Pod Insights American Scandal The Plague of San Francisco | Duty and Truth | 3 About this episode The sharks are circling for Joseph Kinyoun. After trying and failing to convince San Francisco to take the plague seriously, his sole objective is now to defend himself and save his career.
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0:00 Lindsay Graham? Audible subscribers can binge new seasons of American Scandal early and ad-free right now. Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. American Scandal uses dramatizations that are based on true events. Some elements, including dialogue, might be invented, but everything is based on historical research.
0:36 Lindsay Graham? It's early February 1901 at the Angel Island Quarantine Station in San Francisco Bay. Dr. Joseph Kenyon is in his lab, searching frantically through his files. Last week, an independent commission of three doctors arrived in California from the East Coast. Their purpose was to establish, once and for all, whether Kenyon has been telling the truth about the bubonic plague in San Francisco. If those three doctors back him, Kenyon hopes the city will finally agree to do what is necessary to stop the spread of the disease. But if they rule against him, his once-glittering career is likely over.
1:15 Lindsay Graham? Kenyon rifles through scattered documents on his desk, frustration mounting. "No, no, where the devil is it?" He storms across the lab to a shelving unit on the far wall. Dragging a stepladder into place, he stretches toward a box wedged behind rows of test tubes on the top shelf. Straining to reach it, he finally grabs the box, but then loses his balance. The ladder slips, then topples, bringing Kenyon, the box of documents, and the test tubes crashing to the ground. "Ah, damn it!" The laboratory door opens, and Kenyon's wife, Lizzie, rushes in. "Joseph, are you hurt?" "Watch out for the glass, the damn ladder fell down." "You're bleeding." "No, I'm fine, it's nothing." "Let me see." "I said I'm fine!" Kenyon hauls himself upright, wincing.
1:59 Lindsay Graham? His hair hangs damp and unkempt around his face. His shirt clings with sweat. Lizzie frowns with concern. What were you even doing up there? Looking for some autopsy records. The commission needs to see them before they make their decision. Oh, Joseph, they'll see the truth. But will they speak it? Shraidy didn't, White didn't. Wyman practically handed me my walking papers rather than support me. Kenyon has been disappointed by his fellow doctors before. He showed compelling proof of the plague to the famous physician George F. Shraidy. But Shraidy didn't support him. And when Surgeon General Walter Wyman sent a new doctor to take charge in San Francisco, he distanced himself from Kenyon as well. Kenyon just shakes his head. You know, I really thought I could count on them. Well, that wasn't your fault. You gave them the facts.
2:43 Lindsay Graham? They chose politics instead. And what if these men do the same? What if, what if they decide that Joseph Kenyon is just too poisonous to associate themselves with? Well, you said they're good doctors, right? They came here to judge the evidence, not your reputation. That's, that's the whole point, isn't it? Kenyon doesn't answer. Lizzie eases a stray hair away from his face and smiles. Trust the science, right? You told that to everyone else. Maybe it's time to tell it to yourself. When Dr. Joseph Kenyon first arrived in San Francisco in 1899, he wanted nothing more than to be transferred back east. Now, though, he's desperate not to leave. Not with his work unfinished and his name in the gutter. For months, he's been vilified by the local press and ostracized by fellow doctors in California.
3:27 Lindsay Graham? But Kenyon knows he's right. The plague is here in this city. And the independent commission isn't just his last chance. It's San Francisco's as well.
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4:58 Lindsay Graham? By January of 1901, San Francisco's bubonic plague crisis was 10 months old. But despite the rising body count, local politicians, business leaders, and newspaper reporters continued to downplay the seriousness of the outbreak. They believed the health measures designed to contain the plague were a greater threat than the disease itself, and they attacked anyone who suggested otherwise. As head of the federal quarantine station in the city, Dr. Joseph Kinian was soon in their crosshairs. But Kinian received little support from his bosses in Washington, D.C. Instead, he was demoted, and another doctor was put in charge in San Francisco. So with his reputation shredded and his career in freefall, Kinian pinned his hopes for redemption on an independent commission of doctors.
5:41 Lindsay Graham? But as he anxiously awaited their report on the spread of the plague in San Francisco, powerful forces were already moving in the shadows to suppress it. This is Episode 3: Duty and Truth.
5:56 Lindsay Graham? It's February 28, 1901, at the governor's mansion in Sacramento, California. Governor Henry Gage paces in front of the fireplace, the heels of his cowboy boots thumping on the polished floor. Behind him, his butler pours a brandy for his visitors, the editors of the four most popular newspapers in San Francisco. For the past year, Governor Gage has been defending California's reputation against what he sees as a medical conspiracy against his state. He's convinced these rumors about bubonic plague in San Francisco are all vicious lies, concocted by the federal government to punish California for its economic independence. But just a few days ago, he heard disturbing news. An independent commission of three doctors has confirmed the presence of plague in Chinatown,
6:40 Lindsay Graham? and now the report is headed to Washington for publication. So Gage knows he must act quickly. If this doctor's report is made public, the consequences for California's economy could be disastrous. So Gage has summoned the editors of the San Francisco Chronicle, The Call, The Bulletin, and The Examiner to his home in Sacramento for a talk. Once the butler has finished filling their drinks, Gage gets down to business. He tells the editors that the commission's verdict could be a death sentence for their city. Looking the man right in the eye, Gage says it's up to them to stop that from happening. News of the doctor's impending report must be buried. The newspaper men share cautious glances with each other. And after a pause, the editor of The Examiner clears his throat.
7:23 Lindsay Graham? He says it'll be difficult to suppress the report if it's endorsed by the federal government. But Gage just waves away that objection. He's sending men to Washington to ensure the report disappears into a forgotten office somewhere. But in the meantime, the newspapers in California must do their part. He points out that they've been unified in their opposition to Dr. Kenyon so far. For months, The Examiner has done nothing but mock and scorn him. Gage is simply asking that they continue. But the editor shakes his head. Criticizing the activities of one single doctor is different from taking a stand against the entire US government. Gage tightens his grip on his brandy and then takes a moment to calm down. He knows intimidation won't work with these men. They've seen it all before.
8:07 Lindsay Graham? Instead, he decides to target what he knows matters to them more than anything else: money and power. So with a low growl, Gage says that if the Commissioner's report is ever made public, California's economy wouldn't just suffer, it would collapse. The tycoons who own the local newspapers would lose millions. And who could say how they would react then? They might cut costs at their newspapers, or they could even shut them down entirely. The editors look at each other again, knowing most of their owners wouldn't think twice about firing them if it came to it. So with a nod, one by one, they all agree to Governor Gage's demands. So having secured a media blackout, Gage moves on to the next phase of his plan.
8:49 Lindsay Graham? He sends some of San Francisco's top power brokers across the country to Washington. Among them are industrial leaders and executives from the mighty Southern Pacific Railroad. Their goal is to put pressure on Surgeon General Walter Wyman to suppress the Commission's findings. But once Dr. Joseph Kinian learns that Gage has sent this small army of influential men to DC, he immediately dashes off a telegram to Wyman. He alerts him to the scheme and tells him that any representatives of the Governor are not to be trusted. But he fears this warning will go ignored, because Henry Gage and his delegates are not the only ones with an interest in burying the truth. Surgeon General Walter Wyman sits in his office at the Marine Hospital Service Headquarters
9:33 Lindsay Graham? in Washington DC. Rain and fog swirl outside the window, casting weak gray light on the dark wood and brass of the room. California Governor Henry Gage's delegates sit across from Wyman, and one of the Southern Pacific's impeccably dressed executives holds up a copy of the Commission's report. Well, Surgeon General Wyman, may I say, this is an exceptionally thorough document. Your Commission has done excellent work. They are diligent men. Well, you know, in my experience, diligence only tends to flourish under strong leadership. Washington is fortunate, have such a steady hand at the helm. I think you're flattering me, sir. Well, it's true. Now, may I ask who else has read this report? Aside from its authors, no one outside this room. Well, that's good. The executive leans forward.
10:17 Lindsay Graham? Because, Doctor, I have been empowered by Governor Gage to make a proposal. Ah, I see. And what does the governor have in mind? He proposes a full sanitation campaign in Chinatown, removing all the trash, fumigating infected areas, a thorough cleanup, paid for by the city and the state. I see. And in return? Well, the governor, all of us, would wish for this report to remain confidential. Its findings would cause irreparable harm to commerce, to the state's reputation, to the trust our citizens place in their superiors. Wyman leans back in his chair. Then he opens the desk drawer beside him and places his copy of the doctor's report inside. Then he closes the drawer and nods to the men across the table. It's for the greater good. Well, then, we have only one final concern.
11:01 Lindsay Graham? Your man in San Francisco, Dr. Kenyon, he's a... well... He's not inclined toward discretion, is he? If he suspects an arrangement has been made, he'll shout from the rooftops. You want him removed? We wouldn't be so bold to make any demands, but... But your cooperation would be more enthusiastic without him. Perhaps it would just be best if he were moved on, for the greater good, as you said. Well, you know, I had high hopes for Kenyon once, and I thought of him as a protege. So I understand this is not an easy decision for you. Well, sadly for all his many gifts, Dr. Kenyon has yet to appreciate the value of compromise and diplomacy. I think it might be time for him to learn that lesson, but somewhere else.
11:46 Lindsay Graham? Despite the fears that he expressed privately, Surgeon General Walter Wyman has never publicly acknowledged the plague in San Francisco. He saw what happened to Joseph Kenyon for speaking out, and so he stayed silent. But if the commission's report is published, Kenyon will be vindicated, and questions might be asked of Wyman about why he refused to speak out earlier and act more forcefully. So he struck a deal to bury the report, and Kenyon's career along with it.
12:16 Lindsay Graham? Soon after this meeting in Washington, Dr. Joseph Kenyon receives a telegram. In it, Surgeon General Walther Wyman explains his decision not to publish the commission's report and announces that Kenyon is being reassigned to a less politically sensitive role in Detroit. Wyman says Kenyon must set aside his pride in the wider interests of public health. It's all for the greater good. But Kenyon sees through his boss's ruse, and he has no intention of going quietly. Against Wyman's wishes, Kenyon uses his remaining time on the West Coast to give lectures and speeches to other doctors. He justifies his actions as sharing what he's learned during his tenure in San Francisco, but he can't hide his bitterness at how he's been treated.
12:58 Lindsay Graham? Addressing physicians in Sacramento, he says that "any doctor reporting plague must be prepared to be made a target, to submit to all the lowest forms of persecution, simply because he had no more sense than to do his duty and to tell the truth." But soon enough, Kenyon's time in San Francisco comes to an end. In early May of 1901, he and his family pack up their belongings on Angel Island and take the ferry across the bay for the final time, and there's no leaving party to see them off. Kenyon stands on the deck of the ferry, watching the quarantine station fade into the fog behind him. Feels very different from the young doctor who arrived in California only two years ago. Back then, despite his unwanted assignment in San Francisco, Kenyon believed his future in the marine hospital service was full of promise.
13:43 Lindsay Graham? Now he's been sidelined and humiliated. He leaves California with nothing except bad memories. But he still hopes, for the sake of the nation, that Dr. Joe White, his replacement on Angel Island, can succeed where he did not. Dr. White has experienced epidemics in Europe and elsewhere in the United States, but when he arrives on Angel Island, he understands that the scale of this new job is daunting. Between overseeing health inspections of incoming ships, tracking new cases of the plague, and managing relations between city, state, and federal officials, it quickly becomes too much for him. He realizes that the stubborn, argumentative Kenyon may have been the only thing preventing a full-blown public health catastrophe in San Francisco.
14:26 Lindsay Graham? And what's worse, White quickly sees that the deal struck between California and the federal authorities was a sham. The promised cleanup of Chinatown is half-hearted at best, and despite Governor Gage's pledges of cooperation, he is in fact doing everything he can to disrupt the work of federal health inspectors. So in late May of 1901, White himself goes down to a morgue in Chinatown to conduct an autopsy on a suspected plague victim. He's still completing his initial assessment, and the door flies open. Two men in dark suits and protective face masks stride into the room. They tell the startled White that they're representatives of the governor, tasked with overseeing the plague sanitation efforts in Chinatown.
15:08 Lindsay Graham? One of the men steps forward, grabs White's notebook out of the doctor's hands. Staring at the contents inside, he can't decipher the medical shorthand. His brow furrows. He grows angry as he demands to know what White is hiding with this strange code. White tells him that he's just taking note that the bacteria in the tissue extracted from this body indicates bubonic plague. But before White can finish, the other man interrupts. He argues that the body shows none of the usual signs of plague. There are no swollen lymph nodes, no blackened skin, no pustules. Doctor White tries to explain that plague symptoms can differ from case to case. In fact, the most deadly form of the disease attacks the lungs and kills the victim before any external signs can develop. So the only definitive diagnosis can come from a microscope.
15:53 Lindsay Graham? But the governor's men just scoff. One of them snatches the patient's medical file, stripping White of the documents he needs to record an official cause of death. And when he demands them back, the two men refuse, accusing him of fabricating the diagnosis. Burning with indignation, White picks up his microscope and stashes the tissue slides inside his briefcase, then strides out of the morgue before the governor's men can do any more harm. But over the weeks that follow, Governor Gage and his agents continue to obstruct, disrupt, and delay the work of federal health officers as they try to track the spread of the plague. Doctor White feels increasingly overwhelmed by the job he's inherited. He writes to Surgeon General Wyman, urgently requesting reinforcements. He's only been in San Francisco for a few months, but already, he's drowning.
16:38 Lindsay Graham? So a few weeks later, yet another young marine hospital service doctor will pack his bags and head west, hoping to succeed where first Doctor Joseph Kenyon and then Doctor Joe White failed. Because if there is plague in San Francisco, this new doctor must turn back the tide and stop the Black Death from marching across the country.
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18:13 Lindsay Graham? For most of his life, 33-year-old Rupert Blue has lived in the shadows of others. The son of a Civil War hero and the brother of another decorated soldier, there were high expectations that he would follow his family members into the military. He shared their tall build and boxer's frame. But the bookish Blue was never cut out for army life. Instead, he decided to carve out a name for himself by becoming a doctor. He enrolled in medical school in 1890, then applied to the Marine Hospital Service. He specialized in bacteriology. Blue had always wanted to travel the world, studying infectious diseases, and in 1900, he got his wish. He was posted to Italy, where he investigated rumors of plague spreading in Rome.
18:56 Lindsay Graham? Blue and his wife Juliette loved the glamour and romance of life in Europe, so they were disappointed when he was brought back to the US on assignment to Milwaukee. But that was a short-term appointment. Only a few months later, Blue accepted a new posting to San Francisco. Dr. Blue hoped that on the west coast, he and Juliette would be able to recapture some of the excitement they experienced in Rome. But when they arrived, they realized there's nothing romantic about San Francisco in 1901. So Dr. Blue dedicates himself to the work he's here in the city to do. As Dr. Joe White's second-in-command, Blue is tasked with overseeing the heart of the epidemic: Chinatown. Tensions remain high in the district, where the authorities are still regarded with fear and suspicion.
19:40 Lindsay Graham? If he's to succeed in this mission, Blue quickly realizes that he will have to do something few white doctors have managed before: win the trust of the local population. For all his strengths, Dr. Joseph Kinian was not a people person. He was cool and aloof, and saw Chinatown more as a petri dish than a place where real people lived and worked. But Dr. Blue is more affable by nature. He treats the Chinese residents with respect, and in return, they begin opening their doors to him. And for the first time, Marine Hospital Service staff are granted access to the parts of the district most in need of sanitation: the garbage-filled back alleys and wood-lined basements overflowing with sewage. Blue's progress and hard work impress his superiors.
20:23 Lindsay Graham? Within weeks, the exhausted Joe White steps down and recommends that Blue replace him. Surgeon General Walter Wyman agrees. White is transferred out of San Francisco, and responsibility for fighting the plague falls to the young Rupert Blue. He begins implementing changes immediately. For over a year, the federal efforts to fight the plague have been managed from Angel Island, the remote quarantine station five miles offshore. There's plenty of peace and quiet there, but Blue believes it's cut off Marine Hospital Service staff from the people they're meant to be helping. So he relocates his headquarters from Angel Island to a rented office in Chinatown, and sets up a new laboratory near the heart of the outbreak. He's convinced that if he can show the people of Chinatown that he is on their side,
21:06 Lindsay Graham? they will be more willing to help him fight the plague that is stalking their district. But it's not just Chinatown where Blue needs to win hearts and minds. San Francisco's mayor, James D. Phelan, isn't actively blocking Blue's efforts, but he hasn't endorsed them either. Meanwhile, the city's press remains hostile to all federal interventions, and Blue knows that the majority of the San Francisco public still doesn't take the plague threat seriously. But by the summer of 1901, Blue hopes that one of those obstacles is about to disappear. Phelan's time in office is coming to an end, and the city is getting ready to elect a new mayor. Blue prays that the people will choose someone more responsible, who might acknowledge the danger of the plague and welcome efforts to contain it.
21:48 Lindsay Graham? But unfortunately, there is already a plot brewing to elect a mere puppet as the next mayor of San Francisco. The man who intends to pull the strings is 37-year-old Abe Roof, who on one hot evening in July of 1901, sits in an upscale restaurant patiently watching the door. Roof is a successful attorney who established himself as a major power broker in San Francisco, and recently he took control of local political group, the Union Labor Party. But Roof doesn't really care about workers' rights. What he wants is influence. Taking over this political party was just the first step. Now, he intends to find a candidate for mayor who can, with the right manipulation, win the election. Roof looks up as a tall, handsome man enters the restaurant.
22:31 Lindsay Graham? He's not the only one who takes notice. 36-year-old Eugene Schmitz is famous in San Francisco as the leader of the orchestra at the fashionable Columbia Theater. And almost all eyes in the place are following him as Schmitz is guided across the restaurant by the maître d'. Standing up, Roof welcomes him with a warm smile and an outstretched hand. Schmitz takes a seat as the waiter fills his wine glass. Then, once they're alone, Roof explains the purpose of this invitation. He says that with the mayoral election coming up, the Union Labor Party has been searching for just the right candidate, and he believes that Schmitz is that man. Leaning back in his seat, Schmitz seems surprised. He says he's never considered running for office before. He's a bandleader, not a politician.
23:16 Lindsay Graham? But Ruf insists that Schmitz is the ideal candidate. He's good-looking, charismatic, and commanding onstage. But what Ruf does not say is that he also thinks Schmitz is so inexperienced and naive that controlling him will be easy. Instead, Ruf smiles again and says that Schmitz will be a big hit with voters. And if he can lead a city hall as well as he conducts an orchestra, then San Francisco will thrive. Schmitz runs a hand through his shiny, black hair, but then he shakes his head. He says that now seems like a bad time to try his hand at politics with his plague controversy still rumbling on. You wouldn't want to get mixed up in any of that. But again, Ruf dismisses the concern. The plague is a hoax, and the city's already wasted too much money on it.
23:59 Lindsay Graham? He insists that if they controlled City Hall, then they could make the plague problem disappear in a single day. Schmitz nods approvingly. Which leads Ruf to believe that Schmitz is entertaining the idea, so he offers one final incentive. With a glint in his eye, he tells Schmitz that he knows plenty of very rich men who would be grateful to have a friend running City Hall. A grin spreads over Schmitz's face. He likes what he's hearing. And a few weeks later, Schmitz announces his candidacy under the banner of the Union Labor Party. Just as Ruf predicted, Schmitz's good looks and commanding stage presence are a hit with the public, and he quickly surges in the polls. But the rise of a plague skeptic is a disturbing development for Dr. Rupert Blue. It's not the only one, though.
24:42 Lindsay Graham? Away from work, Blue's personal life is unraveling. When he was given his new assignment, he'd hoped that San Francisco would be just what his marriage needed. Instead, his wife Juliette has quickly grown tired of the disease-ridden city. And in August 1901, she returns to Washington and never comes back. Heartbroken and ashamed, Blue starts working tirelessly to distract himself. Eager to build more bridges with the Chinese community, he hires a local interpreter to liaise between Chinatown residents and his officers. And with this interpreter's help, more cases of the plague are brought to Blue's attention. Slowly, the map of Chinatown he's pinned to his laboratory wall begins to fill with red crosses marking the discovery of new victims.
25:25 Lindsay Graham? But each new red cross is just another question. It's been known for centuries that rats can carry the plague from port to port, but their possible role in human infection baffles Blue. So as the death toll keeps climbing, he drives himself half mad with this puzzle of how the disease is being transmitted. Working every hour and even sleeping in his lab, eventually, he burns out. Exhausted, Dr. Blue requests a temporary transfer back to Milwaukee. He hopes that the wide open spaces of the Midwest will heal him. And in late 1901, the request is reluctantly granted. San Francisco has chewed up and spat out yet another federal doctor. And in Blue's absence, the city will only become more hostile to the officers of the Marine Hospital Service,
26:10 Lindsay Graham? because in January 1902, a new mayor takes charge in San Francisco. And as he ambles to his new plush office in City Hall, Eugene Schmitz makes sure to flash a smile and warmly greet his staff and constituents. Just because the campaign is over doesn't mean he can turn off the charm. And besides, this new position suits him. So he's glad to see the man responsible for all of it, Abe Roof, waiting for him in his office.
26:39 Lindsay Graham? Hey, morning Abe. Good morning, Mr. Mayor. Eugene Schmitz flops into his chair and laces his fingers behind his head. You know, I've got to say, you were dead right. Running for mayor might have been the smartest thing I've ever done. Well, I knew you'd take to it, and I knew the city would take to you. Have you seen the papers, The Chronicle, The Bulletin? They're all in love with you. Roof tosses a pile of newspapers in front of Schmitz, who eagerly reaches forward to read them. Ah, look at this, The Musical Mayor. I like that. It does have a ring to it, doesn't it? Roof reaches down and grabs his briefcase. He clicks it open and takes out a stack of documents. Schmitz frowns. Oh, no, what's all this? Ah, these are the names of the municipal advisory board members. We need to go through them and make sure we're all on the same page.
27:22 Lindsay Graham? Ah, jeez Abe, that looks like a lot of paperwork. Well, Mr. Mayor, that's why I am here. I can take this off your hands so you can get on with more important things. Still, I'm going to walk you through the game plan. All right. The first order of business is the Board of Health, biggest liability we've got. They are just throwing city money at sanitation, pushing this big plague line. And they're getting a little too cozy with the feds, too. If Washington forces another quarantine on us, they're sure to go along with it. And then you can kiss that public support goodbye. But we can't have that, can we? But what do we do? We just swap them out, bring in new doctors? You know, Mr. Mayor, that is an excellent idea. We need men of learning, who will focus more on making San Francisco healthy than making Washington happy. And we can just do that? Clean house? Well, who is sitting behind the mayor's desk?
28:07 Lindsay Graham? I am. Precisely. You got a mandate, Mr. Mayor. The people of San Francisco voted for change, and we're gonna give it to them. Soon afterward, Abe Roof and Mayor Schmitz march into the Health Department at City Hall, accompanied by four handpicked physicians. Schmitz announces that he is dismissing the current Board of Health and appointing these new doctors in their place. All ongoing sanitation campaigns in San Francisco are to be halted immediately. As Roof watches on with a satisfied smile, Schmitz loudly proclaims, "There is no plague in this city."
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29:41 Lindsay Graham? With all state and city sanitation efforts suspended and Dr. Rupert Blue still recovering in Milwaukee, the remaining federal health officials in San Francisco are soon overwhelmed. The plague is spreading faster and faster, with every week seeming to bring another death and another Red Cross on the map in the Chinatown laboratory. While Dr. Blue is away, the federal health efforts are led by another doctor, a 48-year-old veteran of the service named Arthur Glennon. But for all his experience, Glennon doesn't share Dr. Blue's charm. The Chinese don't trust him, and all the progress that Blue made with the Chinatown community withers away. So that by September 1902, the official death toll is up to 80, though the true number is far higher.
30:24 Lindsay Graham? But if things are looking dire for the doctors in San Francisco, they aren't looking much better for California Governor Henry Gage. Gage's popularity has collapsed after a series of public scandals, and the California Republican Party has refused to nominate him for reelection. During his last days in office, he becomes reclusive and bitter. He blames his downfall on Dr. Joseph Kinian and the plague hoax. But it's another doctor that ultimately ends Gage's political career. After rejecting Gage, the Republican Party turned to Dr. George Pardee, a physician and former mayor of Oakland. In November 1902, he narrowly wins the statewide election by less than 3,000 votes to become California's newest governor.
31:07 Lindsay Graham? But the prospect of a doctor in the governor's mansion is a boost to the beleaguered staff of the Marine Hospital Service. Arthur Glennon and his colleagues look forward to improved cooperation and assistance battling the epidemic. But during his inaugural address in January 1903, Pardee disturbingly makes no mention of the plague. It seems that the issue has become so politically toxic in California that Pardee simply doesn't want to get involved. And without his support, and the city Board of Health still hopelessly compromised by Mayor Schmitz, the Marine Hospital Service is on its own. But the deepening crisis in California has not gone unnoticed beyond its borders, and in mid-January 1903, an emergency meeting is held at a grand hotel in Washington, DC.
31:50 Lindsay Graham? It's attended by United States Surgeon General Walter Wyman and representatives from the health boards of 11 different states, including California.
31:59 Lindsay Graham? These men meet in an opulent, private dining room. But the soaring stone columns and glittering mirrors soon echo to the sounds of raised voices. The representative from California sinks deeper in his chair as the other board members take turns haranguing him. They call him negligent and say that the state's refusal to act is putting the entire country at risk. A man from California tries to stammer a justification, but the others don't want to hear it. They threaten to introduce a full quarantine of the entire state unless things improve. If enacted, this nationwide embargo would deprive California of millions of dollars in revenue and end San Francisco's status as the foremost port on the West Coast. So pale-faced, the California delegate says he'll relay the message to the governor's
32:41 Lindsay Graham? office at once and promises that improvements will be made. But the meeting's not over yet. Once the members of the Boards of Health are finished with the California representative, they turn to Surgeon General Wyman. He's been quiet so far, hoping to avoid direct criticism. But now the other men around the table demand to know what the Marine Hospital Service has been doing for the past three years and why so little progress has been made in fighting the disease. For Wyman, this extended interrogation is nothing short of humiliating. Throughout the entire epidemic, he's been trying to keep his head down and let others, like Joseph Kinian, take the flak for controversial decisions. But the ongoing plague in San Francisco is becoming an embarrassment to the Marine Hospital Service.
33:23 Lindsay Graham? It looks weak, and that makes Wyman look weak too. So when the meeting finally comes to an end, Wyman makes a quick exit. He knows he must act decisively to save his reputation. He immediately sends a telegram to Arthur Glennon in California, writing that the situation is now entirely changed and demands absolute frankness on the part of the authorities in the city and state. Then he suggests that he send back the only man who has ever made any real progress in San Francisco.
33:54 Lindsay Graham? So in late February of 1903, a locomotive screeches into the Southern Pacific Terminal, and Dr. Rupert Blue steps down onto the platform. In his hand, he clutches a single suitcase. Blue's marriage is over. His home in Milwaukee is empty. All he has left is this city, his lab, and one final shot at finishing what he started. He's making his way through the station toward the exit when he hears a voice above the throng of passengers around him.
34:21 Speaker 07 Dr. Blue! Dr. Blue!
34:23 Lindsay Graham? Blue turns to see fellow Dr. Arthur Glennon, pushing his way through the crowd. Finally reaching Blue, he clasps his hand tightly. Dr. Blue, Arthur Glennon. A real pleasure. Nice to meet you, but please, call me Rupert. How was your journey? Long, but I'm glad to be back. I understand we've got our work cut out. Yes. Dr. Wyman tells me you're staying at the Occidental? That's right. Well, I'll walk you there. They step out into the streets. The noise of the city clamors around them, and Blue realizes he's missed it. As they walk, Glennon updates him on the dismal situation in Chinatown. I'm afraid things have gotten worse since you've left. Officially, we're up to ninety-three deaths, but you and I both know that's a low estimate. Relations with the Chinese are strained, to put it mildly. I'm quite certain they're hiding bodies from us.
35:09 Lindsay Graham? Although frankly, with the number coming through the lab already, they may be doing us a favor there. The two men cross Market Street into Union Square. Blue dodges around a carriage. And what about the state officials? Any movement since the conference in DC? I've not noticed any great change so far. Well, the new governor won't want to make California any more of a pariah. That may be true, but even if party plays ball, Mayor Smith's is still a problem. And perhaps we'll have to pay him a visit. Try to bring him around. I'll be honest with you, you're wasting your breath. That man is as crooked as they come. He's gutted the City Board of Health, and he's repeatedly denied even the existence of plague. Well, there's gotta be another angle, right? Maybe the press? Chamber of Commerce? I mean, the mayor wouldn't want to cross the business community. What if he just digs in his heels?
35:53 Lindsay Graham? Then we have to find another way. This epidemic is on the cusp of breaking out of San Francisco. We cannot afford to delay a moment longer. It's up to us now.
36:04 Lindsay Graham? With Dr. Rupert Blue's encouragement, Arthur Glennon drafts a public declaration to be signed by all major political figures in San Francisco. It confirms the presence of the plague and pledges support for a comprehensive plan to stamp it out. They take it first to a group of prominent businessmen who have heard about the threat of a state embargo. It doesn't take much convincing to make them sign. And with these signatures on the document, Glennon then marches into the mayor's office and demands Eugene Schmitz sign it too. Unwilling to risk alienating the local business community, Schmitz reluctantly adds his name to the paper as well. But Glennon and Blue aren't finished there. Glennon catches a train to Sacramento, where he secures the signature of the last major
36:45 Lindsay Graham? power broker in the region, Governor Pardi, making it the first time since the beginning of the outbreak that there is a shared public commitment to addressing the crisis. But as the health inspectors return to Chinatown in force and the sanitation campaign begins again, Dr. Blue can't help thinking about the map on the wall of his lab. The streets of Chinatown can barely be seen for the red crosses covering them, one for each victim of the plague. But now more and more crosses are appearing in blocks outside the district as well. The plague is beginning to escape, and unless Dr. Blue can figure out how the disease is spreading and stop it, those red crosses will keep multiplying. Soon, they won't just cover maps of San Francisco, but of the entire United States.
37:29 Lindsay Graham? From Wondery, this is episode three of The Plague in San Francisco for American Scandal. In our next episode, just as San Francisco seems to be finally turning a corner, catastrophic natural disaster thrusts the city into a renewed battle against the plague. American Scandal is only possible because of listeners like you, so thank you. And don't miss an episode. Be sure to follow American Scandal on Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. And Audible subscribers can binge new seasons of American Scandal early and ad-free right now.
38:12 Lindsay Graham? Join Audible in the Audible app or by subscribing on Apple Podcasts. And to find out more about me, including my other podcasts, my live show, the history tours I'm arranging, and all sorts of other things, go to historyishuman.com. That's historyishuman.com.
38:30 Lindsay Graham? If you'd like to learn more about the plague in San Francisco, we recommend the books Black Death at the Golden Gate by David K. Randall, The Barbary Plague by Marilyn Chase, and The Plague and Fire by James C. Moore. This episode contains reenactments and dramatized details. And while in most cases we can't know exactly what was said, all our dramatizations are based on historical research. American Scandal is hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham for Airship. Audio editing by Trishian Paraga. Sound design by Gabriel Ghul. Supervising sound designer Matthew Filler. Music by Throm. This episode is written and researched by Joe Viner. Fact checking by Alyssa Jung Perry. Managing producer Emily Burke. Development by Stephanie Jens. Senior producer Andy Beckerman. Executive producers are William Simpson for Airship,
39:15 Lindsay Graham? and Jenny Lauer Beckman, Marshall Louie, and Aaron O'Flaherty for Wondery.
39:28 Speaker 06 I'm Gemma Whelan, and in the new season of The Spy Who, we tell the story of the original femme fatale, The Spy Who Was Mata Hari. A famous dancer turned World War I secret agent, accused of seducing Allied officers to uncover their plans. But was she a temptress or a scapegoat for French failures? Follow The Spy Who now, wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen to the full season of The Spy Who Was Mata Hari, early and at free on Audible.
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