Out of the Shadow of Leprosy: The Carville Letters and Stories of the Landry Family

Chapter 5. Edmond’s Letters from Carville

47 = Chapter 5 Edmond’s Letters from Carville Letters can never adequately reveal the anguish of a life lived separated from family, but they are courageous attempts at doing just that. While they may not ever fully express the passion of the heart, they are still an immediate and direct contact with loved ones. When Edmond sat down in Carville to write to his family, he was closeted in his cell-like bedroom, which contained a bed, a desk, books, a typewriter, and a small armoire or closet for his few possessions. The most recent framed picture of his wife and two children hung on the wall, as did a calendar that haunted with its meaningless count of days. His hands were crippled and numbed by leprosy , and he got the blues whenever he wrote, but he wrote, nonetheless, to his wife and family. His most frequent signature to his family was “As ever, Edmond,” as though in his single-minded effort to overcome the grief, anger , and lethargy that made letter writing so painful, he asserted his identity . He was Edmond: son, brother, husband, father, ever the same no matter the condition of his skin and the stigmatization to his person. I have learned to know him as my grandfather and as Edmond, but my knowledge of him is mediated by years, by my mother’s few memories, by changing attitudes toward Hansen’s disease, and by his old letters. When he wrote what are now the fading, yellowed remnants of his correspondence , he was writing with an immediacy that only letters could give. He had no access to a phone; visits from his wife and family were infrequent and non-existent from his kids. His two or three brief visits home were less than satisfactory. Only in his correspondence could he record his life, and even then he sifted his narratives and tailored the voice he used in each of the three sets of letters contained here. The letters to his folks, pages 48–83, are the letters of a son trying to relate the more ordinary aspects of his life to those he loved. No doubt he omitted many of the bleaker descriptions of 48 Edmond’s Letters from Carville his internment lest his family, too, be caught in the darkness of leprosy. To his wife, he wrote letters which were sometimes shared with his parents and read, carefully edited, to his children. The two remaining letters to his wife, pages 84–123, reveal more forcefully his anger, loneliness, and desperation than does the collection to his folks. His third set of letters, pages 125–39, written to hospital and government officials, are more official and businesslike, and are signed Gabe Michael or Edmond G. Landry, depending on the circumstances. They were brief, succinct, sometimes abrupt and demanding but all were indicative of his sense of autonomy. Dear Folks—As Ever Edmond “This surely is a ‘lepers’ place.” Edmond to Family, January 11, 1926 Carville, La. June 5, 1925 Dear Folks, Guess you all were [surprised] last Sunday as I don’t think the mail went out until Monday morning. You all no doubt realized after that it was due to the holiday. Received Amelie’s letter today and was glad to hear from her. I prefer to receive your letters on Friday so I can answer them right away instead of the following Friday when I receive them on Saturday or Sunday. It certainly is too bad about Lawrence’s wife and leaving such a young baby. I received the box of peaches yesterday and it is useless for me to say that they were enjoyed. They are not so big but they are delicious. I gave a few out but kept most for myself as they are well preserved. Many thanks for same. Received Marie’s letter last Saturday and was glad to hear from her. Edmond’s Letters from Carville 49 Glad to hear that Ulysses’ father is improving. Sorry to hear of Judge Simon’s illness and Mr. Blanchette’s death. All these high livers generally kickoff suddenly. Wish I could have been there to enjoy some of Uncle Henry’s crawfish. We never get any here. We had crabs (Gumbo) for supper but they were not fresh enough so they lack the flavor. Mrs. W. went home on some business last Sunday and came back last night. I have not...