanned about six houses, but from to-day it
is expected that more men will have to be
employed to guard the Columbia alley
district. The board is anxious that all sus-
picious cases be reported and that the ply
sicians of the city ally themselves with the
health authorities in the effort to seek out
every case Of smallpox that exists within the
city.
Since the beginning of the smallpox scare
$3.50 persons have been vaccinated at the
off in the number of applicants for immuni-
ty yesterday.