The Snohomish Smallpox Panic
A secret grave and a missing quarantine flag reveal a public health disaster brewing in the Sisters' Hospital.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A sensation was developed today in connection with the smallpox case at the Sisters' Hospital in Snohomish. Health Officer McCready, forced to take action by public sentiment, discovered an open grave in the back yard, which the sisters acknowledged was dug about three weeks ago in anticipation of the death of the lady smallpox patient. Health Officer McCready's course in not giving the public notice of the case and establishing quarantine is regarded as almost criminally negligent. He acknowledges that a guard was not placed over the premises until three days after the case was reported to him, and the guard had no authority to enforce the quarantine. It was not until tonight that a yellow flag was hung out.
“Health Officer McCready's course in not giving the public notice of the case and establishing quarantine heretofore is regarded as almost criminally negligent.”
This local health scandal mirrors modern tensions during the COVID-19 pandemic, where the slow response of public officials and the concealment of information caused significant community anxiety.
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