The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-29

ASSISTANCE ARRIVED ALSO IN PER-
son OF A BURLY DOCTOR.
Story of the Difficulties Met with by
Scientists i'm Dealing with Con-
tagiOus Diseases.

officer, lighting his cigar and settling back
in his chair. They willing to admit
that we have some smallpox in the State,
and that we have had it for several years.
he continued. IF you'd like to hear a good
story I'll tell you one that's really thrilling.
"A few years ago l was summoned to an
Indiana town to diagnose disease that
the doctors did not seem inclined to admit
was smallpox. 1 got into the town one
morning and spent hour or two getting
four or five doctors together. They led the
way to a house in the outskirts of the town,
where they said the mysterious malady pre-
vailed. The instant the outer door was
opened and we were ushered into the hall
1 smelled the disease 1t was strong enough
for me to form my opinion right then, with
out going any farther.
Gentlemen l said, there need not be
any further controversy about the charac-
ter of the sickness in this house-it's plain
smallpox One of the doctors shrugged
his shoulders and looked at me as if to say
1 was making a rather hasty diagnosis and
that l didn't know what | was talking
about III make the further prediction
said, that there are not less than two cases
of smallpox in that room L can't be mis-
taken, for l can smell the disease / knew
L was taking a good long chance this,
but the odor was loud, and L believed 1
wouldn't miss it. We went in and found
four cases, instead of two. 1 walked over
to an elderly woman lying on a couch and
observed the character of the markings,
which were very plain. It's certainly
smallpox l said, and the old lady starting
exclaimed to one of the physicians: Didn't
l tell you, doctor, ii was smallpox? l
knowed it wasn't chicken pox, as you said
| ii was.
THEY WERE NOT PLEASED.
81 could see that the physicians with me
were not pleased and that they were not
prepared to take my word for it. Before 1
| left the house L had been rudely deserted
| by two of the doctors and before / had
| gone far, after leaving the house. 1 found
myself alone. 1 thought this rather scant
courtesy for fellow-men to give but it
| wasn't marker to the frost 1 had later.
| In these small towns news travels rapidly,
and it wasn't many minutes after L had
visited that house until the story was going
around the village of how a medical Off,
was telling it about that the town had
smallpox On the way to the hotel met
an excited man who stopped me with the
| exclamation, "Say-l0Ok here, are you the
| town?' Il say that's certainly what you've
got l quietly remarked, and he almost
1 II. a T.,
he shouted, and got very red in the face
| and Indicated that he was prepared to back
| up his statement with his fist. You'll ruin
| business in this town by that kind of talk
| he continued in a loud tone, and we're not
| going to stand it, Wen run you out of
| town If you amt careful. L saw that with
| this man discretion was the better part of
| valor my part and without making
| further reply l passed He came on
behind me and presently shouted out again
| that L was a liar and that L had better
| cease talking about smallpox the people
would deal with me. l smiled as sweetly as
| / could and sought to reason with him, but
| in towering rage.
| within an hour or two / turned up at
the hotel very tired from walking about
| and very Disguised with the conduct of
those who should have upheld me in my
opinion. L had called up the Governor of
the State in the meantime and had told him
the true state of affairs. He agreed with
| me on the proposition that the town should
! be quarantined and a half hour later there
was. an order in the office of the superin-
| tendent of the only railroad that ran
| through the town to allow no more trains
| to stop there.
MOBBED AT HIS HOTEL.
by the time 1 reached the hotel, washed
| myself and sat down to read the morning
| paper, train had come through the village
| without stopping. On my way to the hotel
| 1 had noticed that the people were gather
ing on the corners in little groups and that
| they weren't looking kindly towards me. 1
saw that / was being discussed and in no
| favorable manner. 1 hadn't been in the
hotel long until l noticed that a crowd
seemed to be gathering about the outside.
| Faces that had no welcome in them were
pressed against the windows. l didn't like
the way things were going and became
particularly nervous when crowd of angry
looking men came into the office and stood
about the stove and gave me some black
L Il "a d an
was trying to put up big game of bluff,
but want to tell you my pulse was quick
ening and felt would give a good deal to
be away from there. In all that crowd
| there did not seem to be a friendly face.
Not one of the doctors who had gone out
with me that morning did / see
| Finally man stepped up to me from
| the crowd and in an angry voice wanted to
know If / intended TO put the town in quar-
could and told him / did. And they say
you've ordered the trains not to stop here.
he added in voice that fairly trembled
with wit ar rage; Yes sir. have; replied
my chair and faced him. Now look here,
1 said, you people have got smallpox in this
town and you might as well make up your
mind to that fact You've got it bad, too
and the best thing you can do is to be
reasonable about it. The sooner you under
stand that the better it is for you L al
| most went into a state of collapse after
that bold speech, for L felt that things had
| reached very critical point was scared
1 ana DaQly scared, anu Il III not dSndIneQ u
admit il. OF course | knew they would not
take my life, but / thought they would
| probably mob me and run me out of town
| The temper of the crowd was in condition
for almost anything desperate and l fully
realized the peril of my position.
A CHAMPION ARRIVED.
Suddenly there came the sound of dis
turbance in the street and moment later g
big, burly man came pushing his way into
| the hotel office and pressed through the
crowd that was gradually gathering around
: me. Instantly 1 recognized him as one OF
the doctors who had been with me thai
: morning. Thrusting two or three men wht
: were particularly close to me out of hi:
way, he put out his hand. Doctor sale
, he, Il want to shake hands with you.
want TO say that I'm id fool and wan
: you to call me one. I'm fool not to have
) | known that was smallpox, and quite agre'
: with YOU in the action you've taken herr
| to-day and these people will be. too, befor'
{ | the days over.
well" continued the health officer, tax
| ing a fresh light and spinning the mattel
| across the room with a left twist of hi
| finger and thumb, that put a differen
Z | light on things. 1t also had the effect o
| giving me a normal pulse. Gradually tn
. crowd disappeared and / was left alon
: with the doctor. But there's another thrill
, ing chapter to the story. That night whel
7 / went to bed found desolate room OF