Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-02-20
THE LEPER COLONY.
STORY OF A VISIT TO THE HAWAIIAN
lEPERS

The Colony on the Island Of Moiokai
Some Of the White Victims Kanalf
Servants Responsible For the sprea
of the Disease.
while we were In Honolulu" sal
one Of the young men who went to Ha
wall as an attache Of the Hawaiial
commission, "there was'a lot Of excite
ment among the white population 0
the city over the discovery that tw'
well-known white citizens Of Honolulu
were lepers. They were both sent tt
the leper island Of Molokal. One o.
these unfortunate men was : wealthy
German merchant who had passed tn
greater part of bis life on the islands
having left Germany for Honolulu In
his early youth. He was about seven.
ty years Of age. For some months be-
fore It was discovered that he was q
victim Of leprosy he had been COM
planning Of violent pains In his head
and numbness in his members. His
family physician was puzzled over the
case, and finally called into consulta-
ton a physician who had spent per-
iod Of study among the lepers at the
Molokai colony. The old gentleman
became violently insane when he was
informed that he was a leper and
would be compelled to 60 to Molokai.
1t was necessary to place him in a
straight Jacket, and, thus secured, ne
was carried aboard the leper steamer
Kilauea Hou, together with over doz-
en- Kanaka and Japanese lepers, and
transported to the leper island. Within
a week after the announcement that
her husband was leper the unfortun-
ate old gentleman's aged wife died OF
grief.
1.-THE other white victim Of the dis
ease was the signal telegrapher sta
toned on Diamond Head to report the
arrival Of steamers to the people OF
Honolulu. He was a comparatively
young man, still under forty, and was
known as a frst-rate fellow by most
of the white people Of Hawaii. He
took the announcement that he had
the disease quietly saying that he had
suspected for some time that he was a
victim, and had contemplated so In
forming the Board Of Health. His
nerve under the circumstances was
really admirable
"As soon as the discovery Of these
two cases was made the Kanaka serv-
ants In the household in which the two
men lived were subjected to careful
examination. The telegrapher had
lived alone In a small house out at
Diamond Head, with Kanaka youth
Is his only servant and attendant.
The youth was found to be in the sec
,ndary stage Of leprosy, and was sent
% Molokai along with his master.
rhe establishment Of the old merchant
vas very large one out near Waikiki,
me Of Honolulu's suburbs, and was
AIRED for by over a dozen Kanaka
One Of these, an old wash
.rwoman, was discovered to be Z lep-
n, and she, too, was sent to the leper
olony.
1.-THE alarm Of the white population ,
I Honolulu, all Of whom employ Kan
ka servants, over these discoveries
Jay be pictured. The Board Of Health
as swamped with applications for the
immediate examination Of household
ervants and was utterly unable to
ope with the task At the outset. The
'ork, l understand, Is still going on.
the discovery played ex-
pllently into the hands OF the Japan
re and Chinese, who were sought as
'rvants all over the islands. 1t 10 ex- !
'edinEly rare that leper Is discov- q
ed among the japanese or the Chin I
e living In Honolulu, although cases I
e frequent among the two races on u
10 other islands, especially on Maui. q
e great sugar island. In the course a
the examination Of household serv- n
It's a number Of cases Of inciplent 4
prosy were found and the victims 4,
lcked Of to the leper colony. The
'ople employing these .lepers were
emselves rigidly examined by physf-
ans able to detect the very slightest L
licences Of the disease. but none Of X
EN- was found to be Affected X
There are now, understand, eight "
IN Of American birth at the leper oil
lony on Molokai, all OF them. with pr
: exception Of the two recently sent, ca
lors who deserted their ships at one fir
other Of the island ports and con- Ia
Icted the disease either By mingling pI
MARRYING snons the Ksnakas. !