The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-05-23
ANGUISH At
SEPARATION
lepers Leave Yester-
day for MoIokai.
A HEARTREND|NG SCENE
None Who Saw Last FareweIIs If
UnfOrtunates and Friends
Will Forget Them.

n small crowd Of lepers babe their Las,
a'ohas 10 a multitude of friends o,a
,ela''VeS on the little quarantine land.
ing near the boat houses yesterday af,
ernoon. '''
Out IN the stream. between the lirht
mousse and the Pacific Mail wharf tbo
steamer Lehua lay with steam mn
awaiting her cargo of unfortunate bu.
man beings, to take them away IN tho
settlement on Molokai.
Boat houses in the neighborhood Of
the platform from which the lano-a
embarked In boats for the steamer
were crowded with those who were In
terested In the departure or the affIirt-
ed ones. Several hundred people chief
~ natives, were on hand to see the
lepers of to the land from which thew
never will return.
To the relatives and friends of the
lepers as well as to the lepers them
serves, II was a final parting, a last
goodbye, n separation forever as far
as the affairs of this world are con-
eerned, save for a possible meeting
twice year under annoying restraints
\ The lepers knew well that they were
parting from those they loved. and
were never probably to meet again; .
their friends realized the sal fact also.
anu che sood-byes were IN u.,ny cases
pathetic alrlC ST beyond the understand
ing OF those who have never been in the
| dc plorablG ICsition of these Door reo-
| pie.
Aniict1l With A.. incurdble disease.
Trey are taken away from nome and
\ IllendS and iOved ones, to be ser apart
from the rcst Ct the world bra idcl as
Hneleal, ard to remain for the re-
mainder of u cir lives in seolrltene s.
and sec. ia ,oI except for the company
OF others stricken with tn same living
Death rs themselves.
/ About .5.ty of the lepers collected
from all ever the Islands Gr.iIs the
last seven or eight months, ana h re-
,OfOre held at the Kalihi receiving sta
| ton. LETT Honolulu behind on the 1T
tie island steamer Lehua, boun,i for
Jhe City OF the Dead" in the shadow
Of the frowning cliffs of MolokaI's sea
grit shore.
Spectators turned away their heads,
brushing away the sympathetic tear,
as those who were losing their de-
parting friends embraced and kissed
lhcm with fervor unrestrained, with
never q thought of the disease with
which the ones they held so dear were
afflicted.
AS each leper stepped or was as
sisted into the boat which carried
them to the steamer, concerted wall
OF anguish arose from the assembled
crowd, wall of woe such as is only
wrung from the human heart when
hope has forever fed, touching, ago.
niAng scream that burst forth in the
mingled strength of helplessness and
despair and died away in a cry so
mournful and sad that all who heard 1t
will carry in their hearts always the
remembrance of that awful bitterness.
One old leper was so far affected by
the disease that he had to be put aboard
the Lehua before the vessel lett the
Wilder wharf. AS several natives car
ried him, carefully wrapped up, aboard
the steamer, one OF them remarked:
lie will be dead in two or three days.
Three SlSJeTs Oh merry NenS "'OnS
with the lepers to Molokal; they Will
return after accomplishing the mission
on which they go.
When the Board of Health visits MO
lokai. 1t generally takes along with IL
on the specially chartered steamer as
many friends of the lepers as Wish 70
go and can be accommodated Tree vi
charge. The Board visits the SeItle-
L oh Va r,
fbouph of late the visits have not been
very regular. 900.
The Lehua. Captain Bennett, got
avav about 6 o'clock last evening. Sew
era1 lepers still remain at the recelV-
- ..a.tor. thev are mostly children