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Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
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Melvin White's sidelong look at the cholera outbreak of 1873 By Jim Melvin Lucien White, a native of the Tabor section of Adair County, left the most sacred hills on earth around 1882 and settled himself some 350 miles away in south-central North Carolina. Although far removed from Adair County in distance, he always it near, and his loquacious letters, liberally laced with humor, wry observations on the human condition, and recollections of people and events from his Kentucky days, frequently graced the pages of the Adair County News for some three decades, continuing until shortly before his death in 1932. One such letter, penned from his home in Shelby, N.C., saw publication in the September 30, 1924 edition of The News. In it, he made mention of the 1873 cholera outbreak in Columbia and how Aunt Winnie from his section of the county viewed it (in his words) as "a judgment sent on a wicked and perverse generation; and the severest penalties were in store for the stiff-necked scoffers of Columbia because all the people in towns were led by the vain pomp and glory of the world."Melvin then proceeded to describe Columbia's "vain pomp and glory" at the time of the epidemic: "Columbia was a place of about eight hundred inhabitants and hogs wallowed in the square. The town cow, knock-kneed and mournful of appearance, bore the wounds and scars of sundry stones and brick-bats; and her horns were often decorated with garden gates and fragments of human apparel." Dwelling still on the terrible outbreak, Mr. White recalled an incident at Glens Fork, where "the late W.O. Murrell was holding court," informing the crowd assembled about the ailment at hand, saying in part that green corn, melons, Irish potatoes, beans, peas, butter, milk, and bacon absolutely should not be ingested, but made no mention "as to bathing and swatting flies." Continued Melvin, "Finally, one of his auditors swore he was going to eat all the cabbage, hog meat, Irish potatoes and watermelons he pleased." He then stated of gentleman who gave voice to his gustatory defiance, "He looked like a man about fifty, and I'll bet dollars to doughnuts he is still living and vigorous" -- and segued into an observation worthy of Mark Twain: "I believe in sanitary habits, but these fellows that chew hillside navy, eat a pound of pork every day, drink blue steel Winchester whiskey, devour green apples, go in swimming on Easter Sunday; [and] get knifed and shot in fifty street fights generally cord up at 110 mile posts on this journey of life while the good die young." This story was posted on 2020-08-21 08:13:43
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Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Jim: History:
Jeffries Hardware, c. 1890 - 1920 JIM: The story behind an old picture Letter: Larry Smith Rialto photo A trip to Bowling Green, 1930 April/May 1920: Services & Goods; The great debate; and more Mid-April 1945: Of wars, and auctions, and death in far-off lands April 12th Easter April 1940: Around the county and around the Square 90 years ago: Entertainment, education, and the marvelous Maytag Mr. White scourges Sir Groundhog View even more articles in topic Jim: History |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
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