The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-12-12
A SERIOUS MATTER.
Smallpox Appears in the Hcs'
pital for the Insane.
THE MATTER TAKEN IN HAND
The Status Of Affairs az the
County Jail Hhanca
tha State Hospital
Case Came.
cass Cana.

Is#as only few days sgo that The
State gave an accouat of the iDtroduc-
ton Of snalipe1 into tho nen'a build
ing for co;oced people at the hospital
f9r the inssae By patient sent from
The Union couety jsil after coohaemens
vita persons haV:ag the disease. IA
the TINE ru0ors were plentiful here
;hss smallpox was gene1aiIy prevalent
at U0ion.
Thursday letter from thoroughly
reliabl, man reached the executive
| chamber. Here are some extracts from
his letter showing bad state Of az
fairs:
"My object in writing this letter to
you is to pus before you our condition.
| I mean the people of the town Of Uaion.
The Jail has been used By county aud
| town Gin conmoD) since its erection I
suppose. 1t has been . pest-hole fs1
some time. Several cases have been Ia
jail and no steps have been taken to
suppress OF stamp it out. The town
couacil is the cause Of the disease
spreading on account Of using it fo2
lock up. 1t is fearful to think Of the
number Of cases We have in this town.
No one knows; I know OF at least ten
cases. We havc ten doctors. Dr.. 7.
L. Poole, one who has fair practice
in the town, told me this mernina thas
he had about 20 cases under Treatment
All the doctors will treat the disease;
none seem to be afraid oft. DR.. Pole
said that some Of his patients had it IN
its worst form. 1t is in every portion
of sur town. Nov these are facts. We
have pest house. Town authorities
send patients to same. He or she re-
turas at night to visit about the town
and returns to pest house for break
fast. The health offer Of the town
told me- that he could not keep them
in the pest house because the board Of
health would not give him power to
have guari. The board Of health is
responsible for the condition today. Il
anything can be done, for Heavens
sake order it to be done. We haye some
cases l am told (on good authority
that have to be handled altogether with
sheets. It is awful to think that moth.
ing is being done to suppress it. I
want you to understand that this dis
ease is not confined to the Negro race.
| think more whites are down now than.
blacks, I don't wish to appear IS
srumblers, but cant stand everything.
| do hope that you will order the mat
ter Investigated and have it thoroughly
done. I do hope that you will act at
once, not for my sake, but for the sake
Of the community. What I have told
you in this letter is not half as bad as
it really is"
The governor at once ordered this re-
port forwarded to Dr.. T. Grange Sim
ons, chairman of the State board OF
health, at Charleston, his secretary
VT ting DR.. Simons in part as follows:
"He directs thas you will at onca
take this matter up and uss sucb means
and measures as you deem necessary and
as are authorized by law to stamp out
the disease and prevent its further
spread. You no doubt have observed
that it was from Union that a patient
for the hospital for the insane Was sent
after having been exposed to smallpox
and has caused it to break out 10 the
hospital. 1t is very important that
something should be done and that
promDtEy. The governor will be very
glad TO cooperate with you in any way
that he can in handling the diease,
and will be glad to hear from you in
regard to this matter. Please give this
matter your very earliest attention.
So far no new cases have developed
at the hospital for the insane here, and
the sick are getting along very well,
DR.. Babcock is still usiog ev.ry en-.
tea7or to stamp the disease out Of the
Institution. The Negro tramp sent here
from Uoion is said to be improving.
He is at the pest house.-The State.