Relic on the Lethe

As we near the end of our text correction marathon for People's Voice from April 17, 1880 , a news bite caught my eye: Dr. Minor, health officer at Cincinnati, found on the Louisville mail boat a lot of yellow fever feathers from Memphis. Dr. Minor ordered them reshipped to Louisville. They are the same lot that were recently sent out of Chattanooga. The brevity of this note implies it was a well-known event. Can we find out the full story of the yellow fever feathers? Detail of "Yellow Jack monster" by Matt Morgan, c. 1873. Courtesy Library of Congress . At a guess, this news bite in the Winchester paper was reprinted from the April 13, 1880 Alexandria Gazette : CINCINNATI, April 13-Dr. Minor, Health Officer, to day found on the Louisville mail boat a lot of yellow fever feathers from Memphis, consigned to a dealer here who had not ordered them, and refused to receive them. Dr. Minor ordered them re-shipped to Louisville. They are the same lot that were recently sent ou...