The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-01-24
Is BECOMING SERIOUS
State Health Officer Leaves and
Threatens to Quarantine.
County Judge Lightfoot Says He Is
Not Interfering With the
Health Board.
THE STATE BOARD TO SETTLE

OF the county, il the state board of
health decides to establish a quaran-
tine against McCracken county.
DR.. Arthur McCoi mack OF Bowling
Green. state health officer, came down
Yesterday, as told in yesterdays pa
per, and after making an examination
OF the dise-se in theRa2lsnd and Lone
Oak sections of the county claim ed by
the county health authorities to be
smallpox decided that the conditions
demanded rore csutio1 than had been
exercised heretofore, and in the after
noon be and DIR. Boyd called on Coun-
ty Jrdse Lightfoot at the court horse.
They claim that they corld set no
satisfaction out of h i'm, while Judge
Lightfoot claims that he has nothing
to do with the boards carrying out
what it deems necessary, and cannot
possibly interfere with the board of
health, and consequently has nothing
TO do with it.
II seems that there is getting to be
great deal OF feeling in the matter.
Judge Lightfoot is not yet convinced
that the disease is smallpox. while the
state health officer declares positively
that it is smallpox. and that there is
serious danger Of an epidemic in the
localities where it has appeared. DIR.
Mccormack demands that the civil
authorities cooperate with the county
health board in stamping out the di-
sense, and lodge Lishtioot declares
that the law prescribes penalties for
persons with smallpox, or who associ-
ate with persons having smallpox ex-
posing themselves, end that IL the law
is violated the health authorities can
prosecute in any court they see 1T to
secure a warrant in. He declares that
these warrants do not have to be in
his court, but that even II il is desired
to bring charges in his court for refus-
ing to be vaccinated he is willing to
,acate the bench aud allow some other
Judge to hear the cases.
The health authorities, on the other
hand, claim that their work has been
and is hampored by the position taken
by some Of the civil authorities, VINO,
by declaring that people do not have
TO be vaccinated and that a disease
pronounced smallpox by the health
authorities is not smallpox, encourage
these people to refuse to be vacoinated
when vaccination would possibly be
beneficial to them and others, and to
ignore quarantine regulations and
the orders Of the health board on the
presumption that there is no use in 1t,
the civil authorities inducing them to
think it is not smallpox.
Thus the matter stands. Health
Officer Mccormack stated before he
left last night for home that there
would be a meeting of the state board
OF health tonight or tomorrow, and
ttst II tire comfy did not agree in the
meantime TO cooperate in protecting
the people from the danger of an cpl
demic TIE state board would establish
a arare1tipe against McCfacken coun-
ty which would practically shut as oil
from the outside world, except via IL
l'nois. He estimated that the coss to
the city woc'd be $500, 900. When he
lef, fof home he was not In a very
pleasant frame OF mi-d, and II the
state bosrd ces'res it can do Paducah
= great deal of harm.
At last nights council meeting the
matter was freely discussed aud Gen.
efal Agent ]. T. Donovan of the llli-
nois Central was on hard aud address
ed the council, stating that he had
been advised to get all perishable
freight out of the yards here, as a
qpprantine was likely tn be declared
within forty-eigbt hours.
This is where the matter now
stands. There is a great deal OF inter-
est baiug taken in the matter espe-
cislly amocg the business men, and
the result hinges ON what the state
board does at its meeting at Louis
VILE. That If persons violate
the law and charges are prefer
red he is willing to Issue warrants
AGAINST them and see that they get
iustic, U ider the laws. That no war
"a MA II L