The Penn's Grove record., 1900-02-09
SMALLPOX Is EPIDEMIC
Disease Prey lent in Many States II
the South and West.
ALLEGED cAvsE or INFECTION.


There Are Many Cases But Few
Deaths-one OF the Causes Assigned
For the Spread or the Disease>rhs
Afflicted States and Territories.
NEW York CRY (Special).-Fron almost
all sections of the country, but particular.
" from the Middle, Western ard Southern
States, come reports thai smallpox is cpl.
demic. The disease manifests some pc.
culiar features, too, forit is much less yiru.
lent than usual. and In many cases delay
in combating It has resulted from its being
at first taken for chicken pox. While there
are many cases there are few deaths. The
epidemic seems to avoid the largo cities,
and, passing over the centres Of popuIa.
tion. to strike into small COUNTRY towns and
villages. Chicago, for instance, has had
fewer than a dozen cases this year, but at
least 700 have been reported throughout
Southern lille OILS, OF which only four have
resulted fatally.
A generally accepted theoryis that the
disease has been brought from Cuba
Puerto Rico and the Philippines BY return.
Ing soldiers. Much alarm now prevails In
the infected districts, where at first the
warnings of physicians who recognized
the symptoms were scoffed at.
Commercial travellers 1nd great din.
Guilty In getting about through some rural
communities owing to local quarantine
regulations, schools are closed, and al
points along the Canadian frontier mails
have been delayed through controversies
between the Canadian and the United
States po.tal authorities as to which shall
undertakethe fumigation ofthe mail sacks.
Kentucky seems to be the principal SUI.
ferer. In that State thirty-flve counties
are affected. I'M g dozen County Boards Of
Health. have resigned because they have nc
money with which to fight the plague.
Dr.J. N. Hurty. OF the Indiana State
Board OF Health, In q warning to the pub
lie. reports that there are between 1900 and
1000 cases in the State OF Indiana, and that
the disease is epidemic in four counties.
. Before the Mississippi State Legislature
at Jackson, Secretary Hunter OF the State
Board of Health, In arguing for a measure
there had been $50 cases Of smallpox In
that city since last September, q 1000
cases and several deaths throughout the
State In the same period.
Birmingham, Scottsboro, and CORTLAND,
Ala, report much smallpox In the sur.
rounding countryside, andin Chattanooga
Tenn, thirteen new, cases recently appear.
Oh III SAuSho 10Y 6POA0A0, VdSuluAtOu.
a few days ago reported thirty-ni 1 cases,
but all recovering. Kansas has established
quarantine against several counties In Ok
lahoma Territory, and guards have been
stationed along tho State line. Trains to
Woodward, Oklahoma, nave recentlysbeer
abandoned on account of the infection
Smallpox exists in nearly every town OF
the Cherokee Nation in Indian Territory
and the Cherokee National Board has is.
sued o proclamation urging compulsory
vaccination upon all.
The disease seems to be spreading 10
Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and South
Dakota, however, are almost free from 1t.
A few isolated cases have appeared In
Massachusetts, but there the disease up.
pears to be we'll under control. Citizena
OF Pine Bluff, Ark, ave organized to fight
their Mayors proclamation ordering CON.
pulsory vaccination. while from Savannah,
Ca, an appeal has been made to Surgeon.
General Wyman to have the Marine Hos.
pltal Service take charge Of the situation
in Georgia.