Evening star., 1920-03-27
LEPER ALLEGESHE
SUFFERED IN ARMY
Willard CentIivre Found Here.
Seeks Government
Attention.

Attentl0n.
It was a pitiful story OF alleged hu-
man suffering and torture which Will
lard Centlivre. a leper. who WAS dis
covered here yesterday. told a Star re-
porter today as they sat upon the
porch of Supt. Miller's house at the
District quarantine.
Centlivre is twenty-one years old.
an ex-soldier. and. according to his
own story. is from New Orleans. La
According to Centlivre the sole pur-
pose of his visit TO Washington is to
interest the government authorities in
his case and obtain back pay, a PEN
sion and care for the future.
centlivre claims that he Was a per
he Army at New Orleans April 4.
1917. having passed the physical ex-
animation according to military regu-
iations-
Reported to Array Doctor.
Noticing a few spots on his body
during the latter part of August of
that year. he reported to Capt McCue.
surgeon in charge OF Camp Nichols.
La. where he was then stationed. and
according to the leper he was told
that hard work and a sweating pro-
cess was all that was needed TO cure
him of his blood disease" and was
straightway put to the hardest kind
of abor.
He was then transferred to Camp
Peauregard. La. where. he says. he re-
ported his condition to the authorities.
and was again told that hard work
. and sweating would soon make him
well. Unable to do the work as
signed him and frequently being
overcome from sick spells. he then
reported to the base hospital. where.
according TO his story. he was kept
for two weeks without any attention
being paid TO him.
Disguised and homesick he deserted
from the Army later and was away
from his organization for eight
months when he was arrested on
charges of being A. w. o. J.. He was
sentenced to serve six months at
Jackson barracks. New Orleans. and
to lose two-thirds of his pay.
While at Vhe latter place. Centlivre
says he was ordered to do the hard
est work in the barracks. buryfng
oead horses. digging bitches. etc. and
when he rebelled was strapped to a
| bed spring placed in the sun. with
| hot sand banked around his body until
he promised to work.
On another occasion the leper
claims he was stretched at arms
length with feet SO placed that his
whole weight rested on his arms. this.
| too. was because he was unable to
do the hard work prescribed for his
disease. he said.
Centlivre said he can name the men
! who tortured" him.
Returned to His Home.
Finally making his escape, he re-
| turned to his home in New Orleans TO
| see a doctor. He was again arrested
at Jonesville. La. and after q general
court-martial was sentenced to TWEEN
ty-fve years at hard labor at Fort
| Leavenworth. Kan.
He arrived at Leavenworth July II.
1918. and was again told that hard
1 labor was the only cure for his trou
I, BILE.
Here. too. he was unable to per-
form his laborious duties. and was
sent to the disciplinary barracks.
where again. according to him, he
| was strung uD to tree for refusal to
| work
| daily contact with 5000 prisoners, he
said. He was one OF the leaders in
| the prison strike I'm 1919. and subse-
ouently transferred to Alcatraz Is
land, Calf. and from there sent to
Letterman's General Hospital at the
presidio. San Francisco. where after
six months isolation his disease was
first diagnosed as leprosy.
He was then shipped to the Louis
! lana Leper Home at Carville. Ia. and
"
! capped and came to Washington.
Centlivre says he always Travelled
on Pullman cars. freely associated
! with people, and on his arrival in this
city stopped the first night at
boarding house on 1st street
Family Lives in New Orleans.
| His mother, Georgianna Centlivre:
two small brothers and a sister live
| at 1926 Chartres street New Orleans,
and. according to him. ii 10 that they
! might receive the back pay due him
| and pension that he made the trip
here.
Centlivre is being given every at
tention by the District authorities.
although DR.. w. c. Fowler. the health
officer. is making every EFFORT to have
him sent back to Louisiana.
DIR. Fowler said today that Cent
livre was born and reared in New
Orleans and said he sees no reason
why the District of Columbia should
undertake the burden Of caring for
him. DIR. Fowler said he would con-
fer later in the day with officials Of
the United States public health Serv-
ice in an effort to have the man re-
turned to Louisiana.
walked Into Public Clinic.
Centlivre walked into the public
clinic at 18th street and Ohio avenue
yesterday afternoon about o'clock
and asked for treatment. His face
was covered with the brown spots OF
leprosy.
Health Officer Fowler hurried to the
clinic. and after hearing Centlivre's
statement that he left the Louisiana
leper colony, ordered him sent to the
Gotta ge on the Eastern branch, which
for a. number of years was the home
of John Early the leper.
Centlivre told DR. Fowler he knew
Early who also is in the Louisiana
colony. According to DIR. Fowler
Cenlivre said John Early is planning
to return again to Washington.
The health officer said today that IL
cost the District about $1,000 a year
TO care for John Early. who was here
in the good old days before the high