The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-04-02
NEGROES Turned
White BY A |
DISEASE
There is No Pain but Victims
often Fail under Suspicious
of Neighhors.

SAVANNAH. Ca. April 1.-sey-
eral negroes in south Georgia are
turning white; that peculiar disease
called vitiligo is affecting them. From
some cause, which medical men can
not explain definitely, they they are
losing the black pigment which col
ors their skin. A negro near East
man has lost all this pigment and 90
is white as any Caucasian. As Uncle
Remus would say, Hes winter dan
town gall" -
Affects the, Town. N
At first vitiligo AFFECTS the skin In
limited areas. Then these spots grow
larger and merge into each other.
Yet the man with the vitiligo can
scarcely be called Sufferer" for he
endures no pain while his color ID
changing. This makes the process
all the more astounding to him and
his neighbors, The superstitious fear
him, the vain envy him, for many
negroes yearn to be white. Charia-
tans and takers take advantage OF
this and travel through the country
selling magic powders" guaranteed
to turn colored people white and
other powders which will take the
friz out Of your hair" e
Several negroes living near Val
dosta are as thickly spotted as Dali
matan dog-the colors are reversed,
of course. One colored man noticed
few white splotches coming be-
tween his fingers and on his neck.
For time he managed to hide them
from the prying eyes Of his people.
Then his fingers turned white. and
white ring around his neck appeared
that looked exactly like q dog collar.
His friends then told him that he
was doomed man. The white mark
around his neck, they said, was q
sign from Heaven that he was to be
hanged and the white fingers foretold
that his execution would follow a
crime in which his hands would play
the guilty part; he would strangle
some one, they prophesied.
~ ~ Loses His Name.
One man lost his name because Of
vitiligo. In the settlement in which
he lives are three men known .as
Babe Jones'" He was the blacklist
Of the three and he became known
as BLACK Babe Jones' The other
two are known as Brown Babe
Jones" and "Yaller Babe Jones'"
BLACK Babe jones', took the
disease and began to get spotted.
His friends changed his name to
Spotted Babe Jones'" Then the
spots merged until the black was
nearly all gone. Now BLACK Babe
Jones" is forgotten name and the
man who claimed 1T is called white
Babe Jones'" III. vi. ae.c 49, >
eVitiligo has been known to. follow
severe attack Of scarlet fever, A
case developed after a colored mans
neck had been deeply indented by
collar button in tight neck band:
another case seemed to be the sequel
Of severe burn. But these may
have been only Condolences. One
the peculiarities. OF .vttiligo Is that
the skin that has turned white will
sunburn very easily, while the black
skin is not affected. lfyo'e
Physicians say this disease occurs
III tropical and semi-tropical coun-
tries oftener than In cooler climates.
Another interesting facti is that 1t af-
fects more half-breeds than those of
pure blood. More negro men have
1t than women. In the West Indias
case is on record In which about half
the mans face was black and shiny,
while the other half was as pink and
tender looking as baby's skin, Civ
ing him a most grotesque appear
ance. 4. ,gery
A daily naner waa RECENTLY is,snad