The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1905-11-04
minutes waS dead.


nurses at $40 or more day, blacks
or whites, were luxury, but she re-
covered. I noted particularly that the
very aged and the children were most
swept away in its path those; of mid
die age, the healthy and robust-the
active bread winners.
"One of the saddest incidents among
the clergy was the double death and
also double funeral of Father Martin
Walsh and his cousin, Father Michael
Meagher, who was visiting him from
Nashville. They were stricken down
in adjoining rooms of the rectory and
died within twelve hours of each 9TH
er. 1t was solemn double funeral,
ton, the undertaken and the house,
keeper, Bridget Cavanaugh. She was
an immune, and in after years was
housekeeper for the late Archbishop
Feehan, Of Chicago and is today,
believe, living with her family in that
city. 1t was not an unusual sight to
see collins piled as high as the sec.
ond story outside of the infrmaryr
and there was no thought of hearse..
No, as quick as death was reported
the body was wrapped in a sheet, put
in plain box, nailed and carried out
to an express wagon, which did not
start right away. Oh no, it was gen.
orally held for few hours to-
get load-that meant several. more
bodies-and then no time was lost in
burial, sometimes as many as 100 in
the same pit. There were at least
two and sometimes three burials@ and
no public funerals, and I have seen
as many as 800 buried in day.. It
was said that many corpses were I'M
tremendously dumped into the Mis-
sissippi river, but that cannot say.
However, it was exceedingly sad, to-
see relatives returning after the cpl
demic and not being able to find the
least trace Of father, mother, husband.
WlIe, DrOCner or sister,.
Medical skill awaited nothing with
yellow Jack" and the unfortunates in.
their delirium and on the very eve OF
their death, SO Fir. Quinn asserts, were
wont to sing hymns and speak Ian.
guages never known to them in good
health and rational daily life. The PEN
of the most prolific writes. the palette
and brush Of the most realistic painter
fail to effectively reproduce the path
etc and heart-rending scenes he wit
messed on every side.
Il will never forget certain even
ing, and it was one of my last calls:
Of a hundred or more that day. It.
was at the humble but costly fur
nished cottage of devoted couple
who had been married less than
year. He was an athletic specimen Of
manhood and she a handsome young
woman, both stricken down and oc-
cupying the same room that had been
their bridal chamber. At their earnest
and joint request I administered the
last sad rites to both and left them.
The next morning when called there
they were clasped in the embrace Of
death, a smile seemed to wreatke their
countenances-they had died in each
others arms.
Probably there never was a better
or Drawer man or physician than DR..
Blackburn, who came down from
Louisville, KY, as a volunteer and
did noble, self-sacriicing work for his
fellow-beings. I recollect the Sullivan
family particularly, for not only did
the mother and father die, but also
nine children, leaving but one out
of a family of twelve children, and
that was Mollie, years old. Dr..
Blackburn, who was afterwards Gov
ernor of Kentucky, adopted her as his
daughter, had her educated in the
convent of the Sisters Of Nazareth
and she is among the society matrons
in one Of the leading Western cities
today"
Not only did twenty-one priests die,
but also forty Dominican Sisters, the
mother superior and two Franciscan
Sisters and the mother superior of the
Sisters Of the Good Shepherd. Like
Father Quinn himself, six Sisters Of
st. Joseph-aI earnest volunteers
escaped safely as immunes and were
sent back safely to the mother house
in st. Louis.
After leaving Memphis Father Quinn
was assigned to Nashville, and was
rector Of the Cathedral in that city in
1883, when he was obliged to seek a
change Of climate and pastorate, COM
ing North for his health. He has since.
done active duty in Fall River, in the.
Assumption parish at Elmwood, Provi-.
dence; at Bay View Academy, East
Providence; at st. Maria's Home foly
Working Girls, Providence, for seven
years, and at St Joseph's Hospital for
eight years as an invalid. until he re-
Gently went to Pawtucket, as the guest
Of his old-tfme friend, Rev. Fir. Carnfi-
gan.
The Ola R.l$S. rala.>o.a