The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-22
CASE OF SMALLPOX.
City Physician Storrs Tried Hard to
Keep Facts From Public.

City Physician Storrs has succeeded
in secreting another patient in the pest
house without anybody knowing it.
The mans name is Albert Anderson,
an employee at Marbles livery barn in
North Topeka, who was taken to Ne
hospital Monday night, with what Is
said to be smallpox.
DR.. Storrs did not know of the exist :
ence of the case until three days after
the man was sick and broken out Then
he made frantic effort to quarantine
all the people who were rooming on
the second floor OF the Citizens bank
building, at Kansas avenue and Norris
streets, but he was too late. Every last
one of them had fled when they heard
what was coming, and so far as known.
the city physician failed to get any or
them in quarantine.
Today there is nothing on the second
floor of the building but a lot of vacant
rooms, a good deal of dirt, a strong
smell of formaldehyde and a big red
smallpox card on the floor at the west
end of the hall.
DR.. Storrs prides himself on the fact
that he can keep the public from know
ing anything about the spread OF con-
tagious diseases in Topeka. Every scrap
of information regarding smallpox is
has blocked every avenue he could BY
which news of his policy might get to
the public through the newspapers
Mayor Bergundtha1 seems to sustain
him in this new and original method of
running
Mayor Bergundthal does a lot of queer
things.
Albert Anderson, which is the name
of the man now in the pest house, has
home was Menoken, but he came down
here and has worked at the Marble
livery barn most of the time The Mar
pie barn is on Norris street, just west
of Kansas avenue.
Anderson rented a room on the sec
ond floor of the Citizens bank. The
second floor of this building is divided
into about Is rooms, with long hall
connecting them. Anderson had the
west room. Most of the other rooms
were occupied by young men, of about
Anderson'S age. 1t is said that when
the roomers became aware that Ander-
son was sick, they did not at first real
ize what was the matter with him.
When it was discovered that he had
smallpox, they kept quiet about 1T, for
fear the health department would
quarantine the whole building.
Just west of the building lives Mrs.
Battles, the mother of Ohio Battles,
the postoffice man who was hurt not
long ago. On Sunday, some of the
Battles family saw Anderson through
a window, and discovered that he was
broken out with some eruptive disease.
They suspected that it was smallpox,
and the next day, Mrs. Battles her
self called at the office of the health
department and notified the officials.
This led to an investigation and the
discovery that Anderson was sick.
Anderson was taken from his room
and conveyed to the pest house at the
dead of night following the disclosure.
This was done to avoid having people
around to watch the performance. He
was loaded into the pest house ambu-
lance, and given a midnight ride of
Y miles to the hospital south of
town.
An officer was detailed to go to the
building and put all the other roomers
under quarantine. When he went to
execute this order, they had all left,
and had taken their furniture with
them. The rooms were as bare and
deserted as a haunted garnet. So there
was nothing to do but fumigate the
rooms which Anderson had occupied,
and trust the rest to luck.
Something seems to have happened
to the supply of furniture at the pest
house. 1t was fully furnished once,
but in order to accommodate 4Ander-
son, a new bed had to be purchased.
The bed was taken out to the pest
house by one of the sanitary officers,
who refused TO give any information
about the matter, but referred all in
quirieS to City Physician Storrs.