The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1915-01-22

It to the meteorological test. A man
without any visible symptoms may be
full OF the leprosy baciiii."
~Then you or ], for all we know" /
suggested. may be full Of II now"
kersdale shrugged his shoulders
and laughed.
who can say? II takes seven years
for Il to incubate. II you have any
doubts go and see Doctor Hervey.
Hall lust snip out a piece OF your
skin and let you know in a iiny."
Later on he introduced me to Doctor
Hsryey. who loaded me down with
board Of health reports and pamphlets
on the subject, and took me out 20
Kaiihi, the Honolulu receiving station,
where suspects were examined and
confirmed lepers were held for de-
~portation to Molokai. These deporta-
tions occurred about onoe a month,
when, the last good-bys said, the
lNpers we're marched on board the III.
tie steamer. the Noeau, and carried
down to the settlement.
One afternoon, writing letters at the
club, Jack Kersdale dropped in on me.
lust the man ! want to see" was
his greeting. "Ill show you the seddest
aspect OF the whole situation-the
lepers wailing as they depart for
MolOkai. The Noeau will be taking
them on board In a few minutes. But
let me warn you not to let your feel
ings be narrowed. Real as their grief
is, they'd wall a whole sight harder a
year hence II the board Of health tried
to take them from Molokai, We've
just time for a whisky and soda. I've
a carriage outside. II won't take W
five minutes to get down to the wharf
To tine wharf we drove. Some forty
sad wretches, amid their mats. blank,
cts and luggage OF various sorts, were
squatting on the stringer piece. The
Noeau had Just arrived, and was max
ing fast to a lighter that lay between
her and the wharf. A Mr.. McVeigh
the superintendent Of the settlement
vas overseeing the embarkation, and
to him | was introduced, also to Doc
tor Georges, one Of the board II health
physicians whom | had already met al
Kalihi. The lepers we're a w%oebegon'
lot. But here and there | noticed fair
ly ~good-looking persons, with no ap
parent signs Of the fell disease upor
them. One, | noticed. n little white
girl, not more than twelve, with blu'
eyes and golden hair. One cheek
however, showed the sign. On my re
marking upon the sadness of her alier
situation among the brown.skinnei
afflicted ones, Doctor Georges replied
"Oh. | don't know. It's d happy da!
in her life. She comes from Kauai
Her father is a brute. Aud now tina
she has developed the disease, she 4
going to Join her mother at the settle
ment. Her mother was sent dow
there three years ago-a cry baI
case"
you can't always tell from appeal
ances," Mr.. McVeigh explained. "Tha
man there, that big chap, who look
the pink OF condition with nothing III
matter with him. | happen to know
has a mark on his foot and another o
his shoulder blade. Then there ar
others-there, see that girls hand. III
n who Is smoking the cigarett,
See her twisted fingers. That's N
anesthetic form. It attacks IN
nerves. You could cut her fingers o
with a duh knife, or rub them on On
nutmeg crater and she would not ei
perience the slightest sensation"
Eyes, but that fns-iooking womai
there" / persisted; surely. ther
can't be anything the matter with he
, She is too glorious and gorgeous q
together"
"A sad case,' Mr.. McVeigh Al
swered over his shoulder, alread