Arizona republican., 1900-07-11
IA Description by Mrs. Frances
 s. Sampson
Of the Homes of the Lepers of Ecua-
 dor-0thers Against Whom the
 Door of Hope Has Been Forever
 Shut.

on three sides by a wall fifteen feet high and three feet thick. The other side, which faces the city, is filled by the front of large three-story build ing if imposing appearance, immense doors opening from the center of which are the only means of entrance. This building is called "El Hospicio,'' (the hospitaD which, in way, is mislead Within are several buildings, connected by passages, although each is complete in itself, having a stairway, open court corridor, where the inmates may get a breath of fresh air, a glimpse of the sky. and when disposed and permitted lie in the sunshine. For some req son, possibly for economy, and convenience, the authorities have seen fit to gather here it's unfortunate and miserable de- pendants of all classes, lepers, insane. incurables from loathsome diseases, paupers, orphans, and foundlings, are all confined within these walls.
 It is difficult to gain admittance, and only recently have We been able to do so, through the kindness of the physi- elan in charge, who volunteered to ac- company us through the various build ings and give us any information we desire.
 We met him at s o'clock one morning not long since, and passing through the doors found ourselves on a corridor surrounding a large patio, filled with a sickly lot of plants, and not at all in viting in appearance.
 THE HOUSE OF LETTERS.
 As we especially wished to see the lepers, the physician suggested we visit them first and return to the other de- partments. We waited a moment while he made some changes in his clothing and when he reappeared, followed him through several halls, accompanied by an attendant, who unlocked each door, permitting us to pass through after which it was carefully locked. Each passage was more gloomy than the former, until we reached the last, which vas long. almost without a ray of light, being dug through spur of the hill, the sides were damp, moss clung to many a crevice and water trickled through the earth. It was gloomy enough to be the entrance to hades. As the doors were barred be- hind us we felt as if doomed ourselves, for it seemed as if we were going be- yond hope, away from every human sympathy, from all loves and hatreds. and entering the land of lone despair. At the end of this passage we passed through a small, heavy door, were hurried up a narrow stone stairway, stood upon a narrow corridor, and we're in the women's quarters for lepers. We walked around looking into small rooms, dark and bare, seeing creatures with shawl-covered heads, moving about listlessly, something in the atti- tude of each expressing a misery that made us feel as if a cold wind swept over us.
 To the doctors inquiry. You really want to see these women?' we an- swered that we certainly did, and he passed from door to door calling the inmates by name until there were about fifteen women, representing dit- ferent stages of the disease, standing ten or twelve feet from us. Being told to remove their shawls, we had a full view of them. Some were old, with faces drawn and distorted, others had the disease developed in neck and arms, one had lost her sight, another's feet were so bad she could scarcely walk, still another had useless hands. They stood before us, human beings, without a ray of hope. nothing but growing disease and death, some demented, others realizing fully and stolidly ac- cepting the curse that rested upon them. In not one face was there an expression of hope or of interest in anything. Loathsome in the extreme to us. what must they be to themselves?
 A MOURNFUL AGGREGATION.
 To attract their attention the doctor told them that we were foreign physi- clans. that we were very sorry for them and that we would like to help them if we could. They looked up for mo- ment. a slight expression of curiosity in their faces and, as they did so, MT. Sampson took a snap view of them. think they had not the slightest idea what he was doing and We have tair photograph of a small group. The mems quarters differed from the wo- mems only in being a little more for lorn and it was pitiful sight they pre- sented. being on benches on the ground. their faces disfigured and their bodies most scantiIy covered. There were InlGly-SlA men anu lIlll lS -SCNCu NCAii~'A in the leper quarters. There is only one other retreat for lepers in Ecuador. Most of the inmates come from the lower class of people. Whenever the disease appears in a wealthy family the patient Is concealed until moved into the country, where he is left with care-takers, until mercifully the end comes The precautions taken for the prevention of the spread of the disease are entirely inadequate and there is enough leprosy in Ecuador to make 1t necessary for the general good that some more efficient means be adopted for it's prevention. The physician in charge has held his position thirteen years, is an intelligent man, and in terested in his work. He claims a number of persons have been dis charged, cured, from the hospital, being so declared by a board of physicians.
 If you ask me why there is no set tlement" for these unfortunates provid- ed by government, and more stringent