The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1906-08-02
LEPER ROSSETT SERIOUS CASE
Baltimore Has Him and Has No Pow
er to Deport Him.

CT 10 DepOrI HIN.
The disposal of George Rossett, TIE
Syrian leper, who is now under the gen.
erous care of the authorities of Balti-
more continues to be a subject of great
interest. 1t will be remembered that
Rossett came here from Elkins, w. Va,
was sent from this city to Baltimore,
to Philadelphia and by Philadelphia
back to Baltimore. The Sunday Balti-
more American contained the last phase
in the case in an interview with DR..
Fulton as follows:
81 Ihave absolutely no definite plans
in this case," said DR.. John S. Fulton,
secretary of the State Board of Health,
last night. 81 have written to the New
York Board, but they have not refused
to accept Rossett. They simply said
that they would let me know and have
heard nothing since. There is certainly
no sufficient reasons for holding the man
here so far as his disease is concerned,
He is still at Golden Run, and is being
fed by the county authorities He is
awfully lonely and wants to be taken
aW ay DR.. Khuzama, who went out
with me this afternoon took the man
both apple and peach pies. He ate them
and was delighted at the change in his
bill of fare, though his food is good. He
is impatient to get away.
But for the injunction in the Mary
Sansone case, the case would be per-
fectly simple. But as it is, there is not
spot in the state that we are not en-
joined from keeping him. | am consid-
ering different plans of disposing of the
case, but am determined that when it is
settled it will be settled right.
"This state and the city of Balti-
more, cannot, must not, fail in properly
dealing with this case," said Health
Commissioner Bosley yesterday.
The case has reached that point where
it becomes of more than local or state
interest. Neither the state nor the ma
tional government seems to have any
power to deal with the case, so that the
disposition of the unfortunate man may
become a matter Of very serious con-
sideration, as appears from the follow
ing dispatch from the Washington Blu
reau in Sundays Baltimore American.
''The suggestion that the Commission
er General of immigration be asked to
TIE up the case Of the Syrian leper
Rossett meets little encouragement in
| Washington. Rossett has been in this
country more than three years, and
there is no question that the leprosy,
which has now made him a public
charge, was contracted in the year after
his arrival in this country. Hence
re is nothing that the Bureau of I'M
migration can do in his case and he
must remain as he is now, an object of
sOlicitude for the Maryland authorities.
ne In migration Bureaurecognizes the
p ~ctical in possibility of deporting the
unfortunate man, even if there We're
y law by which this government
could undertake the task of sending him
back to his county. No steamship
company would accept him as passen-
ger, and the only way to get him out of
this country would be for the govern
ment to charter an entire steamship to
cary him back to Europe, and even
then it is to be assumed that endless
difficulties would arise in landing the
man as no European government would
want him.
Several years ago this government
had an experience Of this kind. A
Chinaman, smitten with the fatal dis
ease, was caught in Mexico, just across
the border from Texas The willy Mexi-
can health officers hid the man in
baggage car and shipped him across the
border on a midnight train. When he
was lind in Texas a howl of dismay
went up from the officials, and this gov
eminent was appealed to. Being a
Chinaman, the government took the
aiound that as he had no right to come
into this country, he must be deported.
The fact that he was leper did not at
first enter into the controversy.
But when the officers Of the govern
ment under took to carry out the order
of deportation they found that even the
au hority of the United States has GER
tan practical limitation. No railroad
would consent to haul the leper to the
sea, and no steamship company would
consider the subject of his passage back
to China.
Accordingly the officials in Texas
had to change the order for his depor-
tation to China to an order for his re-
tLll to Mexico. But here a new diff
Guilty presented itself, for the Mexican
authorities were fully aroused, and a
patrol was established along the entire
frontier, with vigorous orders to resist
the return Of the leper at any cost. Two
or three efforts to shunt the leper over
the border at midnight by the Ameri-
cans were detected and frustrated by
the MeXicans. Happily, the leper died,