The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-07-21
DISEASE OF A
STRANGE KIND
CAUSES DEATH
TEN PERSONS ON AN ILLINOIS
FARM ARE DEAD AND DOCTORS
ARE PUZZLED TO DETERMINE
CAUSE.
Special to The Journal.


Mount Vernon, H., July 20.-Joe
Alderman died last night on the God
frey Palm farm, a mile from here, of
the same mysterious malady that
caused the death last week of John
Alderman and the deaths of eight
other persons on the farm within the
last rs years. Physicians are unable
to determine the cause of Joe Acker
mans death, as they were unable to
account for the deaths of John Acker-
man and the others. Animals also
have been affected in the same way
and persisted as the 10 persons have.
The deaths of all 10 are believed to
have been caused by drinking the wa
ter of a polluted well and the milk of
cows that drink impure water, but the
nature of the impurity and the disease
that 1t produces have not been deter
mined.
An entire family, composed of five
persons. is said to have persisted on
the farm about twenty five years ago.
Up to seven or eight years ago the
farm was unoccupied and was regard
ed with awe by the people of the
neighborhood. Then Godfrey Palm
bought it, wrecked the old home and
built a new one and went there to live.
Called Milk Sickness
In 1906 he was stricken with a dis
ease which was said to resemble the
one that had killed the other family
quarter of century before. He be-
came so weak that it was necessary for
the neighbors to look after his crops.
His wife and two children, a boy and
a girl, were stricken with the same
ailment. DR.. wilcox diagnosed the
disease as milk sickness. He had the
well water analysed by the state
chemist, who pronounced it impure but
not dangerous
On the doctors orders the family
stopped drinking water from the well
and using milk from cows pastured
near it. and their health improved.
| Later, however, Palm and his wife and
daughter resumed the use of the water
and milk and their condition again be-
came serious. Palm died Nov. p,
1906. His wife died eight days later
| Their daughter died in May, 1907.
The son, who had not resumed the
use of the water and milk regained
his health entirely and is still living.
When John Alderman moved on the
farm he refrained from drinking the
water from the well, but permitted the
cows to drink it and used their milk.
A few months ago he developed symp-
toms like those that had attended the
illness of the Palms. He died last
week. Joe Ackernaan developed the
disease about the same time and he
survived John Alderman only few
days.
Joe Alderman was cutting oats when
the illness with which he had been suf-
fering for several months became
acute He left his binder standing in
the grain and went home. where he
died few hours later.
All the persons who have died suf-
fered the most intense pain and had a
high temperature. The animals that
died had the same symptoms.
SuIphurous Mist Rises.
At sunrise the mist which rises from
the damp earth on the affected farm
has the odor of sulphur. 1t has been
found that when animals are killed for
food purposes on the farm, the meat
becomes spotted. One theory is that
the infection came from diseased meat
originally.
The malady first shows its presence