Tag Archives: Clay County

Smallpox Epidemic, Part XLVII

Three New Cases at Clay City.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
CLAY CITY, Ind., March 9. – Three new cases of smallpox have been reported this week. These are the first for several days, and as the quarantine seems to be pretty well in hand it is believed the city soon will be rid of the scourge. There are but four or five houses in town carded at present. It is announced that Sunday schools and the churches will open on the 11^th inst.

“Thre New Cases at Clay City,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 10 March 1900, p. 2, col. 6; digital image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).

Smallpox Epidemic, Part XXXIX

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Case of Smallpox at Staunton.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
BRAZIL, Ind., Geb. 24. – Smallpox has broken out in a new locality in Clay county. Last night the young son of Elijah Latta, living at Staunton, four miles west of Brazil, became violently ill, and the attending physician has pronounced it a case of genuine smallpox of a more severe type than that prevailing at Clay City. The town has been quarantined and the excitement is intense.

“Case of Smallpox at Staunton,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 25 February 1900, p. 5, col. 5; digital image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).

Smallpox Epidemic, Part XXXVII

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QUARANTINE IS FARCICAL.
Smallpox Situation Steadily Growing
Worse – Change of Sentiment

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
CLAY CITY, Ind., Feb. 23. – The so-called quarantine for smallpox at this place seems to be a miserable failure in every respect, except in the way of killing business and saddling on the town an enormous debt. Person broken out with the disease get out on the street and mingle with the crowd, and the only action taken so far to prevent a repetition of the act has been to send them home on a promise to be good.

A pesthouse was rigged up several weeks ago, but no person has been required to occupy it yet, thought the quarantine has been violated repeatedly. Many person have been released from quarantine while covered with sores, and permitted to go on the streets and into places of business while in this condition. Persons who do not care to come in contact with the disease have frequently been compelled to go out of their way or retreat from such cases.

It is reported that butter is being brought to market from farmhouses where there are smallpox patients.

All the practicing physicians, except Dr. Wolfe, now agree that the disease is smallpox. There seems to be a much greater per cent of bad cases now than formerly. Public opinion has undergone quite a change since Dr. Hurty first pronounced the disease smallpox. Then he was denounced as an alarmist and a crank. Now almost everybody says he is right and that an “effective” quarantine would be the proper thing. About a dozen houses have been carded within the last week, and unless more stringent measures are resorted to it will be a long time till the disease is stamped out.

“Quarantine Is Farcical,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 24 February 1900, p. 2, col. 5; digital image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).

Smallpox Epidemic, Part XXXVI

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APPEAL FROM CLAY CITY.
Board of Health Asked to Enforce
Quarantine Regulations.

Six new cases of smallpox were reported to the State Board of Health from Clay City yesterday. One new case has appeared in Delaware county and one in Vermillion county. The board also received an appeal from Clay City asking that the quarantine regulations in that place be enforced. It is claimed by those who signed the appeal that the regulations are being utterly disregarded; that person afflicted with the disease are permitted on the streets, and that the cards put up by the local health officers are immediately torn down.

“Appeal From Clay City,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 23 February 1900, p. 8, col. 1; digital image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).

Smallpox Epidemic, Part XXXIII

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DEATH FROM SMALLPOX
Second One Occurs at Clay City – Sev-
eral New Cases Reported.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
BRAZIL, Ind., Feb. 19. – Mrs. Sarah Reed, aged thirty-five years, who lived at Clay City, died to-day of confluent smallpox. This is the second death in this county from the disease.

Several new cases have been reported in Clay City, and it is feared that it will prove more malignant than the disease has been in the past.

“Death From Smallpox,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 20 February 1900, p. 2, col. 5; digital image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).

Smallpox Epidemic, Part XXXI

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CRIMINAL INDIFFERENCE.
Attitude of the Clay City People to
the Smallpox Epidemic.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
CLAY CITY, Ind., Feb. 16. – New cases of smallpox are of almost daily occurrence in this vicinity, owing largely to indifference to the disease. This indifference is partly accounted for in the fact that only one death has occurred and in the additional fact that some professional men and many of the nonprofessional stoutly maintain that it is not smallpox and not dangerous. Several family, released after about two weeks’ quarantine, have been quarantined a second time owing to other members of the family having contracted the disease. Cases have existed in some families for days before being reported to the health officer, the father of one of these families going to and from his home and attending to business down town as usual.
One young man, sent home on the 15^th of January, all broken out with the disease, was at work in his shop, as usual, on the 27^th.
Last Saturday a man thickly broken out stood in the postoffice lobby, along with fifty or more persons.
The persons quarantined at G. J. Kaysor’s continue to drink from a dipper chained to a pump at the sidewalk for the accommodation of the public.
A young man named Drummond was running about the streets last week, thickly broken out, and had to be forced to go home and the house carded.
There are many other cases like those mentioned.
W. T. Damer, quarantined for twenty-one days, and sick throughout the period, was released on the 14^th inst. He was literally covered with the eruptions. For many days Mr. Damer could not stand. Many cases like his could be cited.
It is reported that between twenty-five and thirty houses in the township, outside of Clay City, are carded, and somewhat fewer in town, which shows a large decrease for the town. The township schools, including Middlebury, a mile away, reopened on the 12^th inst. There were three new cases in Middlebury the first of the week, but the disease is being rapidly checked there.

“Criminal Indifference,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 17 February 1900, p. 2, col. 3; digital image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).

Smallpox Epidemic, Part XXVIII

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CLAY CITY SCHOOLS
Will Probably Open Again Monday –
Calls for Virus.

The Clay City schools, which have been closed for weeks on account of the smallpox epidemic which has been raging in that city, will probably be opened next Monday. The State Board of Health has forwarded instructions to that effect, with the proviso that no child shall be admitted unless vaccinated, and further that none shall be admitted from infected families.

The Portland Board of Health has asked the State Board of Health for vaccine virus and will order the vaccination of school children.

Smallpox Patient Released.

The Board of Public Health Thursday ordered the removal of N. C. Burnham from the pesthouse to his home, No. 330 North Beville avenue. He was the smallpox patient confined at the City Hospital contagious disease pavilion and was declared to be cured of the disease. His wife, who was with him and helped to nurse him, was also allowed to go home with her husband.

“Clay City Schools,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 10 February 1900, p. 8, col. 3; digital image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).

Smallpox Epidemic, Part XXVII

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NOT SO MANY CASES
Rigor of Quarantine Checks Smallpox
at Clay City.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
CLAY CITY, Ind., Feb. 9. – There has been a perceptible decrease in the number of smallpox cards within the last week, due to the great stringency of the quarantine. Owing to the mildness of the disease a few persons fail to give Health Officer Modesitt the support due him. At one place where quarantine exists the persons quarantined drink from a dipper chained to a pump on the sidewalk, and many other persons drink from the same dipper. A few who have not had the disease deliberately go into quarantined places for milk and butter. The Griffith family was quarantined on account of a boy fourteen years old. The quarantine was lifted at the end of fourteen days, and a few days later it was accidentally discovered that the boy’s father and mother were sick, and again the house was carded. To-day the boy was running about the streets in the south part of town. He was reported to the health officer, who will take steps that will prevent a repetition of the act and perhaps deter others from doing the same thing.

A young man named Drummond was on the streets Tuesday broken out with the disease and several persons chased him away. On the following day the house was carded. It is reported that the quarantine will be made more rigid from this time on. The disease has been in about 150 families, and it is estimated that it will average three cases to a family.

Soldiers’ Home Quarantined.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
DANVILLE, Ill., Feb. 9. – On account of a well-developed case of varioloid in the Danville National Soldiers’ Home that institution was put under rigorous quarantine at 6 o’clock this evening.

“Not So Many Cases,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 10 February 1900, p. 5, col. 5; digital image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).

Smallpox Epidemic, Part XXVI

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BETTER CONDITIONS
Prevail at Clay City Now in Regard
to Smallpox

The State Board of Health received a letter from Dr. Modesitt, health officer of Clay City, in which he states that the local Board of Health is gradually conquering the epidemic, and he thinks it will only be a short time until the disease will be thoroughly eradicated from the town. As evidence of the good work that has been done by a close observance of the quarantine laws, Dr. Modesitt states that, on Jan. 25, there were sixty-five houses which were quarantined in Clay City, and one hundred patients, whereas, on Feb. 8, there were but forty houses quarantined, with seventy-one cases.

Four Cases at Albany

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
PORTLAND, Ind., Feb. 8. – At a conference of the City Council, School Board and county and city health officers, held in the Council room to-day, measures were taken to have a rigid quarantine in effect against the town of Albany, where four cases of smallpox are said to exist. The School Board was also directed to have all pupils vaccinated. Two persons – Mrs. Guy Gilbert and Miss Clara Smith – have come in from Albany, both being placed in quarantine until all danger of contagion is past. Officers have been posted to watch the trains and roads.

“Better Conditions,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 8 February 1900, p. 8, col. 4; digital image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).

Smallpox Epidemic, Part XXIII

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BOARD IS HELPLESS

Nothing to Prevent Spread of Disease
in Washington County.

Dr. Mayfield, of Washington county, yesterday reported to the State Board of Health that the County Council of that county had refused to vote an appropriation to pay the expenses of suppressing the smallpox epidemic in the county. As a consequence the hands of the Washington county board of health are completely tied and nothing is being done to prevent the spread of the disease. Gibson township, includes the town of Lesterfield, is thoroughly infected with the disease, and owing to the action of the County Council the guards have been withdrawn, engendering a great danger to the State. It is possible that the County Council will be mandated and compelled to enforce the health laws, in which case the county would be put to an additional expense.

The State Board of Health has served orders on the board of health at Clay City which contain specific directions for the procedure of the board in eradicating the disease. One new case of smallpox was reported to the State Board of Health yesterday from Laporte county and one case from Allen County.

“Board is Helpless,” The Indianapolis Journal (Indianapolis, Indiana), 6 February 1900, p. 8, col. 4; digital image, Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 6 December 2014).