Tell City Had Few Epidemics During Its First 100 Years

(By Mrs. W. H. Kennedy and Mrs. Alfred Goffinet)

On the whole Tell City has been fortunate in the matter of diseases of epidemic proportions. In the 100 years of her existence the toll of contagious diseases has been comparatively small, due no doubt in part, to an alert Board of Health and a corps of conscientious doctors.

In the early years smallpox was the one disease everyone feared because of its high rate of fatality and its highly contagious nature. Since the discovery of the principle of vaccination by Dr. Edward Jenner in the late 19th century, the disease is rare in epidemic form and at this time is almost entirely wiped out.

Smallpox In Cannelton In 1873

This was not the case in January of 1873 at Cannelton when smallpox broke out in that little community causing many deaths. Many old inhabitants of the community are quoted as saying that half the graves in the cemeteries of the town had the date January, 1873, as the date of death recorded on their tombstones. Tell City enforced a rigid quarantine and kept the disease from spreading to her homes.

Smallpox In Tell City 21 Years Later

However, years later, in April, 1895, a colored man, Abe Montgomery, aged 26 years, living in what was known as the old Philip Becker property on 12th street near Schiller, became sick and Dr. Muelchi, the attending physician, diagnosed it as smallpox. The city board of health and all doctors concurred in the diagnosis and immediate steps were taken to keep the contagion from spreading. When two more cases, Mrs. Malinda Bolin and Levy Fulkerson, were reported, a hurried call was sent to all city council members for a special meeting. At this meeting city guards were appointed to keep a close watch at each of the infected houses and the board of health was instructed to order sufficient vaccine-points to immunize every person in the city.