Evening journal., 1906-08-08
LEPER is DRIVEN
INTO MOUNTAINS
George ROSSett Left TO Shit
For Himself in Vest Vir-
einia WiIds
JliUNNED BY FOUR STATES


iaving bamed the United States gov
ornment. the powers Of four State gov
arnments and the wealth Of one Of the
greatest railroads in the land, George
Rossett, a Syrian leper, has been un-
tremendously dumped. to shift for
himself I'm the uninhabited wilds of
West Virginia mountain side. Organ
zcd society with all its wealth, chari-
Ties and science, has been unable to
help this afflicted man.
For the last few days he has been
living in o tent in the wooded noun
tains of Randolph county w. Va.
overlooking the towns Of Elkins,
whence he started on his shuttlecock
journey along the line Of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad He is back to his
starting point after two weeks in a
box car, subsisting on charity.
Every proposition to dispose OF the
man has ended in a blind alley. West
Virginia did not want the man and put
him out of the state. Maryland had
no place to send him, and there was
a Supreme Court injunction to the ef-
feet that lepers depreciate the prop
erty in their nelghborhood so he could
not tarry there. Pennsylvania labelled
the mans car "Leprosy" and gave him
a quick turn around, sending him back
to Baltimore. officials Of the govern
ment at Washington made many in
quiries and appeals were made to them
for solution of the problem, but Fl
soon developed that the government
had no Institutions or money with
which to dispose of the leper. There
was talk Of leper colonies at New
York, Boston and New Orleans, but
telegraphing and correspondence fall
ed TO develop them. Next it was sug-
Sested tint the man be returned to his
native Syria, but 1t was shown that
the fear of the man was so great that
no steamship would book him, or, II
they did. the crow would desert, and
this plan had to be abandoned. He
could not be deported, as he had been
In this country FOR four years. and a
man cannot be sent out of the United
states unless he develops disease with
in three years. He is living alone, a
mile from an isolated railroad station
and beyond speaking or seeing distance
Of his fellow man.
Stunned by Everybody.
1t appears that Rossett is twenty
one years old, ana came to America
about four years ago. lie was a ped
dler in Maine for a time and then OBJ
tained employment In a cotton factory
In Waterville, remaining there about
a year. His wife, to whom he was
married in Syria, Joined him at Water
vile about eighteen months after he
came to this country.
About two years after the arrival
OF Rossett sores appeared on his face,
which became so serious that he was
compelled TO quit work in the factory.
He finally reached Elkins on June :
last and tried to enter Davis Memorial
Hospital but upon examination Dr.
Golden, surgeon IN charge of the hos
pital diagnosed the case as leprosy
and declined to receive him.
For two weeks before leaving Elkins
Rossett had lived in tent on a
county fair ground. While there he
bathed in the Valley River and a tenn
porary panic resulted from the spread
ing Of this Information, as he washed
near a point where the town draws
its water supply. While the leper was
on his way from Elklns to Cumbe;
land. Nd. he stopped at West Virginia
Junction and Keyser. where he was
Informed there was no hospital to ac-
commodate him. The coach in which
he rode was cut loose and fumigated
The whole County Board of Health
met the man when he reached Cum
berland They could do nothing. He
attracted such a crowd that the police
reserves had to be called out Tic
made his way down to Brunswick Md.
where the crowd pressed him so closely
that he mounted a pile of railroad ties
which looked as If it had been ar
ranged as his funeral pyre. At this
point Rossett entered his now famous
box car and was hauled down toward
Baltimore. The Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad did not put him off the train
as their officials thought the best way
out of the situation was to assist the
man to New York, he hoping to gel
into a supposed leper colony there. Hc
rename In Baltimore but a few hours
and was then hurried on to Phliadel-
phia. The City of Brotheilv Love gave
him his FIRST setback by lacking a bis
leprosy sign on the meat car he oe-
cupied, and shunting aim back to Bal.
timore
He was sidetracked seven miles out.
side the city and State and city health
officials got busy. They telegraphed
and wrote and telephoncd in all direc-
tions to see If some hospital woult
not take the man. or If some quaran.
tine station would not accept him II
the government could not suggest any
plan 3ut science and charity every
where had nothing to offer.
sums of money were contributed to-
ward sending the man to Syria, but
these were returned TO the donors 10y
the health officials. as they did moi
believe sny steamship would take him
Driven Into Mountains.
The railroad and health officials soor
got into a controversy as to who hat
custody of the man. The doctors said
the railroad brought the man into thC
state and It ought 20 take aim out
The railroad retorted that the mar
was a trespasser on its property and
that the state ought to relieve the cor
poration Of his presence. Rossett ate
and slept in his car under police pro-
/ lection for week.
Late one night Rossett and his car
disappeared from the siding. II soor
/ developed that DR.. John S. Fulton wa.
/ smuggling the man back into West
Virginia. They boarded a midnight
/ passenger train.
The physician accompanied the mar
as far.as the MARYLAND and West Nir.