The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-19
RESIDENTS OF CLAY CITY INDIG-
NANT OVER DIR. HURTY's REPORT.
Details of Some of the Cases-A1 of
the Persons Attacked RecOvering,
and None Causing Alarm.

about them. First it is stated that the
disease appeared only a few days ago
in a small mining town of six or seven
hundred Inhabitants. Now, 1 do not be-
lieve in suppressing any real facts re-
garding this epidemic, and the people of
Clay City are not only willing, but anxious
that the true facts be made public What
We do object to is such sensational. false
and seemingly malicious articles, as the
Journal published Jan. 16 Therefore, we
wish the commonwealth of Indiana to
be apprised of the real facts and ask the
Journal to give public place to this
article as was given the damaging false
hood in the issue of Jan. 16.
The facts are as follows, and every state
ment can be supported with unimpeachable
affidavits: Clay City is thriving little city
of from two thousand to twenty-five hun
dred inhabitants, and the disease which
exists here has been in epidemic form
since October. Herbert Wiltse, boy some
ten or twelve years old and son of W.
c. Wiltse, an attorney, attended street
fair in Washington, Daviess county, and
was attacked with an eruptive disease
soon after his return. DR.. c. H Wolfe was
called. and, after a careful examination,
pronounced the case chicken-pox in light
form. This is the first recorded case. Some
are reported weeks before where no doctor
was called. The disease spread rapidly,
both among young and old, some having
considerable fever and chill, while others
experienced no inconvenience whatever.
Pardon me for referring to my own fam
lily, but in it 1 show the working of
the disease. On Dec. II, 1899, my daughter,
Ruth, aged twelve years, was attacked
with headache, chilly sensations and some
aching of the body. On Dec. 16 she was
completely broken out, and as soon as the
eruption appeared the fever abated and
| never returned, and she felt no more in
convenience. except from the itching sensa-
tions.
On Dec. %. Emma Hayman, a domestic in
my family, was taken very much in the
same manner, and the history of one case
very closely fits the other. On JAN 1,
1900, our babe, then nine days old, broke
| out thickly with the disease, but if she
was ever sick or had any fever from it
we failed to detect it, and as far as we
could judge she experienced no incon-
! venlence until the scaling off, when she
was fretful until we would anoint her body,
showing plainly that itching was the only
trouble. When the babe was only eight
days old my wife was attacked with chill
| ana FEVER or extremely short duration,
then the eruption. OF these four cases.
| three had had chicken-pox and my wife
mad been successfully vaccinated. This is
the history of 80 per cent. of the cases
vaccination does not affect it and the fact
| figure.
In the Journal of the 18th it was said
the local Board of Health became alarmed
ana telegraphed DR.. Hurry" 1 personally
II "a I'd nj
who Is the secretary, stated positively that
rotary at all.
The local physicians have not been. and
are not now, in the least alarmed. 1t was
also stated that many of the cases have
/ assumed the continent form, which proves
beyond doubt the identity Of the disease"
| In fact, there has not been solitary case
| OF the continent form, and we defy Dr.
| Hurty TO show to any intelligent physi-
clan who has had any experience what
| some or the cases have been very thickly
broken out, but the pustules have not In a
| single instance united their contents, or
| In other words, there has been no confiu.
| ence or the eruptions. There has not been
| a case where the least concern has been
| felt as to the prognoss.
1t was also stated that when the citizens
| became aware that 1t had been diagnosed
| smallpox they became frantic and began
packing their effects preparatory to leav-
ing the town, but they were too late. as
i
erroneous in each and every particular
/ think am safe in saying that 80 per
| cent. of the inhabitants ridicule the idea
OF smallpox and boot at DR.. Hurry as an
| 'alarmist and fake" If there has been a
| solitary case of fright it has failed to come
to light. Some indeed declare they will not
stay at home. Others believe the infected
| houses should be Quarantined but in no
case has any fear been displayed The
statement of quarantine Is also untrue,
as none exists and none has been ordered.
on the day of the issue in question a pub
lie election was held in Clay City for the
| purpose OF voting on the appropriation to
the c., B. & T. II. Railroad. If a strict
| quarantine existed think you a public cleo
| ton could be INDUCED in?
| You state that all mails are disinfected
| That is also false, as postmaster c. c..
| Fesler had heard nothing of 1t until the
evening Of Jan. II, when I asked him re-
garding 1t. DR.. Hurry did not even advise
| the quarantining the members of families
| where the contagion exists, but said to Dr.
| H. G. Wolfe to let them go about their
work unless they themselves were at
| tackled.
DR.. ]. n. Hurry came here, visited few
| cases and pronounced 1t not smallpox,
| but modified smallpox. DR.. Wolfe asked
| what he meant by modified smallpox, and
| what do you think his answer was? 1t was
this, Il don't know" DR.. Wolfe said, "Our
| people have not been vaccinated to any
extent. and therefore vaccination has not
modified the disease. and that is the only
| modifier / know of for smallpox" All the
| worthy official DIR. Hurry would say was
| 1t was modified smallpox, and when the
| local physician asked regarding the ac-
| Cepted medical authorities he said. Gun
| fortunately that is their mistake, and they
| will have to take that out of their books"
| In his estimation DR.. ]. n. Hurry is the
| only authority. Now, when Hurry comes
out TO teach the local boards, why does
| he not give a reason? Why does he not
| treat the local physicians with some re-
| spect? At the depot he stated that DR..
| Wolfe and DR.. M. A. Freed had never seen
| smallpox, when IL is a patent fact that four
| OF DR.. Wolfes cases, treated some years
| ago, were discussed with him by DR.. Wolfe.
| He also said DIR. MODESTO and DR.. Freed
admitted their mistaken diagnosis and were
| now Convinced that it was smallpox.
| Neither made any such admission and DIR.
| Freed said 10 me last night in an inter-
| view 81 think yet, just at first. that
| Ii is chicken-pox." Have the people Of Clay
county any right to doubt DR.. j. n. Hurry
| as authority? The people of Clay county
| have no confidence in his diagnosis of dis
ease, but We are willing and anxious that
| each infected house be strictly quarantined
| and member be allowed to leave the
| premises until bill of health is granted
by the Board of Health.
| We also do not want our local ply
| sicians TO follow the example set by DIR.
]. n. Hurry. He visited cases of the dis
ease, ana. with only washing his hands
in some disinfectant, went to the school
building, then filled with children, also to
the Free Methodist Church. also in ses-
sion, in the same clothing and not disin-
fected, also 10 the hotel and thence 10
other towns We want our physicians to
use every precaution. We also wish to say
10 the Journal, do not publish such articles