The Yellow Martyrs

About the Book

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 Austin’s search for a mysterious Civil War treasure. At its onset the Yellow Fever epidemic aborted Austin’s 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. Mary’s 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. Austin’s ingenious plan to recover the treasure was successful.

About the Author

Walter T. Hughes, M.D. is a specialist in Infectious Diseases and has lived in at the epicenter of the epidemic in Memphis, for many years. He is a prolific scientific writer on Infectious Diseases and is currently Emeritus Member, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital; Professor, University of Tennessee College of Medicine and Lecturer, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.