The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-29

before, and 2400 famine ifferers had
Gied within a few days. and had been
buried in shallow ground. Decomposition
speedily set in and saturated the ground
with death dealing malodOr. Then the
bodies were disinterred ana burned. There
were no disinfectants, hence the awful
sickening, disease spreading, sufocating
stencil.
AT the outbreak Of the cholera the
camp stampeded and 5000 infected, half
starved people spread contagion for miles
around. At the hospital l vas appalled,
at the shocking condition OF affairs with
which at that moment / came face to face
and that | ever got out alive is one oil
thu greatest of the many incontrovertible
evidences of Gods kind protecting care
which my life has experienced.
I'VE found $50 miserable beings in the
worst stages of emaciation. In sixteen
days 374 had been admitted, and oil these
all but twenty had died. Others had been
received since then and now men. women
and children. some OF them absolutely
nude and all of them miser- bly, clad, were
living around suffering from. relapsing fe-
yer. cholera and dysentery, wallowing in
the mire. Millions of flies were permitted
undisturbed to poster the unhappy vie
tins. One young woman who had lost
everyone dear TO her, and had turned
stark mad sat at the door vacantly star
ing at the awful scenes around her. In
the entire hospital l did not see single
decent garment. Rags, nothing but rags
and dirt 4 native hospital attendant was
standing at the cot of a dying man. The
death rattle had already set in, but the
vitality of the patient held out little be-
yond the expected time, and the attend
ant seemed provoked at the delay and gave
us impatientIy to understand that the man
should have been dead long ago. While
we stood there, almost crushed with In
expressible sadness, cooked rice was be-
ing served. servant told me that it was
the only meal for the day. There were
no pots or dishes in which to serve the
portions. and the patients held out filthy
rags to receive what was given them. One
sufferer lying on cot, overcome with fee
bleness. had fallen asleep and the attend
ant threw his portion on the bed. mo-
ment after the sleeper changing his po-
stion, laid himself into the porridge. We
Indignantly protested, but without avail.
Although scarcely enough to constitute
half an ordinary neal was served most, if
not ALL ate sparingly ard then wrapped
up the remnant carefully either because
their dellbitated condition made food dan
gerous except in minute quantities, or per-
haps experience had taught them that I'M
less some provision was made to satisfy
the cravings of hunger in tie mean time
thew might be famished before the next
meal was served. Hard as it may seem, |
am not doing violence to the truth when
say that the people | met at Dohad were
reduced to the level of cowed and starving
dogs, who we're happy to get the crumbs
that fell from the table of Christendom,
daring not to grumble or complain at their
scantiness. So incredible to the Western
eye was the stage of emaeiation to which
these unfortunates were reduced that !
had half a dozen or so OF those strong
enough to stand on their feet rise, In or
der that I might carry away with me a
photograph illustrating their condition"