Matthew Franklin letter to Charity Rotch, New York, 9 mo 20 1803

              B-255-2
 
Dear Friends                   New York  9 mo 20th 1803
T & C Rotch                 (say Greenwich near the City)
	Pursuant to Charity s request at Nine Partners;
I now take up on Pen to state a little how things are circum-
stanced amongst us the Epedemic in our City continues to pre-
vail with increased Malignity It is generally supposed on
a moderate computation that one half of the Inhabitants, have
gone out- the number of Deaths, as well as new cases, fluctuate
some the Health Committees report has been for some time past,
from 6 to 18 Deaths in 24 Hours and from 20 to 30 new
cases- and there are many who are taken and die our of town
not comprised in the report-  friends have generally left
the City, perhaps not above 12 families at most remaining, who
have been preserved from the fever, until within a few days past
some have been taken sick  Viz! Sylcanus Jenkins a young
man from the Eastward, who lives with Isaac Hicks, is now
down with the Complaint at Joseph Leggetts, with whose
daughter he lately passed at Meetg.---also John Mann a friend
living near the Meetg House in Pearl Street George Fox
a respectable friend in Water Street near the Market= is now
under the influence of a Violent inflammation of the Brain-
his wife had for some days observed, his mind to be unusually
impressed, and on sixth day last he walked our without
mentioning it to her, which he was not accustomed to do, this ex-
citing an uneasiness, she stepd over to a neighbors, a friend, and
communicated the same who walked down on the Wharf
& found him in the Water drowning(he had jumpd off)
they took him our apparently breathless, but by proper applications