The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-08-29
THE BLACK
SCOURGE
That Fearful and Mystic ViSi-
tation of Olden Days.
FOLLOWED IN WARS WAKE
In the Fourteenth Century 1t Swept the
Whole Of Europe, Killing 25,ooo,-
600 in Three Years.
FOLLOWED IN WARS WAKE


rious ard fearful visitation which has
moved its hosts in the wake of armies
to Stay more than war itself, is sup
tosed 10 have first originated among
the den1e masses of people who crowd
ed together In the great cities OF Asia
X Egypt or who formed the encamp-
~ ats Of Xerxes, Cyrus and Tanner
lune the Tartar. 1t probably sprang
from the impurity which must have
existed in the midst Of such vast gath
erings and in part also from leaving
the unburied dead upon the field of
battle. At any rate, the germs Of this
fearful human poison have always
been most active where conditions
similar TO those have prevailed 1T
has always been war and the march Of
armies TINT have spread it broadcast
over the world from time to time. and
as war became less frequent and less
worldwide the frequency and extent
Of these rayages have lessened also.
The first recorded outbreak OF the
plague in Europe occurred in the six
tenth century. 1t came from lower
Egypt Thls was the first tapping of
the wave that reached into the east
again, there 10 stay its movements, so
far as the west was concerned, until
ga A. ~, when the returning legions
of the Emperor Justinian brought it
again into the western world from the,
battlenelds OF Persia Constantinople
was the first place 1t attacked. Here
in a single day as many as 10000 per-
sons are said to have fallen victims to
IT. But the plague did not stop with
Constantinople. It had found too
congenial soil In Europe, which was
little else than one great battlefield at
the time. II was carried into Gaul,
where it followed close In the wake Of
the Frankish armies. and from Gaul
1t moved into Italy, with the Lom-
bards, and SO devastated the country
as to leave 1t entirely at the mercy
of the invaders.
The various crusades, which extend
cd over space Of about 200 years, no
doubt did much to hold the pestilence
In Europe, for they served to keep
open the channels OF intercourse be-
tween the east and the west. Periodic
epidemics were common during their
continuance, and these seem TO have
eliminated In the fourteenth century
with what is known IN history as the
black death The black death was
more fatal to human life than any
other single cause since the world be-
gan. The havoc OF war was nothing
IN comparison to It. 1t swept the
whole Of Europe, leaving In its path
such misery and restitution as the
world had never known. 1t killed In
three years some 100000 people.
Such figures stagger the comprehen-
sion, but the records OF the time can
not be doubted. The entire population
of Europe is estimated to have been
about 100,O0o,OOO kept down as 1t was
by the constant warfare, and OF these
at least a fourth persisted.
The ravages of the plague In Italy,
where II came In the track OF the war
of the Guelphs and Ghibellines, was
particularly disastrous TO mankind. It
ragged with terrible fury IN Naples,
where 10000 persons are said to have
died. 1t fell upon Pisa, and seven out
of every ten persisted. 1t utterly and
forever destroyed the prosperity of
Siena. Florence also suffered severely,
while 100000 OF the inhabitants of
Venice were literally wiped of the
face of the earth. From Italy it moved
into France, where the mortality was
almost as great In Paris alone $1,000
people died from It, One Of the worst
features presented by the history OF
the black death was the cruel persecu-
ton it aroused against the Jews. They
were supposed TO have infected the air
I'm some mysterious. manner. and they
were accused OF having poisoned the
wells and springs. In Strassburg 1000
Of them were buried alive In their own
burial ground
The order OF the Flagellanto arose
81 this time. coming from the belief
that the sins OF the world had az last
brought down the wrath OF heaven. 1t
was the beginning OF the so called
hundred years war that carried the
black death into England. where in
London its victims numbered 100000.
When at last the plague had worked
rs ravages II doubled back over Its
course to disappear in the east. Later
on It appeared again in England,
first among the soldiers Of Richmond
after the battle OF Bosworth Field,
and when the victorious army marched
TO London the plague went with them
TO work its havoc there. AS long as 1t
lasted the mortality was as great as
that caused by the black death half a
century before Five thousand people
died In five weeks, and then the plague
left London as suddenly as 1t had APP
peared there to sweep over the rest OF
England
In Scotland the plague of 1868 came
Immediately after the battle OF Lang
side. when Queen Mary was dethron-
ed, but no records Of the mortality II
occasloned seem to have been pre-
served. The plague visited London In
1915. This followed after the civil war
which ended with the death OF Charles
H., but 50 many years interviewed that
It Is Impossible to trace any connection
between the two events In modern
wars danger from the plague seems
gradually 20 have lessened perhaps as
a result Of better sanitary conditions
maintained by the armies Of today.