Evening star., 1924-11-07
VOLUNTEERS DEFY
TERRORS OF PLAGUE
School Teacher, Minister and
Wife. and Few Others
Fight Dread Disease.

! BY Consolida ted Press.
| LOS ANGELES, November -Four
Americans. who voluntarily impris-
oned themselves within the Quaran-
tine barrier which has been thrown
about plagueswept Little Sonora,
the Mexican quarter of Los Angeles,
today were bringing order and relief
| to it's panicky inmates.
The quartet are Miss Nora Sterry,
principal of the Macy Street School,
which is the center of the district:
the Rev. James G. Doty. pastor Of
! the Baptist mission in Little Sonora;
Mrs. Doty and Miss Clara Nelson, a
mission worker.
With their campaign Of relief and
sanitation well under way, the health
| authorities believe that a strangle
hold has been got on the dread pneu-
monic plague, which already has
caused 25 deaths. and predict that
| the disease will be rapidly stamped
| out.
! The Red Cross flag today flies over
! Miss Sterrys school, where~She hoist
ed 1t, beneath the Stars and Stripes,
as soon as she had been able to talk
her way into the quarantine zone to
! take charge of the relief work. And
| $50 Mexican children. who before had
| regarded Miss Sterry as d sort OF
| extra mother, are Sure-now that
! they see her in her Red Cross uni
form--that she means all that is
good and helpful in the world.
Miss Sterry's ample figure, her gray
! ing hair and her smiling eyes well
become the Red Cross garb, and her
| kindly voice, constant thoughtfulneSs
! and gentle exercise of authority quail
! ify her for the work she elected to do
! at whatever risk to herself
Il spent almost An entire day try
| ing to persuade the authorities to let
ME take over the work." Miss Sterry
said when she found time from her
many tasks to come TO the quaran-
tine rope for an interview. We were
SO much better equipped here at the
! school than the health Office was. We
have complete information on file of
every family in the district, and know
! just what they need. And had been
eNposed--so that didn't matter. School
had been held up to Friday night al
! though the plague had made its ap-
! finally they let me come in and do the
/ work that should be done.
Move Into District.
! Miss Sterry's staff Of three Au,eri
can helpers felt much the same way
about it that she did. The Rev. Mr..
Doty and his wife moved into the
| mission house, although their home is
! outside the district. so that they
could be quarantined and help with
| the relief work. Miss Nelson, who
| was out Of the district when the
! quarantine was established, talk ed
/ her way in to her post of duty. Her
J argument that she. like Miss Sterry,
| already had been exposed finally Won
! for her.
! But Miss Sterry insists that her
staff is not limited to those three.
All the people in the district are
helping she says. They are used
TO coming to the school and doing
| things as a community down here in
Sonoratown.
/ I'VE are housing in the schoolhouse
those persons who live outside. but
were caught within the distric. when
I the quarantine was put INTO effect |
Cots and bedding have been sent in
by the Red Cross. Provisions also
have been sent in, ara we are serving
meals to the hungry here at the
school. The men up there on the steps
arc waiting to get in now. They must
be pretty hungry"
Men Cheer Teacher.
The men in the line sa " her gesture
, toward them and cheered. Miss Sterry
, thought it was because they were
eager for food, but the policeman who
stood by was sure the cheers were for
! Miss Sterry.
We are getting a little volunteer
help that We did not expect and that
did not expect to volunteer" Miss
Sterry said with a twinkle "One
young man came down out of Curl
osity and managed to get inside the
quarantine line. Now he's one of us
A bill collector came on business
! which he felt must be attended to de-
, spite the epidemi The policeman
grinned when he insisted he had to
come in. But the policeman would
not let him out again. He's assigned
now to the diShwashing SQUAD"