New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-27
RAVAGES OF THE PLAGUE
Appalling Record of the Historic
Black Death" in England.

The black death! II ever any Two
words have served 10 set terror stalNlh5
abroad In England they have been theSe'
the graphic title of dread pes'i'ehV''
The word plague" has somehow come 10
be Identified almost solely with the great
plague of 1876, possibly by reason OF me
many records and histories Of that par
ticular visitation says The London EN-
press." Yet for hundreds Of years the
plague paid England periodical visits-com-
ing from no one knew where. For CEN
fury. perhaps. the country would 90 free.
The plague might be heard of in other
countries. now in the East, now threaten
ing so near as Amsterdam. And then' WHen
the people had come 10 feel safe suddenly
there would come the pestilence, striking
down it's thousands.
or the first visitation Of the black deat'
| in 1888 many terrible things are related
II broke out in Dorsetshire in August or
that year. From there II moved on to hrs
tol and Worcestershire. Then II maze
sudden appearance I'm OXfordshire. from
there the infection was carried 20 London.
and. while that city was busy with the
burving of its dead, the black death was
sweeping it's way almost over the entire
country.
II IS curious 10 note in connection WIN
the recent outbreak in Suffolk that it was
the eastern counties which. after London
suffered most severely from the visitation
The parsons Of more than eight hundred
parishes in East Anglia were counted
among the victims, and in some cases these
clergy had 10 be replaced not once on W.
ol three times Nineteen OF the religious
houses in Norfolk and Suffolk lost thelr
abbots and priors. ~
Appalling as these figures may be, they
are as nothing 10 the toll taken ny the
black death from the inhabitants OF Lon
don Details of that time Of terror ere
sparse enough, but such records as exist
tel a grim story. STOW. IN MS Chlohlcit
saws that the pestilence so wasted the
people that scarce the tenth person OF all
sorts was left alive. and churchyards We're
rot sufficient TO receive the dead. sun
more startling figures were set down by the
same chronicler and he states that more
than fifty thousand bodies were buried in
one piece Of ground bought for the purpose
by one Sir Walter Nanny, In Spltue Croft
now known as the Charterhouse
The number. no doubt. was exaggerated.
Indeed such death roll would almost
have depopulated London, but II Is lkelL
enough that one-third Of the populauon OF
the whole country were carried of by the
Alter that first visit four more outbreaks
| Of plague sweled the tables OF mortality
/
/ 1870 and l440 IL came again four times ana
/ there were two or three more epidemics
/ before the great plague Of l5e5. 100.
! With these recurring visitatlons some
measures Of precautiOn came into use. IN
/ its earlier stages the plague probably had
much its own way. Such records as exist
/ portray little but q prevalent state OF
panic; and the chronicles reveal nothing u
| any attempt TO stem the pestilence.
II was not until 1888 that there * any
evidence Of an organized attempt TO pre-
vent the spreading Of infection The mt
plague order was issued in That YEAR
among other things a forty DAYS quaran-
/ tine for any house where there was a case
/ Of plague. Those 81 independent means
should keep within doors for ono month
after recovery from plague Others who
could not live without their daily labor
should refrain as much as possible from
/ going abroad and for forty DAYS, when
out and abroad, had 10 carry white wand,
! two feet long. I'm their hands.
F-en in those early DAYS tho possibility
! Of infection from animals was realized, al
/ though there is no evidence Of any cam
paign against rats. II was against domes-
tic animals that precautions were directed
/ most severely. and dogs evidently were re-
/ carded a. source OF danger. One part ~
/ the plague order runs
| THAT all persons having any dogs in
| their house. other than hounds, spaniels or
mastifs. necessary for tho custody or safe
keeping Of their houses. should forthwith
convey them out Of the city or cause them
10 he killed and carried out Of the city and
buried at the common laystall.'
Through all the visits Of the pestilence
dogs were the objects NJ special attention.
Right m ~ the last the dog clause was
found in the plague orders. and by an
order of 1863 cats also seem to have come
under suspicion While some II the pesti-
lenc-s spread all over IL" country. others
were confined almost entirely to IondpI.
From the latter. the LondOner, II hC had
the means might attempt 90 escapc-f
he were allowed Certain Of the authori-
tics had no idea Of spreading the plague
anv further afeld than could be helped.
and Queen Elizabeth for one would not
allow arv emigration irto the country
At the time Of the plague Of 1868 "a gal
lows WAS set mp in the market place Of
windsor TO hang al such as should come
there from London" No wares could he
thought into windsor or even through the
town: any one who tried TO bring goods by
river did so upon pain of hanging without
anv Judgment. and those who received
such goods were turned out and their
houses shut up
Thus II will be seen that those afflicted
sim,Iy had To stay shut ~ within doors TO
die or get well. ms fortune served 'lem.
Even for those who could afford II there
was little in the way Of medical attention
to be had. - .t,
There were the pest houses certainly.
ard tbere evidently surgeons and phvsi-
cians ala their best for the victims. One
~ these. William King, SURGEON to the
nos, house is heard Of as pettionng for
"a nension i'm 1911 on account Of his great
care and diligence in curing such persons
as have been cent thither Because he
had been working there none OF MS former
patients would employ MN, ana Ne can can
scarcely have been recompensed properly
for the loss Of his practice Is grant oi
T. per annum.