The Killer That Stalked New York Page #4

The porter at Penn Station and Walda here,

there couldn't have been any contact

between them.

Apparently there's still a third person

who gave them both the disease.

Not a very bright prospect.

Two cases of smallpox on our hands.

Not even the beginning of a lead

as to the person that gave it to them.

A city of eight million with every facility

for police and health protection,

yet one infected person can sneak through

and threaten the lives of millions.

How do we stop it?

- I don't know yet.

- The police?

What'll we tell them to look for?

Man, woman, child?

All we do know is that wherever he moves,

there'll be victims.

Hey!

What are you doing here?

No law against a sister seeing her brother,

is there?

Why the sudden interest in your family?

I forgot.

Families get together

whenever there's a tragedy.

Don't, Sid. Not now.

The Bennet girls. Pride of Brooklyn.

Well, you don't have to worry

about the kid anymore.

She's dead because of Matt.

Don't you think I know?

Then why didn't you do something about it

when she was alive?

How did you expect her to know

the difference between right and wrong

when you got tied up with a guy like Matt?

Nobody's asking you for a lecture.

A flophouse manager,

a flunkey to a lot of bums.

Yeah, that's right, Sheila,

but it gives me an address

and I can sleep nights.

I didn't come here to fight with you, Sid.

I need a place to stay.

The police are after me.

You can use my room if you want to.

But forget Matt, Sheila.

He'll only mean more trouble.

There're some things

you don't understand, Sid.

Like the murder burning in your eyes?

You look like you could kill.

Dr. Wood.

His name is Willie Dennis.

I'll be in to see him in a minute.

Can I get you anything, Jerry?

A drink of water, please.

The porter's dead.

I heard.

He didn't have much of a chance.

Yet a simple thing like vaccination

could have saved his life.

Learn anything from the new cases?

No more than we got from the others.

The boy had contact with someone

who was sick, all right.

His brother Manny had the flu last year.

What about the fellow

who runs the nightclub?

He shakes hands with all of his customers

when they come into the place

and again when they leave the place.

Yes? Just a minute. For you, Commissioner.

Ellis speaking.

Well, what's the address?

910 Grant Avenue. Thanks.

A Staten Island doctor

thinks he found a case. A milkman.

- Milkman?

- Get going.

Last Thursday, it was.

He could hardly get to work that day.

"Joe," I tell him. "Stay home. "

But not him, not Joe Dominic.

He's gotta make a record.

It was only a little headache, hon.

I know you, Joe Dominic. You gotta be

half dead before you take a day off.

May I see your delivery list?

Why, sure. It's in my coat pocket, hon.

Nobody but Joe Dominic can deliver

the milk to the babies.

Never been late in five years, he hasn't.

He's looking for a record, a gold button.

Him and his ambition.

- I'd like to borrow this.

- I'm going to need it.

Not for a while, you won't.

You're going to the hospital.

See that he gets there, Miss Lorie.

Total of four. All Manhattan.

Well, you can add another pin

to the collection.

The milkman has smallpox.

That's right.

The same fellow

that delivers milk to the babies.

Keeps us awake rattling bottles.

Any leads?

I've got Skrip and his men checking

the delivery route.

- Maybe he got it from one of his customers.

- And maybe not.

It's getting out of hand, when it gets around

to children and food.

We can't just sit by and wait for a case

to come in

and then rush vaccine over.

It's too late then.

Look at that map.

It's beginning to crawl with pins.

It's already jumped to Staten Island,

making five cases.

Tomorrow some other borough,

then 10 cases, then 20,

reaching to hundreds and thousands.

We're a threatened city.

There's no limit to it.

Every case spreading out on its own

until the very air is polluted

and breath means death!

We have to stop it.

Get to the people first, beat the disease.

Vaccinate the whole city!

Eight million people? Impossible!

We've got to.

This thing's getting out of hand.

- That would take hundreds of clinics.

- Get them.

- And doctors.

- We'll draft them.

Do it, sir. It's our only chance.

Call the Commissioners of Police

and Hospitals.

We're going to see the Mayor.

- It's Sunday!

- No one told smallpox it's Sunday.

He's safe, he's safe.

Get it!

- You're out.

- You're a robber, Mr. Mayor.

You're as blind as a bat.

- All right, you call them, Pinkie.

- Okay.

- That a boy, Pinkie!

- Pink couldn't even call his name.

All right, you have eight million

arms to vaccinate. What do you need?

- An extra thousand doctors.

- You've got them. What else?

Facilities for vaccinations.

You're donating your police stations

for clinics.

The same for the fire houses

in all the boroughs.

I take it the Commissioner of Hospitals

has something to offer.

Every city hospital and staff on call

24 hours a day.

- All right then. We're ready.

- Not quite.

- How much?

- We'll need half a million dollars

to get underway.

Vaccinations are free.

At six cents a life, that's a buy.

You'll start with me.

The Mayor didn't waste any time.

A few hours later he had his sleeve

rolled up and took the big scratch.

And after the headman set the example

for his town,

the Health Commissioner took to the air.

Ifyou were tuned in,

you heard the opening gun

on a fight-to-the-finish war,

and ifyou couldn't hear it.

you could read about it.

The newspapers got the facts,

the who, the what. the where,

the when and the why.

The biggest headlines we'd seen

since V-Day hit the town

right between the eyes.

The next thing you know, they'll be

running pictures of him brushing his teeth.

There wouldn't be headlines that big

if it wasn't serious.

Two cases of smallpox

don't make no epidemic.

I agree with him. Nothing but publicity!

And even if it ain't,

what right has the Mayor got

to spend the taxpayers' money like this?

Do you know what it'll cost,

all this free vaccinating? Millions!

You ever been in a smallpox epidemic, Mac?

Ever seen one?

No, but I don't see

what that's got to do with...

Well, if it ever breaks loose in this town,

look out, brother, that's all.

But the cases are quarantined.

They ain't letting them walk around loose.

Nobody can get it unless they rub up

against somebody that's got it.

Oh, yeah?

Look at that guy there on that chair.

He could have picked up the pox

from one of them people in the hospital.

Have it and not even know it, see?

All right, you come along.

You sit in that same chair.

Blooey, you got the pox

from just sitting there.

You're next, mister.

Not me. I'm getting vaccinated!

So, as the facts sank in, the people lined up.

The rich and the poor.

Everyone was a setup for smallpox.

Some had been stricken early.

Others who had unknowingly

contacted the disease

were saved by being vaccinated in time.

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