The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-02-24
QUARAn TINE FARCE.
How 1t Was Conducted in Quincy
Street Household.

FOR the past two weeks, City Physf-
elan W. D. Storrs has been holding a
IaTnlly IN quarantine at 30 East Sew
enth street, opposite the city hall, on
the ground that a boarder named Har-
~ THOMAS had been taken from there
to the pest house with case of small
pox.
Tuesday. the quarantine was raised,
and the family released. and now they
are making some damaging accusations
against the city physician and the
methods of some of his deputies.
IN the mouse reside Mr.. and Mrs. L.
partner, and Harry Thomas, the boy
who attended Strickier's Business col
iege, and was taken sick with small
pox Crouch and Mccoy run board
ing stable in the rear of their premises.
On Monday, February 8, young Thorn
as. who had been then broken out with
smallpox for several days, went to see
Dr.. McDonnough, at Sixth and Kansas
avenue. McDonnough told him that he
thought ne had chickenpox or small
pox, and sent him home. McDonnough
also notified City Physician Storrs. DIR.
Storrs called at the Crouch home, and
Inspected Thomas. He pronounced it
a typical case of smallpox, and sent
the boy to the pest house. He quaran-
tined Mccoy, Mrs. Crouch and another
Stricken Business college student
named Fred Muran, who boarded at
Eighth and Monroe, and with whom
THOMAS spent part of Sunday. He
allowed e. r. Crouch to go out from
quarantine. DR.. Storrs put man
named Allen to guard the house from
$50 at night till Z in the morning, a
1919 hour shift, and appointed another
named doc" Plummer to act as day
guard, supposed 1912 hour shift
Plummer is a cripple and is well
known about town. He has been serv-
ing as DR.. StOrrS' person assistant
Plunl1ner seems to have been the one
who caused most of the complaint.
Mr.. q. r. Crouch said today: Plum
mer was supposed to come there at
1880 every morning, and remain on
daty till at night. AS a matter of
fact he never got there before or 8
O'Clock, and his habit was to walk
through the yard and then go up town.
He did not stay at his post of duty
more than an hour or two every day.
His business was to stay there and
warn people from going to the house.
AS a matter of fact the people VINO
were Quarantined in the house had to
do the warning. There was no card on
the house to indicate that people
should keep away. We have no COM
plant to make about Allen, the night
guard. He came there and stuck to
his post. He even brought his lunch
with him.
The people in the house found that
they could not depend on Plunmer for
any assistance in any way, and SO We
got along as best we could without
him. Yet whenever he happened to be
there, he used to delight in showing
his authority. There are no toilet ia
cilities in the house, and one day when
Mccoy went out to the barn, Plummer
saw him and insultingly ordered him
into the house. telling him that if he
ever caught him out again he would
send him to the pest house.
Zone thing we can't understand is
he oft nh StATrS
should have Disseminated in his estab-
Iishment of the quarantine. He shut
UP three of US there in the house, while
he must have known that there were
Thomas before he was sent to the pest
house. Thomas was in at the office of
the wagon yard on Quincy street, and
talked with four men there on his way
home from DR.. McDonnough's office.
On the Sunday before he went to the
doctor. he was exposed not only to
Fred Muran, but to a number of others
at the same place. Storrs got Muran
apparently because the boy was alone
here in town and had no friends. we
don't believe that there was any GAN
ger, but if there was, Storrs should
have taken further precautions to pre-
vent the spread of the disease.
s'I believe that the reason Sterrs re-
leased me from quarantine, and the
reason that Plummer was so hostile to
over a medical examination. I had
Storrs make my examination for en-
trance to the Modern WoOdmen, and L
paid him a dollar for it I had to go
back to his office for further exami-
nation. and Storrs was not there. This
man Plummer was in there, and he
said he was doctor and could make
the examination. He did so and de-
rnanded another dollar, which [ paid.
I think Storrs knew that Plummer had
got a dollar out of me that did not be-
long to him, and that was the reason
he let me out of quarantine so easy.
A few days after we had been in quar-
antine Plummer came to me and said
that in looking over his books he had
found that I had paid him a dollar too
much, and offered me the dollar.
told him that I didn't want the dollar
back; that I had taken other maens to
find out why he had charged me the
dollar. He tried to put the dollar in
my pocket, but I threw it back al him.
I have reported the matter to the
Berryton camp. with which I am to
unite. Plummer does not like it be-
TIL