The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-01-07
SMALLPOX CASE QUlRlMT|MEO
TWO COLORED MEN HAVING
SMALL POX ARE LEFT ON
SIDE TRACK ALL DAY ANn
THEN SENT BACK TO
MARION.
DIR. G. w. Birnic Deserves Credit for
Diseased Men not Being Unloadcd
at Sumter-Cases Came From Ma
rion and Were Bound for Lynch
burg.

Yesterday morning when the II a.
m. train came in two cases of small
pox would have been unloaded upon
the city had 1t not been for the work
Of DIR. C. w. Birnie of this city who
saved Sumter from the unwished for
and dreaded visitors. who were two
colored men bound from Marion to
Lynchburg, one Of them just getting
over the disease and the other just
taking 1t. They were not allowed to
get off at Lynchburg. their desired
destination. and so were brought on
to Sumter where they would have
been set free had II not been that
through the warning Of DR.. Birnie,
Mayor Jennings had had time to no
tify the health officer and station
him with policeman at the depot
TO keep away any such undesirable
visitors.
IL seems that the men came from
Marion and were bound for Lynch
burg or at any rate that was the way
their ticket read. DR.. Birnie got on
the train at Florence with them and
when the two men got off at Lynch
burg and were Immediately hustled
back on the train by the city officials
at that place. who had received no.
tihcation of the kind of visitors they
we're about to receive, Or. Birnie at
once made Ii his business to find out
what the conductor expected to do
with the two cases of small pox. He
found that the conductor expected
to take them on to Sumter and turn
them Off the train there. He did not
have time to get Off the train at May
esville but he got someone to tele-
phone Mayor Jennings of the two
cases OF small pox and what the con-
ductor expected to do with them.
when he got to Sumter.
At Sumter Mayor Jennings got in
a hurry as soon as he had received
the telephone message from Mayes-
Vile for he knew that 1t would not
take the train long to get here and
something must be done before it ar
rived. He at once got the health Of
ficer by phone and told him what his
duty was. He also sent a policeman
along to see that things moved
smoothly and to help the health Of
ficer in case OF need. So when the
train pulled in there they were both
waiting to see that no cases of small
pox got off in the city of Sumter.
This they saw to. and when the con-
ductor insisted. they mildly told him
that they would tie his train down to
the track and keep IL there all day
for him. The conductor objected to
this even more than carrying on the
cases of small pox which were in the
smoking apartment OF the colored
coach. The matter was finally settled
~ e"C NodCh pShiS run OUTSIDE the
city limits and left on a side track
while the rest of the train pulled out
for Columbia.
Health officer Towles kept a strict
quarantine on the coach all yester-
day until last night when the evening
train pulled out. The coach with the
two small pox patients was attached
to II and the health officer rode as
far as the city limits TO see that the
train did not stop and that the two
undesirable citizens were taken to
their home town. or to some place
where they were wanted more than
they were I'm Sumter