The Atlanta constitution., 1900-08-27
NEGROES ON SEA ISLANDS
DYING BY THE HUNDREDS

Charleston. s. C., August 22.-(SpecialD
The unprecedented heat wave which has
been hanging over this immediate section
for the past ten days or more, has play
ed deadly havoc with the poor negroes
living on the sea islands along the coast.
From the best accounts received here it
appears that the negroes have been dying
from fever. which IS primarily caused
from the heat and allowed TO thrive be
cause the sick cannot get the medical at
teEtion required in such cases. During
the summer season the island negroes
live on almost anything they can get TO
eat and this puts their systems in fine
tim for disease.
Undertaken Livingston. of Charleston.
wEo takes care Of tho island negroes after
they are dead. said today that he was
hardly able TO stand the calls which had
been made on him for cheap collins. He
rrade the bald statement that the island
negroes are dying like sheep and that
when they become I'll OF the fever they
simply have TO walt their turn to Gle
The sea islands are densely populated
with negroes and in the low swamps
where malaria thrives, the negroes. who
are no more than paupers in time of sick
ness. are left to suffer the fierce heat
through the days and nights of the agon-
izirg fever. and the crisis is generally
passed with death.
In some of the sections the voodoo doc
tcrs have been making more victims Tor
the undcrtakers. These are the witch
people. and there are hundreds of them
on the islands, who believe that a little
magic is all-sufiicicnt to heal disease.
These alleged doctors are a great deal
worse than the Christian science freaks
and their work for negroes near Charles
tor. has brought tOrth deadly peril.
This summer there has been more fever
on the sea Stands than for some years
past and this disease has been sent thriv-
ing on by the hot and dry weather. PeO-
pie who have been around sick rooms
with fever patients can best imagine the
condition of the poor negroes in the hoy
els who have TO depend on voOdOoism for
relief ana who have 10 stay in a serious
way without proper attention and with
Out Ice. The island negroes have felt
the bitterness of II all, and they simply
lie down and die when the fever strikes
them. In some of the huts il has been
told here that "A whole family would be i'll
at time and that their only attention
would come from the neighbors who were
inclined to lend assistance.
The physicians in these island nelghbor-
hoods have done their best TO give relief
to the negroes and pretty much all of
this has been charity. Even with charity
physicians, how ever the sufferers have
not been cared for as their condition
might demand. and with weird shouting
and chanting about them they have laid
down to die, with nothing more than a
voodoo doctor to drive off the ills.
The class OF negroes now suffering from
the diseases brought on by the heat are
the ones who suffered most a few years
ago by the terrible storms which swept
up the coast. Families were drowned and
there was great agony for those who
escaped. Another trouble with which
these sick negroes have had TO deal IS
the pest of mosquitoes and sandfiies
which Will drive sane man mad. The
sting of these pests adds terror to the
negroes. but II helps to make the stiIfg
OF death more welcome. and the blacks
have doubtless found great relief IN
death.