Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1904-01-06
Does Winchester Deserve our Patronage?

On our editorial page we show
how the Winchester Star merits
the censure of Clarke county and
Berryville citizens.
We will now show how the Board
of Health of Winchester merits the
censure of every resident of the
county.
The Cake-walk was given by the
colored people for amusement of
the white audience. 1t was at the
suggestion of the white residents
and business men of Berryville.
1t was SO advertised.
There is no smallpox i'm Clarke
county. The ereuptive fever
which has been in the county is
not confined to the colored people.
but has probably affected more
whites than cOlored. 1t is not in
any sense malignant, or dangerous.
In the face of all these facts.
which are, or should be, we'll
known to such an august body as
the official Board of Health of Win
chester, please read the following
from the Winchester Star of Tues
day, December 20:
/
"Collored devotees of the cake
walk who wish to participate in
the festivities that will be held in
Winston Hall, Berryville. tonight.
may do so, but all who wish to at
tend from this city and the sur
rounding county are subject To n
restricting proviso that will evil
IDENTIFY reduce the attendance to a
minimum, and consequently no
cake walk honors will be attained
by the cOlored population of Win
chester. All who wish To visit
Berryville may do so and there
will be no restrictions placed upon
their movements, but those who
are SO enamOred with the evolu-
tons of this kind of festivity must
take with them their dress suit
cases and be prepared to spend at
least portion of the winter with
friends in Clarke county. That
those who attend the function i'm
the neighboring city must prolong
their visit there has been made inn
perative by the action of the Baord
of Health of this city, learning that
there was TO be a large gathering
of the colored people from Clarke
and neighboring counties in Berry
vile this evening, met last night
and To prevent the possible spread
of contagion issued an order that
all who attend the cake walk be
compelled To remain in Berryville.
In order 10 fully carry out this or
der men will be stationed upon
every road leading from this city
to the scene of the gathering. and
these guards will be instructed not
to offer any hindranee to all who
wish to go to Berryville. The
force of the ruling will be felt when
these same parties attempt To re-
turn to their homes after partici-
pating in the festivities, at which
time they will be halted by the
guards and compelled to return to
Berryville. This semi-quarantine
put in operation by the Board of
Health of this city was deemed
necessary 10y that body as soon as
they learned of the large gathering
of colored people, which will be
held at Winston Hall tonight. The
prevalence of smallpox or kin
dred eruptive disease in Clarke
county and which is confined al
most entirely to the colored pop
rulation, is the reason that the Board
of Health deemed it necessary to
take precautionary measures in or
der to prevent the spread of con-
tagion. a strick guard vii be kept
upon all the roads leading from
this city, and a strict quarantine
will be observed"
Here is another instance.
In regard to the meeting of the
Medical Society of Clarke and
Frederick Counties, to be held in
Winchester today, and after stat
ing that DIR. John 5. Fulton, of
Baltimore, would be the leader on
the programme, and that the sub
ject under discussion would be
smallpox, the Star says, in its
issue of Monday;
AS smallpox has recently ex-
listed in this county, and, it is re-
ported, in Clarke county as well,
DIR. Fulton lecture will be timely,
and as he is regarded as an author
i - On kl,o ls~oO.o L.. I -. N