Democratic Sentinel, Volume 22, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 November 1898 — A YELLOW FEVER HERO. [ARTICLE]

A YELLOW FEVER HERO.

A Brave Journalist Who Remained at His Post Until Death Claimed Him. Yellow fever has developed some of the world's greatest heroes and heroines. Out of the horror, misery and terror of an epidemic of the dreed disease, there have come characters whose sublime acts of courage and heroism will ever be remembered. During the epidemic lu 1878, thousands of people died, entire cities were depopulated, some of the fairest of Southern efttee almost blotted from the map, and the whole South was demoralized. The epidemic raged fiercely at Memphis, and one of the heroes who gave his life for others was Herbert Landrum. At that time Landrum was city editor of the Memphis Avalanche. When the epidemic broke out'at Memphis he was at Nashville. He left at once for home, and during the rest of life never left the city of death and desolation. Though but 20 years of age, he was among the brightest newspaper men of the country. He had displayed rare ability end talent in bls work and had won a fine reputation as a writer. Memphis at that time had a population of 45,000. This was reduced by flight to 15,000, and strict quarantine stopped the exodus or the city would have been deserted. Of the 15,vvu left In the city 5,000 had the yellow fever. Of the patients, 1,500 died. For weeks the city was shut off from the world. Sickness and death were In every house. The police force was disorganized. Riot and outlawry prevailed, and added to the already overwhelming terror of the situation.

In the midst of this horror Landrum was brave and active. He would labor all day at his newspaper duties and would sit by the side of some suffering patient all night, ministering to wants that were soon to end with death. Every day hundreds would ( die. Thompson, the editor-in-chief of the Avalanche, fell a victim to the dread destroyer. Other members of the staff died or left the city. In a few weeks after the beginning of the epidemic the young city editor was the only member of the staff left The printers had died or refugeed and only one compositor was left. He and Landrum swore to stick to their posts until death tore them away. On a bright September day Jefferson Davis, Jr., was touched by the breath of the disease. True to his friend, Herbert Landrum went to the bedside of the son of the great man whom all the South still loves. For days Landrum was by the side of his friend. Then death came and relieved the devoted watcher. The fever, of course, claimed Landrum. He knew that he w ould have It when he went to watch by Davis, but he was not afraid. He was sick but one day before he began to recover. In a few days he was able to go to work. He went back to his duties and, with the aid of the printer, published the Avalanche. He worked but one day. Then he relapsed. In a low hours he was dead.