The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-04-01
TWO DRAMATIC
INCIDENTS AT
NALAUPAPA

ought not to be denied a dying COM
munity, especially as the doctors they
had did not profess to be able or even
hopeful of curing the disease.
The woman's simple e}oquence was
the protest of the better sentiment Of
the community against the introduc-
tion of further brutaizmg and demo-
ralizng influences in a community
that already had more than its share
of sorrow and woe. SO convincing and
overwhelming was the woman's appeal
that of the one hundred and fourteen
who had signed the petition for a
saloon, not one dared openly face her
scorn or reply to her protest
The appeal to employ OR" j. Lor
Wallach in the settlement had the elo-
quence of despair. 1t was the appeal
of the credulity of the doomed, in
promises and in hope, no matter how
absurd or improbable.
1t was Charles Kawainui, member
of the Kalaupapa Band "a resident at
the settlement for nine years, still a
young man, who made the most stir
ring appeal.
"Dr. Wallach says he can cure the
worst case of leprosy in six weeks"
Kawainui exclaimed. Here are two
of our number who show you that they
have been much benefited by him af-
ter only two weeks treatment. DR..
Goodhue, and every doctor that has
ever been here never claimed that he
could cure it. He never treated the
disease to cure it, but only to relieve
some of the suffering, to cure us of
fevers, and rheumatism, and other
sickness. Why not try this DIR. wal
ZACH? If he fails he cannot do worse
than other doctors have done. They
\ do not even try to cure the disease.
Look at these people around me-" he
continued, pointing to the disigured
faces and the evidences of the dis
membering action of the disease in
those around him. Are we to be left
to die as we are, when this man claims
he can heal us and has shown that he
can at least help us "
It was in vain that Representative
Coney, Representative Philip Pail,
Representative Kaleiopu, and Senator
Coelho and others pointed out the ridi-
culousness of DR." Wallach's claims;
the insult to their intelligence that the
mere statement of his formula was,
with its moss from female rocks found
twelve hundred feet down in the sea, -
and other puerile claims. These peo-
pie knew that they were the victims
of a disease, which condemned them to
exile, from which they We're slowly
dying, and that the regular physicians
sent them gave little or only vague
hopes of cure, while here was a man
who made the most positive promises
of cure, and gave what in the credu-
lily of their despair seemed earnest of
this power in the two men, Ami Pake
and Kanani All Fab, who unquestion-
ably believed they had been bneeftted
by Wallach's treatment.
The scene was pathetic and impress
sive. 1t was the anguished appeal of
the dying. The baselessness and the
ultimate cruelty of the pretensions of
'--NNS'N ~ NAllNlA llASlI nope Clunk
could not detract from the impressive
moss Of it, and the fact that the mem
bers of the Legislature could not. and
be true to themselves, promise even
what to these people seemed a Door
boon indeed, did not detract from the
melancholy impressiveness of. it.
The committe of the two houses of
the legislature. together with a few
others, left for the Leper Settlement by
the Kinau at II o'clock Saturday even
ing. The steamer faced heavy north
east trade all the way, and after Il
rough trip anchored at 6 o'clock Sum
day morning near the Kalaupapa land
ing, the peninsula on which the Settle
ment is located sheltering the water in
the little cove and giving a smooth and
comfortable landing. The Kalaupapa
band together with by far the larger
part of the population of the Settlement
were at the landing to welcome the
visitors, for the biennial visits of COM
mittees from the Legislature are the
greatest events in the life of the Settle
ment
The visitors repaired at once to
the superintendent residence, where
breakfast was served. By the time
this was over a large number of horses,
saddled and bridled, had been brought
to the place, and under the direction
Of Sheriff Waimanu of Kalawao County
these were distributed among the visit
ors. The plan had been to visit the
site of the new hospital, the new dis
pensary, the visitors house and other
new and proposed improvements in
Kalaupapa before going to the Baldwin
Home at Kalawao, across the PENN
sula. But this was misunderstood, and
most of the party went at once to Ka-
lawao where they found the boys from
the Baldwin Home as indeed most of
the people Of the village of Kalawao,
engaged in Easter worship in the
/ II