The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1909-07-06
PILGRIMS TO L0uRDEs.
many Thousands journey There
SsskiAg fos Mipsspless Cusss
Of Disease.

Lourdes, which tor ten months out Of
the twelve has a population of SONS
1900, has had its inhabitants increased
since early this morning TO $4,000, and
by tomorrow some $4,000 persons will
be gathered in this little Basque VII
lage under the beetling brows o. the
Pyrenees, which tower over it, writes
correspondent OF the London Nah.
We are all watching anxiously for
miracles, and since we left Paris in
the white train" one Saturday our
talk has been of little else. There were
500 OF us in the long white train" of
whom 800 odd were sick, and three
were dying when we started. Now
one of the latter is dead, and, il report
is to be believed. three Of the sick were
cured miraculously.
/ snw none of these miracles, but
those who did declare that a crippled
lad. who threw away his crutches, and
consumptive girl, who rose from
stretcher and walked out Of the Church
of Ste. Radegonde at Poitiers, had
both been sick almost to death some
hours before.
Although it is but two full days
since we left Paris, l seem to have
been moving amid the sick and dying
for several weeks. Our journey was
inexpressibly pathetic. All through
the hot day and two sitting nights the
noise of the train drowned the ire
pressible cries of our sick passengers
as it jolted slowly on.
At each stopping place-and they
were very frequent--sweetfa faced, gen
tle-handed nuns, of whom there were
two to every three carriage loads of
pilgrims, darted here and there with
water, soup. or milk for the patients.
White and black robed priests of the
Order of the Assumption hurried along
the train, praying with one sick pas
senger, talking cheerfully with an
other, comforting here, exhorting
there-helping always.
No drugs of any kind are allowed
to the passengers. Whatever may be
thought of'the humanity of trundling
sick and dying people so many hun
dreds of miles in the hope of miracu-
lous recovery, the faith and cheerful
ness of these poor souls were in them
selves a miracle.
I spoke with many of them on the
way, including man who eventually
died. He was in state of loathsome
decay from the waist downward,
though only % years old, and one leg
had been amputated at the thigh be-
fore he started.
II received extreme JUNCTION before
l started" he said, land if the Holy
Virgin does not cure me hope to die
at Lourdes.' The poor fellows last
visit was doomed to disappointment.
He died an hour before we left Poit-
iers.
At the tomb OF Ste. Radegonde at
Poitiers. and also at the grotto here,
to which all the sick are carried i'm
mediately the trains arrive, and at
the passage of the host among the
sick, which took place amid great
pomp in the afternoon, there was
frenzied eagerness among the Grip
pied and impotent worshipers to get
nearer. All hoped against hope for
a miracle to raise them from their
COucneS ana StrelcnerS ana bath
chairs. 1t was heartrending.
Above the prayers, and even above
the singing of the huge crowd, which
formed an immense oval--above the
powerful voices of the preachers and
above the stentorian supplcations of
Father Marie-rose the whimpering of
a crippled idiot boy.
They were drowned suddenly by the
tremendous roar of the conclusion of
the ceremony as crippled lad. who
is said to have lost the use of his legs
for many years, dragged himself from
the friendly arms which had been sup
porting him and ran. Was he really
paralyzed? VIII he be so tomorrow?
There are four doctors here, of whom
one is an Englishman, and they be-
lieve that miracles do occur.
At night the church and the crosses
on the hillside present fairy-like
spectacle, and as / dispatch this mes
sage torchlight procession number
ing many thousands of persons is
winding along the tortuous pathway
on the mountain side.