The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-04-01
MOB AT
PEST HOUSE.
Thirty Italians Demand the
Body Of Smallpox
Victim.
KEEPERS CALLED OUT IN DEFENCE
Snake Hill Priest Finally Sue
ceeds in Persuading Them
to Leave.

An infuriated mob of thirty Italians de-
manding the body of child who had died
of hemorhage, or black smallpox at
tempted to break into the Snake Hill pest
house at eleven o'clock yesterday morn
ing. A force of keepers from the insane
asylum had to be called upon to drive
them away from the institution in which
were thirteen smallpox patients.
The Italians, none of whom could speak
English, drove from this city to Snake
Hill in a number of junk wagons and
other vehicles. With them was the father
of the eighteen-months-o boy who had
been taken from No. 420 Second street to
the pest house on Wednesday last, and
who died at Snake Hill early yesterday
morning.
When Medical Superintendent DR..
George w. King made known to the
Italians that they would not be allowed
to remove the body of the little smallpox
victim and that it would be buried there,
they became much excited. They dog
gedly refused to leave the county grounds
and kept advancing in the direction of
the pest house, which is situated on the
hill short distance south of the old in
s. ne asylum, which is now used as a
home for aged paupers.
DR.. King, anticipating trouble, sum
moned the keepers from the insane
asylum. AT the sight of the uniformed
employees the mob, gesticulatng wildly,
stopped. They had already advanced a
considerable distance within the forbid
den grounds surrounding the pesthouse
ard they refused to disperse. The keep
11..,x - L., 20
distance where the Rev. Father Plus,
the Roman Catholic chaplain of the in
stitutions. talked with them in their ma
tive tongue and finally induced them to
return to their homes.
The body of the little smallpox victim
was then taken to the pauper burying
ground and inferred.
1t is nearly ten years since there have
been so many smallpox patients at Snake
Hill and the pesthouse is tested to it's
utmost capacity. OF the thirteen patients
now there two are suffering from the
mild form of the disease known as
descrete smallpox, while the other eleven
have what is known as the continent
vssrsstsTs This, while severe. is. not nearly
as dangerous as hemorrhagic smallpox,
which nearly always proves fatal. All
of the patients are convalescing and it is
believed they will recover
The death of the Coste child yesterday
morning, is the second death from small
pox that has occurred at the Snake Hill
pesfhepse in four years. The first oc-
curredsa little over a week ago and was
also from a hemorrhagic attack of the
disease. Since smallpox first appeared
here last fall over twenty cases have
been cared for at the pesthouse.
DR.. King stated this morning that it
had been learned that the recent small
pox epidemic in the Italian settlement in
this city had been traced to child, who,
while suffering fromtth disease, had been
brought from New York by its parents,
who were anxious to avoid being separ-
ated from their little one by the health
authorities there. The child recovered,
but five persons from that section of the
city are now patients at the Snake Hill
smallpox hospital.
As a precaution against the disease be-
ing carried into the County JAIL Sheriff
Ruempler has issued an order that no
visitors be allowed until all danger is
m q Of