Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-24

little one will not be permitted to fur
Their expose themselves to the danger
of infection, and Mrs Early's conversa-
ton with her husband must be carried
on from distance. Early is a man OF
education. and is said to be relative
of Gen. Early, one of the most famous
generals of the confederacy.
Life of the Leper.
According to his own story John X
Early was born in Yancey county. in the
mountains of North Carolina. thirty-five
years ago. He enlisted in the regular
army at Atlanta in 1897. and after doing
coast duty in Florida and Texas was or
dered with his regiment to Cuba in Al
gust. 1888 In that year he was taken III
with intermittent fever, and In May. 1888
was sent home on sick leave. Recovering
partially. Early reported at Fort Sheri-
dam Atlanta. for duty and was sent to
rejoin his regiment at Santiago, where
he arrived in January, 1900.
In conversation with one of the ply
sicians of the health Office at his tent yes
terday afternoon Early said the only per-
son with whom he ever knowingly came
in contact who had symptoms similar to
his was a fellow-soldier on the transport
returning from Cuba. The latters leg
was swollen. he said. and one of the ply
from this description the local health
authorities are inclined to the belief that
this other soldier was suffering from
blood poisoning.
Soldier in Philippines.
Early was assigned to duty in the
PhiIippines and went to the islands with a
norton of his regiment in September,
1900. and for two years he did garrison
between Manila and Vigan. province OF
Abra. He said he was exposed to many
contagio diseases during period OF
about two years service in the Philip
pines. but never knowingly came in con-
tact with leper.
Early reached San Francisco August.
1893. and was discharged. The next five
months he spent at his home in Weaver
vile. n. G., and at the end Of that time
he went to Knoxville. Tenn. and again
enlisted. This three-year period of en-
listment Early served almost cOntinu-
ously at the barracks at Plattsburg. N.
Y, and when discharged he secured a
position in the store of E. n. Lamaur at
Winchester suburb of Boston. where,
in March, 1867. he married Miss LOttie
Lanlaur. a sister of his employer. During
all of this period Early never felt en-
tirely well. but had no suspicion that his
ailment was serious.
Joined Salvation Army.
After his marriage Early became iden-
titled with the Salvation Army, with the
rank of captain. and served in Troy,
Oswego and Granville, n. Y. He left the
army shortly before his wife was to be-
come a mother, taking her to the home OF
his mother in Lynn. N. c., where their
baby, a girl, was born a little less than a
year ago. Early secured employment in
Canton, n. c., a nearby town, and worked
there until quite recently, When his
health became worse and he determined
upon the trip to Washington in an effort
to secure a pension.
At his home. on the train en- route to
Washington and in the lodging houses and
mingled freely with other people, but he
was not knowingly exposing others to the
danger of Infection. because he did not
know the nature of his disease. He Sc
cured lodging here in the Salvation Army
lodging house 40 Pennsylvania avenue
northwest where he stayed from Friday
August Ia. the date of his arrival in this
city, and last Friday, August q. On the
latter date he asked that a doctor be
summoned and 1t was this physician who
decided that the case was probably
leprosy The health authorities were in
formed and the departments bacteriologi-
cal expert unhesitatingly confirmed the
diagnosis.
Measures of Protection.
Prompt measures were taken at once
The room occupied by Early was thor
oughly fumigated. and he was removed to
the vicinity Of the smallpox quarantine
station where a tent was erected for his
accommodation. This temporary abode
has been made as comfortable as possible
with a floor to guard against dampness.
bed and bedding. table and chairs
but there Early must stay. with no com
munication with his fellow man. except
the corps of guards. and the latter have
rigid instructions to permit no one to ap-
proach the tent and to prevent Early
leaving the immediate vicinity.
Throughout their conduct Of the case
the local health department has mani
tested none Of the hysteria which has
characterized the handling of suddenly
discovered cases of leprosy in other com
munities. The bounding of the Syrian
leper. Rosset. from Clarksburg. w. Va
across several states and finally back tt
Clarksburg, where he died, is fair sam
pie of the treatment not infrequently
given the unfortunate sufferers from thi:
dread malady And within the month
the newspapers have told or the case O
Col. Wardell. a civil war veteran, who
dropped dead from heart disease wher
trying to escape with his aged wife, a
leper from Arizona into Mexico.
From the moment when he heard the
physicians pronounce his doom: however
Early has been model patieht. ms
greatest consolation has been in reading
his Bible. and his greatest solicitude has
been. not for himself. but for the persons
with whom he had come In contact. par
ticularly for his wife and baby Anxious
ly he has inquired of the health depart.
ment physicians whether they considered
1t likely that Mrs. Early and the little
one could have become infected with
leprosy. The best the physicians could
tell him was that the disease. even ii
present in the bodies of his loved ones
had not had suffici, period of incu-
baton to have manifested outward symp-
toms. Not permitted even to write let
ter to his wife. Early must now avail,
with enforced calm a reply to a letter
which one of the physicians wrote at his
dictation.
His Pension Record.
In connection with Early's application
for pension, the following record Of the