Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-08-01
BODIES DEvOURED BY Dogs
Meravlan Missionary Tells Almost I'm
%believabIe Story of Sufferlngs In
Northern Labrador-Mode Of
Living Is Fatal.

st. Johns, N. F.-Spanish "fu,"
smallpox and measles wiped out more
than one-third of the Eskimo popula-
ton of Labrador during the months Of
November and December Of last year.
The Rev. w. w. Perrett of the Mora
Wan mission at Hopedale, where he
has spent 81 years, reached the New
told an almost unbelievable story Of
the sufferings Of the Eskimos Of north
erp Labrador.
Shortly after the mission ship Har-
mony had left the coast at the begin
ming Of November "nu" broke out at
Hebron and spread rapidly among the
inhabitants. That the disease was
contagious was unknown to the Es-
k!mo, who were living In small huts,
and whole families were affected and
died off. Bishop Martin and those at
the mission did what was possible I'M
der the circumstances, but they, too,
were stricken. and when the epidemic
had passed Its course only eight chill
dren, Ave mt and one man Of the
native population of 100 were living.
Mad Dogs Eat Human Flesh.
At the outbreak the dead were
buried almost as soon as they passed
away, but when the entire settlement
became i'll, the victims were left where
they died, those who had recovered In
the meantime being too weak to lay
them under the ground. Households
who had succumbed n by n were
left unburied, and the dogs, who were
unable to procure food because the
hunters had been all Ill, became mad
and entered the cabins, consuming the
flesh from the bodies of the dead.
When 1t became known that the cpl
demic was raging, some outside assist
ance arrived, and an effort was made
to give the dead Christian burial. The
dogs, however. after consuming the
human flesh, became wild, and it was
impossible to undertake putting the
corpses in the frozen ground. The
next best thing was to bury the corpses
at sea. Before even this could be at
tempted the few remaining at Hebron
were compelled to shoot the dogs, as
even the living were not safe from
them.
While this horror Of death and suf-
fering was going on at Hebron. a like
epidemic was raging at Okak. The
Eskimos, as In Hebron, huddled to-
gether in their small huts, quickly be-
came affected, until the whole popula-
ton was either stricken or dead. The
daily death rate was appalling, whole
families dying within a few hours. The
mission all the while was ~unceasing In
its work for the afflicted. but they also
fell victims to the disease, which
meant that the Eskimns were left help
less. When the new year dawned only
a few emaciated Eskimos were found
to be alive.
Mode Of Living Is Fatal.
MI. Perrett said that when the Eski-
mos were stricken, their mode Of liv-
ing and environment was against their
surviving. As soon as the illness fell
upon them they were obliged to take
shelter In the small, stuffy huts, where
there was neither fresh air nor sun
shine, and here they remained until
they died. They were also without
seal meat and fats, which are neces-
sary for s~ustenance in cold chimes,
having been overtaken by the epidemic
just as the hunting season opened,
and, their constitutions thus weak
ened. they became easy prey to the
scourge. Many who had recovered
from their illness died later for want
of nourishment.