The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-01-19
CUSTER COUNTY HAS ouARAN.
TINED AGAINST ROSEBUD.
MANY CASES OF SMALLPOX
Forsyth Badly Affected with Disease
and No One in Authority to
Combat 1t.

! Custer county has quarantined
againts Forsyth and all parts of Rose
bud county and formal notice to that
4 effect has been given in proclama-
tion issued by the board of commits
sioners of the first named county.
| The order was promulgated in obe-
dience to the promptings Of natures
first law-self preservation and was
only made after a thorough investi.
cation Of the situation in Forsyth BY
the health officer Of Custer county.
In Miles City several cases of small
pox have made their appearance and
the usually vigorous methods of the
! city and county governments were at
once put into operation to prevent a
| spread OF the disease. The public
1 schools have been closed and services
in the different churches have been
suspended for the present, in addition
to which at least one hotel and some
tined, while number of persons who
are known to have been exposed have
been isolated.
The commanding officer at Fort
Keogh has caused all the soldiers at
the post to be vaccinated and has
issued orders that none Of the men
shall visit Miles City until the dis
ease there shall have disappeared.
As to Forsyth.
Forsyth and Rosebud county were
quarantined against by their eastern
neighbor because of the alleged de.
moralized condition obtaining there.
Doctor Bruning, health officer of Gus
for himself whether the situation
there was really as bad as had been
reported at Miles City. He found
nine cases, some varioloid, with prac-
tically no systematic attempts to keep
the disease in check. Rosebud coun-
ty has no health officer and no health
board, and as Forsyth has no form OF
government no one has authority to
take action in a legal manner to quar-
antine the affected ones or to enforce
the customary precautionary orders
to conserve the health of the com
munity. The only person who has
done anything is the sheriff; he has
issued orders to parents to keep their
children off the streets, and the
churches have closed, as also the
schools. Some of the teachers, who
are believed to have been exposed,
wanted to go to Miles City, but they
were prevented from doing SO. Other
persons, however, went there and now
the Milesians think they introduced
the disease among them.
Doctor Reber, who is the Rosebud
county physician, has done what he
could to prevent the malady from
spreading, but as he is not vested
with the necessary authority to en-.
force his orders he is practically
helpless and dependent upon the vol
unteer cooperation of the citizens.
All Communication Suspended.
The Custer county commissioners
have notified the railroad company
that until further orders no person
from Forsyth or Rosebud county and
be permitted to enter their county and
all intercourse between the two has
been stopped. AS yet no shotgun"
quarantine has been instituted by the
people of Miles City, but they are
very much in earnest and blame the
Rosebud authorities for their laxness
in causing other communities to be-
come exposed to danger.
Incidentally the Custer commission
ers have taken action III the matter
of erecting a pesthouse, something
their county as yet does not possess.
Nothing definite has been done in the
matter, as the county health officer
will first comm :icare with the state
board of health to ascertain IT that
body can furnish a general plan Tor
an accepted form of hospital.
If you are suffering from aches.
pains and chronic diseases that you
1u;ob ~ dicrooo NJ 7 think 1 can make