Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 169, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 July 1915 — Page 2

The SCARIET PLAGUE

by JACK LONDON

CHAPTER lll—Continued. •‘An hour later, at a window on the ground floor, 1 heard pandemonium break out In the camps of the prowlers. There were cries and screams, and shots from many pistols. As we afterward conjectured, this fight had been precipitated by an attempt on the part of those that were well to drive out those that were sick. At any rate, a number of the plaguestricken prowlers escaped across the campus and drifted against our doors. We warned them back, but they cursed us and discharged a fusillade from their pistols. Professor Merryweather, at one of the windows, was Instantly killed, the bullet striking him squarely between the eyes. We opened fire in turn, and all the prowlers fled away with the exception of 'three. One was a woman. The plague was on them and they were reckless. Like foul fiends, there in the red glare from the skies, with faces biasing, they continued to curse us and fire at us. One of the men I shot with my own hand. After that the other man and the woman, still cursing us, lay down under our windows, where we were compelled to watch them die of the plague. “The situation was critical. The explosions of the powder magazines had broken all the windows of the Chemistry building, so that we were exposed to the germs from the corpses. The sanitary committee was called upon to act, and it responded nobly. Two men were required to go out and remove the corpses, and this meant the probable sacrifice of their own lives, for, having performed the task, they were not to be permitted to reenter the building. One of the professors, who was a bachelor, and one of the under-graduates volunteered. They bade good-by to us and went forth. They were heroes. They gave up their lives that four hundred others might live. After they had performed their work, they stood for a moment, at a distance, looking at us wistfully. They they waved their hands in farewell and went away slowly across the campus toward the burning city.

“And yet It was all useless. The next morning the first one of us was smitten with the plague—a little nurse girl in the family of Professor Stout It was no time for weak-kneed, sentimental policies. On the chance that she might be the only one, we thrust her forth from the building and commanded her to be gone. She went away slowly across the campus wringing her hands and crying pitifully. We felt like brutes, but what were we to do? There were four hundred of ns, and individuals had to be sacrificed.

“In one of the laboratories three families had domiciled themselves, and that afternoon we found among them no less than four corpses and seven cases of the plague in all its different stages.

“Then it was that the horror began. Leaving the dead lie, we forced the living ones to segregate themselves In another room. The plague began to break out among the rest of us, and as fast as the symptoms appeared, we sent the stricken ones to these segregated rooms. We compelled them to walk there by themselves, so as to avoid laying hands on them. It was heartrending. But still the plague raged among us, and room after room was filled with the dead and dying. And so we who were yet clean retreated to the next floor, and to the next, before this sea of the dead, that, room by room and floor by floor, inundated the building.

“The place became a charnel house, and in the middle of the night the survivors fled forth, taking nothing with them except arms and ammunition and a heavy store of tinned foods. We camped on the opposite side of the campus from the prowlers, and, while some stood guard, others of us volunteered to scout into the city in quest of horses, motor cars, carts and wagons, or anything that would carry out provisions and enable us to emulate the banded workingmen I had seen fighting their way out to the open country. “I was one of these scouts, and Doctor Hoyle, remembering that his motor car had been left behind in his home garage, told me to look for it We scouted In pairs, and Dombey, a young undergraduate, accompanied me. We had to cross half a mile of the residence portion of the city to get to Debtor Hoyle’s home. Here the buildings stood apart, in the midst of trees and grassy lawns, and here the fires had played freaks, burning whole blocks, skipping blocks, and often skipping a single in a block. And here, too, the prowlers were still at their work. We carried our automatic pistols openly In our hands, and looked desperate enough, forsooth, to keep them from attacking us. But at Doctor Hoyle’s house the thing happened. Untouched by fire, even as we to it the smoke and flames burst torth. "Tbm miscreant who had set fire to

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It staggered down the steps and out along the driveway. Sticking out of his coat pockets were bottles of whisky, and he was very drunk. My first Impulse was to shoot him, and I have never ceased regretting that I did not Staggering and maundering to himself, with bloodshot eyes and a raw and bleeding slash down one side of his bewhlskered face, he was altogether the most nauseating specimen of degradation and filth 1 had ever encountered. I did not shoot him, and he leaned against a tree on the lawn to let us go by. It was the most absolute, wanton act. Just as we were opposite him, he suddenly drew a pistol and shot Dombey through the head: The next instant I shot him. But It was too late. Dombey expired without a groan, immediately. I doubt If he ever knew what had happened to him. .

“Leaving the two corpses, I hurried on past the burning house to the garage, and there found Doctor Hoyle’s motor car. The tanks were filled with gasoline, and it was ready for use. And it was in this car that I threaded the streets of the ruined city and came back to the survivors on the campus. The other scouts returned, but none had been so fortunate. Professor Fairmead had found a Shetland pony, but the poor creature, tied in a stable and abandoned for days, was so weak from want of food and water that it could carry no burden at all. Some of the men were for turning it loose, but I insisted that we should lead It along with us, so that, if we got out of food, we would have It to eat “There were forty-seven of us when we started, many being women and children. The president of the faculty, an old man to begin with, and now hopelessly broken by the awful happenings of the past week, rode in the motor car with several young children and the aged mother of Proses-

The Miscreant Who Had Set Fire to It Staggered Down the Steps.

sor Fairmead. Wathope, a young professor of English, who had a grievous bullet wound in his leg, drove the car. The rest of us walked, Professor Fairmead leading the pony. “Our progress was painfully slow. The women and children could not walk fast They did not dream of walking, my grandsons, in the way all people walk today. In truth, none of us knew how to walk. It was not until after the plague that I learned really to walk. So it was that the pace of the slowest was the pace of ail, for we dared not separate on account of the prowlers. There were not so many now of these human beasts of prey. The plague had already well diminished their numbers, but enough still lived to be a constant menace to us. Many of the beautiful residences were untouched by fire, yet smoking rains were everywhere. The prowlers, too, seemed to have got over their insensate desire to burn, and it was more rarely that we saw houses freshly on fire. “Several of us scouted among the private garages in search of motor cars and gasoline. But in this we were unsuccessful. The first great flights from the cities had swept all such utilities away. Calgan, a fine young man. was lost in this work. He was shot by prowlers while crossing a lawn. Yet this was our only casualty, though once a drunken brute deliberately opened fire on all of us. Luckily, he fired .wildly, and we shot him before he had done any hurt “At Fruitvale, still In the heart of the magnificent residence soctlon at

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

the city, the plague again smote as. Professor Fairmead was the victim. Making signs to us that his mother was not to know, he turned aside into the grounds of a beautiful mansion. He sat down forlornly on the steps of the front veranda, and I, having lingered, waved him a last farewell. That night, several miles beyond Fruitvale and still In {he city, we made camp. And that night we shifted camp twice to get away from our dead. In the morning there were thirty of us. I shall never forget the president of the faculty. During the morning’s march his wife, who was walking, betrayed the fatal symptoms, and when she drew aside to let us go on he insisted on leaving the motor car and remaining with her. There was quite a discussion about this, hut in the edd we gave in. It was Just as well, for we knew not which ones of us, if any, might ultimately escape. “That night, the second of our march, we encamped beyond Haywards in the first stretches of country. And in the morning there were eleven of us that lived. Also, during the night, Wathope, the professor with the wounded leg, deserted us in the motor car. He took with him his sister and his mother and most of our tinned provisions. It was that day, in the afternoon, while resting by the wayside, that I saw the last airship t shall ever see. The smoke was much thinner here in the country, and I first sighted the ship drifting and veering helplessly at an elevation of two thousand feet. What had happened I could not conjectrue, but even as we looked we saw her bow dip down lower and lower. Then the bulkheads of the various gas chambers must have burst, for, quite perpendicular, she fell like a plummet to the earth. And from that day to this I have not seen another airship. Often and often, during the next few years, I scanned the sky for them, hoping against hope that somewhere in the world civilization had survived. But It was not to be. What happened with us in California must have happened with everybody everywhere. "Another day, and at Niles there were three of us. Beyond Niles, in the middle of the highway, we found Wathope. The motor car had broken down, and there, on the rugs which they had spread on the ground, lay the bodies of his sister, his mother and himself. “Wearied by the unusual exercise of continual walking, that night I slept heavily. Canfield and Parsons, my last companions, were dead of the plague. Of the four hundred that sought shelter in the Chemistry building, and of the forty-seven that began the march, I alone remained —I and the Shetland pony. Why this should be so there is no explaining. I did not catch the plague, that is all. I was immune. I was merely the one lucky man in a million—just as every survivor was one in a million, or, rather, in several millions, for the proportion was at least that.

"For two days I sheltered In a pleasant grove where there had been no deaths. days, while badly depressed and believing that my turn would come at any moment, nevertheless I rested and recuperated. So did the pony. And on the third day, putting what small store of tinned provisions I possessed on the pony’s back, I started on across a very lonely land. Not a live man, woman or child did I encounter, though the dead were everywhere. Food, however, was abundant. The land then was not as it is now. It was all cleared of trees and brush, and it was cultivated. The food for millions of mouths was growing, ripening and going to waste. From the fields and orchards I gathered vegetables, fruits and berries. Around the deserted farmhouses I got eggs and caught chickens. And frequently I found supplies of tinned provisions in the storerooms. “A strange thing was what was taking place with all the domestic animals. The chickens and ducks were the first to be destroyed, while the pigs were the first to go wild, followed by the cats. Nor were the dogs long in adapting themselves to the changed conditions. There was a veritable plague of dogs. They devoured the corpees, barked and howled during the nights, and in the daytime slunk about In the distance. As the time went by I noticed a change In their behavior. At first they were apart from one another, very suspicious and very prone to fight, but after a not very long while they began to come together and run in packs. The dog, you see, always was a social animal, and this was true before ever he came to be domesticated by man. In the last days of the world, before the plague, there were many, many very different kinds of doga—dogs without hair and dogs with warm fur, dogs so small that they would make scarcely a mouthful for other dogs that were as large as mountain lions. Well, all the small dogs, and the weak types, wertf killed by their fellows. Also, the very large ones were not adapted for the wild llfef and bred out. As a result the many different kinds of dogs disappeared,, and there remained only, running in packs, the medium-sized wolfish dogs that you know today. “The horses also went wild and ill the fine breeds we had degenerated Into the small mustang you know today. The cows likewise went wild, as did the pigeons and the sheep. And that a few of the chickens survived you know yourself. But the wild chicken of today is quite a different ♦htn g from the chickens we had In those days." "r CTO BE CONTINUED.)

Washington Healthy State.

The state of Washington shows the smallest death rate of any of the United Staten.

TEMPERAMENT A DRAWBACK TO PLAYERS

Benny KaufT, the Ty Cobb of the Federal league, seems to have developed considerable temperament since the close of the 1914 campaign. The wonderful Brookfield player had several clashes with the arbiters prior to the rumpus with Umpire Johnstone a short time ago which was indirectly the cause of his leap across the Brooklyn bridge. His actions on the field, are taken as further evidence of the ailment that some folk think afllicts Heine Zim of the Cubs and other baseball “prima donnas.” There’s no gainsaying the fact that Benny is a great ball player. His batting, base running and fielding feats of 1914 with the Indianapolis cham-

NOTES of the DIAMOND

Manager Fred Clarke now persists that the Pirates will finish in the first four. • • • Heine Zimmerman Is neutral In everything except when it comes to fighting. * • * Jack Coombs is said to have done much to restore harmony among the Dodgers. • • • Pat Donovan is one of the few baseball men never released as manager of the Cleveland team. * * * Getz supplanted Schultz at third base for Robinson’s men because the latter is said to have lost his nerve. • • • So far Ty Cobb hasn’t missed a game this year. He is keeping out of scraps when away from the ball field. • * • Manager Herzog refuses to speak to Umpire Rigler. He will publish a red book justifying his attitude in the matter. • * • “Umpire Rigler is weak on curve balls,” charge Cincinnati players. “So are a lot of Cincinnati batsmen,” agrees everybody. • • • This Mr. Dale of the Reds seems to be coming along. He shut out the Braves last week and the previous week he beat Alexander. • • • * ' Pat Ragan has done nothing to help the Braves and President Ebbets says thpt he acted wisely when he asked waivers on the Irish-Mexican. • • • The International league games are drawing such small crowds that the baseball sharps fear that something direful will happen before midsummer. * • * The failure of the St. Louis Browns to take a prominent position in the race is a hard blow to Branch Rickey, who Is said to be on the verge of nervous prostration. * • , • “The White Sox,” says Griffith, “are playing far beyond their speed.” So everyone said about the Braves last summer. But you may recall what happened under the strain. • • * Every time Seaton of the Brookfeds is knocked out of the box President Baker of the Phillies thinks of the SB,OOO salary the once famous pitcher Is drawing from the Wards. • • • John Lobert has written an article on £olf- There may be difference of opinion regarding wae of his statements, but everybody will agree with him when he says, “A golf ball is smaller than a baseball.”

plons were marvelous. KaufT compiled averages in various branches of the national pastime that made the records of Tyrus Raymond Cobb and other leading lights look positively commonplace. .Not only that, but he threatened to eclipse his brilliant 1914 labor this season —that is, until the symptoms of temperament were discovered. Temperament is a terrible drawback to any ball player, especially for a guy whc throws and bats with his fork hand. It- is a sad, but actual fact that the majority of eccentrio characters of the diamond are lefthanders. And a temperamental southpaw is something else again.

DAVY JONES QUITS DIAMOND

Former Tiger Has Given Up Spangles and Will Devote Time Henceforth to His Business.

Chalk up another closing chapter for a veteran of the diamond. Davy Jones, ex-Tiger and ex-Rebel, has • given up the spangles and announced that henceforth all his time will be given over to his business in Detroit. President E. W. Gwinner said that Jones made a settlement with the Pittsbui%h club, receiving $1,200 to give up his contract, which was for this season

Davy Jones.

only. He admitted to the official that he could not play six games a week, and would rather quit altogether than draw money for bench warming. He has been injured frequently this season and has not been of much use to his club.

That Terrible Trio of Detroit.

With Cobb, Crawford and Veach breaking down fences. Detroit will be a hard ball club to stop this year. Last season the Athletics overhauled the Tigers, but the Mackmen are in no condition to protest this year.

Pittsburgh Fans Wake Up.

In Pittsburgh the fans are beginning to rally to the support of the Pirates. The recent good work of the team has enthused some of the old-timers so that they think there is some show to get back on to the baseball map.

Stallings Praises Dodgers.

George Stallings, after lamping the Dodgers and the Phillies, says the Dodgers are by far the better team and that he can’t see where the Quaker City team is going to stick it out.

Eddie Collins' Good Work.

Eddie Collins so far this season has averaged more than one base on balls to the game and if the pitchers don’t get them over better for him he Is likely to break all pan records.

FARRELL AS A COACH

Played Prominent Part fn Development of Donovan. Few Men Better Qualified to Act as Tutor Than Old-Time Catcher of Giants 7—Was Backstop for Amos Russia and Meekln. A strange coincidence about Charles "Duke” Farrell’s position as coach for the Yankee pitchers is the fact that it was none other than he who played a prominent part in tjie development of “Bill” Donovan as a twirler. ) When Donovan broke in with Washington in 1898 Farrell was doing the catching for the team and it was his coaching as much as Donovan’s ability that helped Donovan to later cut such a prominent figure in the pennant chases of the Detroit Tigers. Donovan and Farrell were also battery mates in Brooklyn in 1899 and 1900. There are few men better qualified to act as coaches than “Duke” Farrell.

"Duke” Farrell.

When he was with the old Giants he used to catch Rusie and Meekin, and when his playing days were over he acted as a coach for the Yankees in 1909 and part of 1910. , In 1913 he was with the Boston Red Sox in the same capacity.

TIME TO PACK THE BAT BAG

Manager Griffith Receives Severe Jolt When He Thinks He Has Game Securely Tied Up.

“Never count your chickens before they’re hatched.” This is a little rule that Clark Griffith ought to paste In his hat. (Griffith was so absolutely sure that the Nationals would win out after they piled up a seven-run lead at the close of the sixth inning of a game played with the Detroita last season, that he refused to be disturbed when the Tigers got to one Mr. Engle in the seventh for a trio of runs.

' Then in the eighth he allowed the much-distressed Engle to fill up the bags again before sending in Hughes. Moriarty, the first man to face Hughes, got a double and brought in three runs, putting the Tigers just one run behind Washington. '/ In the ninth inning after the Nationals had their turn at bat Griffith ordered the bat boy to get out the black bag and made other preparations for departure as if he were certain that" the train would leave on time. The bats were all packed away and the players on the bench were standing up with their excess luggage In their hands when Gandil’s error allowed the run that tied the score. In the extra inning the Tigers pasted up the winning tally. Moral. —Never pack the bat bag until the last man is out

Careful of Throwing Arm.

Manager Hughey Jennings is opposed to his men using their throwing arms when necessity does not compel it The Tiger leader believes that a good many promising ball players are ruined before their time because of the practice of warming up when they should be sitting on the bench taking things easy. Hughey insists that his ball playing days were shortened by five years because of the habit of pitching for hours before a game. “Cobb has spoiled his arm by pitching before each game and doing a lot of unnecessary throwing,” says Jennings. “Ty had one of the greatest arms I have ever seen when he came to Detroit, but he overtaxed the cords and the muscles and lost much of his strength.”

Chicago Baseball Mad.

Chicago is baseball mad once more. The success of the Cubs and the White Sox has stirred np the bugs of the Windy city like they were in 1906, when the two Chicago teams played for the world’s championship. The Cubs and the Sox will be big moneymakers this year If they keep np their fast work.