The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-05-13
A LETTER FROM INDIA.
IIOSur Remount Depot,
Mattigiri (India).

MaLLlSlTl llnQld).
March Is, 1916.
Dear Rev. Father:
| have been receiving two or three
numbers of The Catholic Bulletin
and | thank you sincerely for having
so generously put me on the compile
mentary list. Though Catholic papers
are gasping for breath, owing to the
scanty support given them by Cath.
olics, yet, you have made a. sacrifice
in favor of poor Indian priest May
your thoughtful and generous deed
help your kind readers to take a
gentle hint and induce them to sup
port a Catholic paper and the Foreign
Missions. You are, dear Father, a
real martyr, to work ever so hard
to get up such an edifying paper as
The Catholic Bulletin in spite of the
little encouragement and support you
must be getting for your zeal.
! In spite of my earnest appeal, my
motorcycle is still in the dreamland.
i have to use my legs and, as John
Walker says, they are still going
strong" | wonder whether | shall
ever ride on a motorcycle ere | take
my long last journey to the land be-
yond the skies. Gods holy will be
done.
There is Bubonic Plague now rag
ing in my district. Almost every
village is infected. Sick calls con-
tinue coming from distant places and
l have to walk miles under a hot
tropical sun to save and console a
poor dying soul. The job is not at
all pleasant. but then we must make
virtue of necessity. God wills it.
Lately | lost six Christians within a
fortnight from plague. During my
missionary life | have witnessed
thousands and personally attended
on as many plague cases; but never
has that dreaded sickness been SO vir-
ulent or deceitful. The infected per-
sons look so well, talk so calmly, that
you would hardly suspect any danger:
but, all of sudden, life becomes ex.
tinct; they are no more; they go off
as they keep talking to you. A less
experienced priest would often delay
giving them Extreme Unction on the
plea that they are not in articulo
mortis. But, as | know this Bubonic
Plague so well, usually finish bust.
ness at the very first sign of danger.
Ihere is no specific against plague,
though incubation is considered a
precaution. Even such as are inoc-.
ulated get plague and in few
cases die from it. Only couple of
days ago a poor boy died of plague.
His father had died some time ago,
and the widow with four children
begged living in a pagan village.
Lately she and her eldest daughter
were attacked with plague and died.
dhus the little ones were left to them.
selves. They were put out of the
Village in an open field int a small
hut in comparison to which kennel
may be saidsto be more comfortable.
and homely. AS darkness came on
and the foxes began to proWl about
the place, the tive little sgfris would
cling. to their brother who was. not
more than10 or II years of age. They
got a little waste food, remnants that
would have otherwise been thrown
away to the dogs when they got food
at all. They often went without any
thing. They had not even a vessel
from WHICH to drink water, as the
pagans, owing to caste prejudices,
would not lend them their own to
touch or handle. And now these
little girls have lost their only sup
port in life. The boy died of plague
and was buried by the roadside. L
wanted to bring these two little girls
away, but sly pagan, one who
carries some influence in that village.
pfetended that, the children were
handed over to..him by their mother.
Inust. therefore, either fight for them
ih ! court Of law or write 10 their