Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-05-22
SHE'LL ROCK IS ANGRY
Controversy With the State
Board of Health Leads to
Serious Trouble
DOCTOR HUNG IN EFF'ey
Attempt to Enforce Quarantine Regu-
Iations for Scarlet Fever is Opposed
by the Citizens Who Make Things
Interesting For the Board of Health
Members.

1 Des Moines, May 22.-BeSeiged by
the angry residents of Shell Rock, the
people surging thru the corridors OF
the hotel where he was staying, and
! then made to ride at night out of town
to escape further inconvenience, is the
of the state board of health, as recited
by himself as he reached his home in
Des Moines yesterday. Meanwhile the
little town of Shell Rock is filled with
bowling mob of people who, in the
height of their frenzy, hung in effigy
Saturday night Dr. O. P. Thompson of
Shell Rock, who sided in with the
state board of health in question
which is tearing the little town in two.
The same question has caused its
schools to be closed and has brought
| upon it the stigma of being now under
| investigation of Attorney General Null
Ian, who is determined that the state
board OF health shall be protected even
If the militia has to be called to pre-
serve order.
The cause of the trouble is the prev
alence of disease in the village,
which has been determined by the
state board as scarlet fever, and
which has been determined by the
city health officer as merely slight
rash of no consequence.
Armed Deputies Suggested.
The people Of the town have become
- al
may be that Shell Rock will be visited
by representatives of the state, armed
and ready to carry out the demands of
the state officials.
A few days ago the state board of
health was notified of the presence OF
a disease among the school children 3of
Shell Rock which had the appearance
of the dreaded scarlet fever. DR.. F. W.
Powers of Waterloo, member of the
board of from the Tenth district, was
ordered to investigate and make re-
port. He found five cases, which he
pronounced scarlet fever. A petition
which was sent to the board of health
stating that the local board was neg
lecting its duty was taken up, and
the local health physician who had
been in Office seventeen years, DR.. w.
H. Smith, was Immediately deposed.
DR.. Smith pronounced the disease a
rash. DR.. Powers saw in it scarlet
fever, and, with DR.. Linn of Des
Moines, who accompanied him on the
trip, took things in his own hands.
DR.. o. Chaffee of Waverly was APP
pointed health physician and he i'm
mediately placed quarantine cards up
on houses where the cases could be
found.
The ire of the people was at once
aroused and the school board, against
whom much of the attack of the ply
sicians was directed, declared publicly,
individually, and severally, that they
would use physical force of relieving
the town of ali the doctors present ii
they didn't Immediately take a move
on themselves. They threatened to at
once drive DR.. Chaffee out of the city
if he tried to fumigate the school
house.
Threatened the Doctor.
Dr. Chaffee afterward tried to fumi-
gate the houses where the disease was
present, but was driven away from
allowed entrance and proceeded to
lulIllSdlS luGlll tdCCOIuluS u luS OIO6IS
of the state board.
These, however. were but the finder
which was being piled upon the kind
ling flames Of public opinion.
Friday night the excitement reach
ed its zenith when DR.. Powers and DIR.
Linn were stopping at a local hotei
there. While in their rooms the town
had become so aroused that a mob of
over 100 people surged into the hotel
building, calling the doctors names
and making many threats Of personal;
violence. The mob, made up not of the
riff-ran Of the place, but of the prom
inent citizens, became so belligerent
that the two doctors secured a livery
rig and drove to Waverly, few miles
away.
The physicians at once telephoned
Attorney General Mullan to send arm
ed deputies to Shell Rock. and to see
that the rules of the state board of
health ara carried cut. The attorney
general will today make a personal in
vestigation. Superintendent Sharpe
Of the schools has ordered them clos
ed in accordance with the orders Of the
state board of health.
hung in Effisy.
Saturday night the excitement be-
came intense, and while the spirit was
at fever heat the effigy Of DR.. o. P.
Thompson, who dared to face public
opinion, and stand by the board of
health, was lifted to a tree and allowed
to swing CHASTITY in the light Of a num-
Der Of daring torches. Then it was
burned by the excited crowd.
Meanwhile the quarantine cards |
which were placed on the houses each |
lay are torn down and displayed on
the ends OF sticks carried around by
excited residents. The condition is