The New York herald., 1879-02-14

the beginning of the evil time Think of the suffer
ing all through this weary; weary year; think how
people who starving in April must have lived
in July. October. December. with the brazen sun
every hour drawing away the little moisture that
was left II was no longer a question of saving
herds and crops. but of saving human lives. The
cattle had died long before this summer was over.
Not q tenth part survived Of the immense herds;
sheep and goats had fallen prey to starving robber
bands 1t unsafe to travel alone. even by day. so
desperate the poor people. The influx of refu-
gees to the villages and towns was enormous
fifteen or twenty Thousand was no unusual number
in place whose normal population more
than two three Thousand. BY the end Of the year
there 7O,OO0 wretches encamped around Forta-
lcza. lying the sands under huts made of boughs
Of palm leaves. hardly clothed. filthy. fanished.
begging where they could. and finally dying in the
streets. because private charity exhausted My
collection of letters. written during this time, only
q repetition of sad scenes-hunger. pcntence.
sassination, ruin of the rich, dying of the poor.
will quote only from few. The first was from
priest at Telha-
HELF U.s. FOR GOD.
Help me- to succor this poor people, dying Of hun
ger. am iust mounting my horse TO go and confess
two poor creatures who expiring. do not wish to
say of hunger, but that is what appears Hero is
| family for whom, alas l can do nothing--father,
mother and little children-al prostrated with fam
inc. This is horrible Help for the love Of God.
from Qulxnda. June 49,
To the famine you must add nakedness and pesti-
lencc. The woods infested with robbers. can.
not describe it. On all the roads there continual
procession OF emigrants IN one single road from
counted 4,6l9 refugees up to the 14th Of May. You
thus have an idea of what is passing the other
roads.
From Bonn Jesus, June a.
A poor old man died of hunger yesterday. He left
eight children, who almost ready to follow him!
From Jardim June 12:-
Mandioca meal is selling hero Mt s24 to $50 tho
bushel, normal price. s3 corn at $40. normal -;
beans ut $40 normal S4; rice at $l6 normal So, and
salt at $40. normal -: and all this is only nominal;
even the richer ones are suffering from hunger
From Pacatuba, Juno 25:-
is not only the inhabitants of the villages who
tortured with famine. but than 1900
| wretches havo come down from the interior, naked,
| fanished, begging bread for tho love of God.
| From the priest at Quixada June 2l:-
1t is impossible to describe the misery here.
Think Of house with six naked skeleton children
crying wsa hunger ana pIor. . miserable user pie mother
than to the little ones begging for bread Think,
again. Of families begging in the streets. among them
| old men and pretty young girls, almost naked. or
| with only dirty rags to them abandoned chill
dren. who no longer drag themselves along, beg
gng for bread their bel,lcd knees then you will
| have poor idea Of the state Of things here.
| From Sabociro. juno l2:-
| Yesterday there was buried boy named Steven;
| died OF hunger.
HRARrLEss CREDITORS.
longer letter comes from Cococy, June 90.
| transcribe it because it shows how the famine was
making itself felt in all classes, and how some bad
spirits took advantage of the suffering 1t is from
| priest:-
| 1t is no longer necessary to say that We had
winter that the people are dying OF hunger. To this
terrible blow another comes to exaggeratc ills.
The shopkeepers more and more inclined to gain
money at the expense OF these pqor victims OF
hunger. My ministry carries mo to the hut
| Of the peasant well to the mansion
| of tho rich and in both l have wit
messed scenes that tear my heart and
family is already suffering from famine. He has only
one horse with which he might go to seek load Of
provisions Piauhy; this horse is taken away from
him by his creditors. Another has no horse but he
has single OK. which he might kill to feed his
children on their journey to some place OF safety;
horse OK, but he has few goats that might
to keep the family alive for little: but these
| taken by the creditors Still another has neither
horse nor yet single goat; his family is
tained only with wild roots but he has good dog
more humane than the others, said to me :-"what
can do. Your Reverence? l. nevcr heart
| never much misery. The other day went to
demand payment OF y poor man. but IN honest one,
burst into tears viii pay yon said he; YOU shall
have all there is there nothing but what will
become OF me and my little oncsY pited him SO that
told him he might rest easy for this year, but what
will become of with my creditors in the city q
All, my friend in what condition do the other poor
families remain who tortured by creditors? The
father hears his children we-ping; ne goes seek
mucuman seeds and roots OF the pau lie moco and it
| is hard enough to find even these poisons. The
mother another little one die of hunger and she
| goes out broken hearted to beg morsel for those
| that left.
| MISERABLE wRETcHEs SEEKING FOOD.
| SAN JoAo PRINCIPE. July 20, 1877
This village is almost deserted; the people have
terrible. Three months hence the Victims TIM P,STS Will hs
| counted by hundreds they now by units, for
even to-day there are deaths from hunger. The cat
tie industry may be considered extinct.
| Iuu Aucuet IN 1877
live on the borders of tho road which comes from
Tamhoril: Boa viasem and other places in the in
terror far back leo and Telha Daily see cara
vans of cmigrans passing by. hundreds of wretches
half dead with hunger. naked. lesn with sunken
Sierra Crandc TO their lives IL may be- Dut they
deceive themselves; they will die there than
and less ncenioca meal what will the poor
| people buy with The government hns sent us a
few loads of provisons but what is this drop in
ocean OF our misery
had hoped until very lately that people would not
die of hunger here but there can no longer be any
doubt of it. Already have seen persons fall in tho
streets stricken by farSsne.
| CnAro August 49, 1877
Yesterday there arrived here the aid commission
appointed by tho government. Hardly was the notice
received when the poor people came crowding around
tho door in thousands begging for help In tho
! midst of this confusion poor young woman of
decent family and wol appearing forced hor way into
onr with her skeleton mother and cmaci-
atcd child on her arm. She told Of husband diving
ut home. said that the child had long had only her
milk for sustenarcc. and that disappearing be-
cause of tho wild fruits and roots that she ate.
While listening to her tho child died in her
arms. Think Of our condition. We in this house,
like others. have gone without dinner more than
once that we might a wrctchcs from death.
group Of bony children. with more strength to
themselves foot white they beg for bread
one falls and dies of hunger the pavement. Here
again group Of young girls. completely nude, yet
thcy must beg for bread with the rest.
EVERYWHERE HuxeER DEATH.
A priest writes from Quxada on the 10th Of Sep
tembcr:-
arrived here yesterday and know not how TO
write, impressed as am with the pictures of misery
which I have encountered. II IL horrible to travel
here In the interior. On tho roads snw only in
terminsblc professions of refugees, naked, bony,
and deathlike. trembling with cold aud hunger
Many fall by the roadside almost nsnimate, as hap
pened Mt Riacho do Castro, where poor man fell
down with his three children and would have died
but for sefor Moura. who gave them a morsei OF
food. The people have given way to despair. Full
OF grof send You notice Of tho death OF i've ner-