The Ouachita Telegraph - Cholera Epidemic in Ouachita Parish Date: May 2000 Submitted by: Lora Peppers ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, May 31, 1873 Page 3, Column 1 The Cholera. Among the negroes of Monroe and Trenton, both, five or six deaths have occurred, pronounced by the attending physicians, to have resulted from cholera. On Thursday, Mr. Doner, of this city, died of cholera, so we are informed by Dr. Calderwood, the only death, or sickness from cholera, we have heard of, in either Trenton or Monroe, among the whites. To Dr. Calderwood we are indebted for the advice elsewhere published in regard to the treatment of cholera by the New Orleans Board of Health in 1866. We feel no particular alarm about the cases of cholera reported to us. They all are clearly sporadic. Similar cases have occurred in New Orleans and () Monroe, and even west of this () hills. The disease is not epi-(demic) anywhere more than congestion; fevers, or inflammation. The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, June 21, 1873 Page 2, Column 3 The cholera still prevails, but not so fatally, among the colored people. A white man and child died of the disease the past week, brought on by eating unripe fruit and cold vegetables for supper. We have heard of no cases among the better class of citizens. The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, June 21, 1873 Page 3, Column 1 "Old" Henry Burns, a colored man of more than local reputation, died of cholera, in this city, the past week. The event has been commented upon rather extensively, and the general average of opinion seems to be that Henry was a good old darkey whose death is lamented. Burns had his weaknesses, but was above the common run of negroes. He "bought his freedom," and also that of his wife, before the war. He had accumulated some property by stable-keeping, and a little death-bed incident will illustrate how level-headed Henry was on financial questions. Some years ago Burns and Peter James kept stable together. In the course of business, Burns fell into Peter's debt $500. Hearing of Henry's approaching death, Peter repaired to the humble pallet of the dying man, and asked to have his debt acknowledged. The old darkey was far gone — could hear, but could not articulate a word. He had just verbally willed his effects to his wife and daughter. He had never acknowledged Peter's debt. With eternity just before him, but still lingering on this side, old Henry, when asked to confess judgment in favor of Peter, gave a vigorous shake of his head, and in five minutes was no more. Peter says that Burns has gone there. Burns was a brother of Anthony Burns of Boston and fugitive-slave-law notoriety. The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, June 28, 1873 Page 3, Column 2 CONCORDIA. [From the Vidalia Herald.] There has been several deaths in this parish from cholera within the past ten days, about ten persons, young and old, dying from this dreadful scourge on the plantation of Mr. Lambden. The physicians report no new cases, and we hope the disease has run its course. The Ouachita Telegraph Saturday, July 19, 1873 Page 3, Column 2 Mortality in Monroe. We submit the following report handed us by Mr. R. Fullam, sexton, of the deaths in Monroe since the 1st of May. The first case of cholera occurred about the 25th of May, since which time there have been some sixty deaths from that disease. The mortality, otherwise, has averaged about two deaths a week since May 1st, in a population of about 3000. The season, thus far, has been the sickliest known for ten years; but the same report comes from nearly every section of the State, which shows that there is no special local cause to which the sickness can be attributed. REPORT OF SEXTON. Interments in the Monroe cemeteries from May 1, 1873, to July 15, 1873: From May 1st to June 1st — White males ............................................. 2 Females .................................................... 1 Children ................................................... 2 Colored males .......................................... 2 Females .................................................... 1 Children ................................................... 8 From June 1st to July 15th — White males ............................................. 11 Females .................................................... 1 Children ................................................... 3 Colored males .......................................... 10 Females .................................................... 17 Children ................................................... 27 Total whites ..................... 20 Total blacks ..................... 65