The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-07-23
STATUS OF NUNS AT LEPRoSA-
RUM WILL BE DEFlNED-PRoB-
LEM RISES-FEDERAL GOV
EMINENT ! BUYS LOUISIANA
LEPER HoME-LONG CARED FOR
BY CATHOLIC SISTERS.
(By N. Cu w. G. News service.l

near Carville, La, by the United
States government for the purpose of
establishing there a National Lepro-
saEium, has raised some doubts as to
the status of the Sisters of Charity
who have had dharge of that insti-
tuition for about twenty-five years.
Efforts are being made to secure a
definite ruling on this question from
officials of the Public Health Service.
Under the terms of the contract
entered into in 1896 between the Sis
ters and the State Board of Control
| of the Lepers' Home of Louisiana, the
Sisters were given control over the
domestic management of the institu-
tion and were allowed to formulate
necessary disciplinary regulations un.
der the supervision of the board
Since the change in control from the
State to the Federal authorities a few
months ago the former system has
been continued in effect, but without
any definite agreement as to the man.
ner in which the government purposes
| to operate the institution in the future
| The first cases of leprosy Of which
| there is record in Louisiana occurred
in the eighteenth century shortly after
the French Arcadians arrived in that
territory. Since that time the records
of the State show, there has been q
slow increase in the ravages of the
disease, and in 1894 the State Legis
lature passed law creating a State
Board of Control whose office it was
to provide home for the lepers and
attend to their subsequent care. Al
that time there were eight lepers con
fined in the old pest house. of New
Orleans, where the conditions of ex
istence we're, SO wretched that only
those reduced to the direst extremities
could be induced to enter.
| NJ Nuns Were surnmoned. n
The board acquired a lease on the
Indian Camp Plantation in Iberville
parish and utilized the old slave cab
ins which had been neglected since
Civil war days as shelters for the lep
ers. Two years later conditions there
had become so bad that it was appar
ent that drastic means had to bt
taken to prevent the complete fail
ure of the enterprise.
At this juncture, the president o1
the board, DR.. Isadore Dyer, who
though a non-Catholic, was an enthu
i siastic admirer of the Sisters of Char
ity, having been witness for years o.
their work in Charity Hospital, New
| Orleans, proposed fthat the boarC
should endeavor to secure the services
of the Sisters for the Leper Home
In a short time a satisfactory agree
ment was reached, and the Sisters
took over their new charge in April
1 1896.
i The plantation mansion which
had not been inhabited or cared fol
since the Civil War, was reserved fol
the use of the Sisters. The walls o.
the house oozed moisture and gaping
holes in the roof admitted torrents O
rain. Countless snakes from the near
by marshes, which had found hospital
| ity in the mansion for many years
provided perhaps the most severe
trial to the courage of the Sisters, ant
it was many months before all DANCE
from this source had been removed.
| The day after the Sisters took pos
session, Mass was celebrated for tn,
first time in large basement room o
1 tho ha, oP1
ceived the sacraments.
/ Hardships Of the Work.
/ Under these conditions the Sister
worked for eight years. The State hat
only leased the ground and refused t,
appropriate money for repairs or i'm
provements The number of patients
as had been anticipated, steadily in
creased, and to give them the neces
sary attention the Sisters had to un
dergo severe hardships. The cabins
a considerable distance apart, wer,
\ located on low, marshy ground, Gov
cred during eight months Of the yea
with a rank growth Of weeds. Ere
quently the Sisters responded to call
: for their services at night, when tn,
feeble flame of little hand lanterl
furnished scarcely light enough t,
guide them to the sufferers. In time
of drought, water was brought from th,
Mississippi in a barrel and used with
out other means of publication thai
allowing it to settle for few hours
u September 6. 1901, Sister Beatrice
the Sister Servant of the devoted ban,
! of four Sisters who first took charg,
Of the institution, died after frequen
attacks of malaria brought about b,
exposure and hardships in her effort,
to serve the sufferers. She was re
placed at the Home by Sister Bene
dicta Roache, who was transferre,
| from the Orphan Asylum in Reading
Pa
i, In 1901 the Board of Control pur
, chased plantation known as the eek
il horn Place opposite the little town o
j Kenner, and announced its intention
of establishing the permanent hom,
for the lepers there. A storm of pro
!. test and opposition from the RESIDENT
! of that vicinity. eliminating in th,
burning Of all the plantation buildings