Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-06-25
DISEASE RIDDEN.
Leperous Chinaman From the South
ern Cuontry Here in This City,
WHAT TO DO WITH HIM?

There is a furniture car, No. 7479, in
the lower yards that is being Stunned
today. II is sidetracked and alone, but
il contains an occupant-a leperous
Chinaman. The car was part of an
equipment that came from the south
on freight train, arriving here about
Z o'clock last night. Soon thereafter
groans and means were heard to come
from this particular car, supposed to
be empty, and an examination
revealed a man inside. He was no.
tleed TO be in a weak, enfeeblod condi
tion, and Agent Myers was notified.
Officer Cooper was also appealed to,
and he, on taking a peep at the indi-
vidual, concluded to consult a physi-
clan. DR.. Pearce, on behalf of the city
board OF health, was summoned, and
after he looked at the subject, eXamin-
ing the poor devils drawn-up hands,
he pronounced the man leperous Chi
naman. The doctor says the case is in
its first stage, but it is nevertheless a
pure, genuine cases of leprosy The
left foot is in a horrible condition,
while both hands are drawn, the flesh
hard and the fingers look as if they
had been through threshing machine,
and the flesh ready to drop off. The
doctor talked with the heather and got
from him a few English words, to the
effect that ne got into Deming from
somewhere (no doubt smuggled across
the Mexican border). put into a car,
thence sent to Ell Paso, and from there
sent up the road, reaching here last
night.
The Chinese interpreter of the local
United States marshal's Office, with
Deputies McKeehan and Leatherman,
visited the car after DR.. PearCe and
Officer Cooper had retired, and they
elected from the leper substantially
the same obtained by DR. Pearce. He
said that his name was Wah Tu, and
that he had been shipped out of the
southern country with the int ontion
of sending him as far north as posi-
BILE. Deputy Leatherman says that
Chinese Inspector Meehan, from FL
Paso. wrote them to be on the lookout
for a leperous Chinaman who was
known to be either at Fl Paso or
JuareZ, Mexico, and who had escaped.
The letter was received at the United
States marshals Office yesterday morn
| ing, and the leper. in the furniture car.
/ got here last night
prove an interesting tangled subject
| tor adjudication. Agent Myers don't
care to receive such freight, and siren
uously objects to any of the employees
of the company handling the subject.
/ If forced, even gratuitously, to keep the
car and its poisonous occupant in the
/ yards. He has wired to headquarters
| for instructions.
| City Marshal McMillin will not re-
ceive Wah Tu as a city patient, aud
/ thinks, if Wah is over in this country
unlawfully, that the boys of the United
/ States marshals office should prompt
/ ly look after the man
! w. b. Childers, United States attor
ney for New Mexico, has been notified,
and this afternoon he was reading up
some law points in regard TO the case
/ The fact VIII probably develop, after
an examination of his clothing is made
and Chinese Inspector Meehan reaches
/ the city, that Wah Tu will have to be
/ handled Tor deportation by United
/ States authorities.
There is a rumor in circulation that
| several Cinnamon are agitating the
question of ending ,le life OF the lep-
er, and if the car is not watched they
may carry out their threats 1t is a
custom, so says one Chinaman, TO kill
lepers in China and on the far-off east
islands, and why not here?
The leperous Chinaman here calls
to mind that Father Daman died on
/ the Island of Molaki, 100 miles from
Honolulu, while working among the
lepers of that island. He contracted
the horrible disease, and, after a slow,
lingering, painless attack of the
plague. he finally yielded up his life
to the cause.