On Oct. 12, 1918, Dallas Mayor Lawther ordered all public and private schools, churches, and other public gatherings closed, against the Board of Health advice, to try and quell the rise of influenza cases.

Lawther was sure to make clear that neither he nor health officials believed the epidemic was out of hand, nor did they expect it to soon become so. The case tallies, however, did not jibe with Lawther’s statement: 659 new cases for a total of 2,719 in the city were reported for the day.