Walter Hughes

The Yellow Martyrs Walter Hughes

In the summer of 1878 a yellow plague from the West Indies swept like a tornado up the Mississippi River to all but destroy the Port of Memphis. In less than a fortnight the population was reduced from 45,000 to 20,000 people. The Yellow Martyrs recreates scenes and events of this epidemic with accurate details and weaves them into a fictional plot of Dr. Collin Austins search for a mysterious Civil War treasure. At its onset the Yellow Fever epidemic aborted Austins search and he became committed to survival and helping the sick and dying people. He saw colleague after colleague die while caring for their patients. Heroines like Annie Cook, mistress of Mansion House bordello; Miss Ginny Moon, former spy for the Rebel Army; Sister Constance, Mother Superior at St. Marys Cathedral; and others, became immortalized by their service and noble deeds. Physicians were helpless and only the arrival of frost in the fall could terminate the malady. After the epidemic Austin and a freed-slave helper resumed the search. Clues led them to cemeteries, parks, public buildings and an island in the river. Austins ingenious plan to recover the treasure was successful.