• Death Notices
• Other Articles

The Thibodaux Minerva was a newspaper in the City of Thibodaux, Louisiana. These are exact transcriptions, except for the first article (Died), where I cut out some extraneous words.

Died

There have been 13 deaths among our colored population since the first appearance of the epidemic.

Deaths in the Country

The following deaths by the prevailing epidemic, have occurred in the parish of Lafourche (out of the Corporation of Thibodaux), from the 21st of August up to date.

There have been about 12 negroes interred in the Catholic Cemetery.

Yellow Fever

All our city contemporaries agree in representing the raging epidemic in New Orleans, as extremely severe and fatal, and advise all such as are unacclimated or have no pressing business in the city, to keep away. This is acting as become public journalists, and although the advice may act injuriously to the property of New Orleans for a time to come, still, to seek to hide the truth, and thereby jeopardize the lives of thousands, would be persuing a course which would subject them to the censure of the world, and be inimical to the calls of humanity.

Facing Death

During the week, some fifty or sixty laborers, principally Irish and Germans, who have been employed on the Opelousas railroad, passed through here on their way to New Orleans. We endeavored by all our reasoning powers to dissuade them from going, but our efforts were fruitless and without effect. It really did appear as though Providence had destined them as food for the yellow fever- so obstinate were they in refusing to profit by our advice.

Health of New Orleans

The reports of the interments in all the cemeteries of New Orleans, for the twenty-four hours ending at six o'clock on Tuesday last, the 22nd inst., was two hundred and eighty-three, 254 of which were from yellow fever. Comment is unnecessary.

Sickness

The people of Mobile, says the New Orleans Bulletin, repudiating the dishonest course of concealing the truth and the still more reprehensible conduct of misrepresenting, they boldly and manfully announce the fact that the yellow fever had made its appearance among them. Conceiving it to be the imperative duty of public journalists to keep their readers advised in matters of public importance, and more particularly in times of sickness and great distress, we feel that we are called upon, regardless of all secondary considerations, to say to our readers that sickness is now among us. Up to the issuing of our last number, the health of both town and country was unexceptionable. We now feel it our duty to say upon the authority of a number of our medical friends, that there has been three deaths from yellow fever during the week, but in every instance the patient had contracted the disease in New Orleans. At the present writing twenty odd persons are confined to their beds from a disease resembling in its premonitory symptoms the yellow fever, but which yields very readily to medical treatment. All those now confined to their beds are doing well and bid fair to recover. We are pleased to observe that the people manifest little or no alarm, and that there is no apprehensions on the part of our citizens that the disease will prevail among us as an epidemic. With prudence and attention at the incipient stage of the fever, no danger need be apprehended.

The Fearful Scourge

In our issue of Saturday last, we stated that the yellow fever, of a disease much resembling it, in its incipient stage, had made its appearance among us, and that three persons had died who had contracted the disease in New Orleans. It now becomes our painful duty to announce that a malady of the most malignant character is raging in our midst, and which has created a panic among our citizens verging on frenzy. All our stores, coffee houses, work shops, and public offices, are closed. Our streets, so deserted are they, look more like paths in a wilderness than the public thoroughfares of a thriving commercial town of over fifteen hundred inhabitants. Our citizens are flying in every direction, to get, if possible, beyond the pestiferous atmosphere that seems to hang over and surround our before salubrious village. Already has the Fell Destroyer been busy at work- thirty of our citizens having died since the first apparition of the disease, on the 16th ult., and many more are now lying at the gates of death, and will be numbered with the dead, before the rising of to-morrow's sun.

Up to the hour we put our last edition to press, at noon, on Friday, the 27th ult., the number of cases reported, was twenty-two. Before night, however, the number had greatly increased- our associate, Mr. L. F. Anderson, was attacked while engaged in making the form ready for press and immediately confined to his bed, where he still remains, though in a convalescent state. All of our compositors have fled for safety. During the day, on Saturday last, the disease spread like wild-fire and before nightfall, the number of cases had nearly doubled. The total number of cases up to this time, (Saturday evening,) exceeds one hundred and sixty. Never have we witnessed scenes of greater distress, and abandonment to fear. Parents forsake their offspring, and children abandon their parents, and leave them to the protection of the philanthropic stranger.

Amidst the surrounding woe and gloom we have, so far, proved invulnerable to the attacks of the disease, and trust that we shall be able, ere long, to announce that Hygeia has again reared her temple in our midst. Our physicians now better understand the treatment of the disease; nor are the deaths as great in proportion to the number of cases under treatment, as they were at the commencement of the week. None of those who have contracted the malady within the last three days are considered dangerous. We shall conclude this melancholy article by conjuring absent friends to prolong their stay until the fearful scourge shall have run it's destined course; for to come here, at this time, would be, as it were, rushing into the very jaws of death.

The Epidemic

Upwards of a month has now elapsed since the fearful pestilence first made its appearance in our heretofore healthy town, and still it continues its ravages. The deaths already amount to the enormous number of One Hundred and Forty-seven, being ten per cent. on our total population, and about fifteen per dent. on the actual population at this time. In the selection of its victims, it has paid no respect to age, sex, or condition, the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the temperate and the inebriate-- man in the plenitude of his strength, and woman, blooming in youth and loveliness, are alike victims to its insatiate thirst. The number of cases, taking for a basis that one fifth of the number who contract the disease die, amount to 735, which is rather under, than over the mark. Within the last four days the number of deaths have greatly diminished, nor has there been as many new cases reported as for the same number of days previous to Wednesday last. Let not our country or absent friends imagine that this results from an abatement of the disease, but is entirely owing to the want of the more material to work upon. It is true that the present cool and bracing atmosphere, together with he abatement in the number of deaths and new cases, have inspired our citizens with new life, for the time being; but we are fearful that when the warm weather shall again set in, that the fell destroyer will again commence his work of destruction. We hope, however, for the better, and that in arriving at this conclusion, we may greatly err. Prudence, should dictate to all, to keep clear of our town for two weeks to come, at least.

• Death Notices
• Other Articles