, 1879-02-16

flower OF the herd. Here is group OF thirty
poor people in rags, squaIid. with misery
household goods on their heads or over thcil
shoulders. They arc flying to CARRY, where,
fear they will seek yainly for help. traycrscd
region Of 100 miles long and never saw greer
leaf. Some villages are completely abandoned;
in others the water is disappearing; there is moi
even enough for the travellers horse. Men,
women, and children, clothed in rags. on fout,
diving of hunger, form sad picture along the
highways. A family Of peasants, flying to the
hilt country, passed the night IN the forest. In
the early morning the older ores went on,
abandoning two children, who were too weak
IRON famine to keep up with them. a little
later some passcrs-by found the children,-one
dead, the other diving. Mandioca meal is selling
at 81 mi1rcis the bushel (about twice the or
dinury prlce). and it can hardly BE- obtained ut
people SO much depend, cannot be bought at
any price. The peasants live on wild roots, on
unsholcsome seeds, on the flesh OF unclean ami
mails"
From Aracaty, under date Of May Is. 1877, q
s.Ml FRiESD-The picture of misery which is
unyciing before us is SO sad that we would fain
turn away our eyes. immigration from the
country around has been increasing rspfily; we
calculatc that By the end OF the month It will
reach 5,1C0. Imagine this mass Of famine
stricken, starving people Of the worst customs
in the midst of our already IMPOVERISHED city
and altogether without resources! 1t Is only q
part Of the truth"
DESPERATE STRUGGLE FOR LIFE.
This universal abandonment OF the open
country was Il feature OF .the drought. The
poor ueople from the first sought refuge in the
interior towns or at Fortalcza- Some fed to
neighboring provinces, where, however, matters
were hardlr better. In Piauhy aud Rio Grande
the peasants were already dying OF hunger.
And this, remember, was only in the be-
ginning Of the evil time. Think Of the suffering
all through this weary, weary Year; think how
people who were starving iu April must have
lived in July, October, December, with the
brazen sun every hour drawing away the little
molsrnre that NILS left. It Was no longer a
question Of saving herds and crops, but Of saw
ing human livcs. The cattle had died long be-
fore this summer was over. Not tenth part
survived of the immense herds; sheep aud goats
had fallen prey to starving robber ba1ds- 1t
was unsafe to travel alone, even BY day, so dcs-
perate we're the poor people,. The influx OF
refugees to the villages and townB was enor-
mous,-ffteen TO twenty thousand was no nn-
usual number IN place whose normal popula-
tion was no more than Two or three thousand.
By the end OF the year there we're tO 0uO wretcnes
encamped around Fortaeza, lying on the sands
hardly clothed. filthy. famtshed, begging where
they could, and finally diving in the streets, be-
cause private charity was exhausted. Ny col
lection Of letters, written during this time, is
Uul9 EcuEL1tl0ll VI FdAENEuCG3~~AAuICA3 pI5Ll@
lcncc, assassination, ruin OF the rich, dying Of
the poor. will quote only from few. The
first VAS from priest aC Ielha:
HELP us, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.
aHe1p me to succor this poor people, dying
OF hunger. am just mounting my horse 10 90
and confess two poor creatures who are expir-
ing, do not wish TO say of hungerf~ but that is
what appears. Here is a family ior whom, alas!
I can do nothing,-father, mother, and little
childrcu,-all FRUSTRATED with famine. This is
horrible. HELD Us, for the love OF God.''
From Quixada, June 10:
stTo the famine you must add 1akedness and
pestilcnce The woods are infested with rob-
bers. cannot describe it. On all the roads
there is continual procession Of emigrants In
one single road from the centre, which passes
BY a friends house, he counted 4,6l9 refugees
up to the 14th Of May. You tan thus have an
idea OF what is passing on the other roads"
From Bonn Jesus, June 4:
IA poor old man died OF hunger yesterday.
He left eight children, who are almost ready to
follow HIM.
From Jardim, June IL:
t.aiandioca meal is selling here at s24 to $50
the bushel, normal price. So; corn at $50, nor
NAL, 81; beans at $40, normal, 81; rice at SIG,
normal, So; and salt at $40, normal. 81; and
all this is only nominal; even the richer ones
are suffering from hunger"
From Pucatuba, June 25:
isIt is not onlv the Inhabitants OF the villages
who arc tortured With famine, but more than
2 U0O wretchcs hare come down from the in
terror, naked, famished, begging for bread for
the love Of God"
From the priest at Qnixata, June 21:
" It is impossible to describe the misery here.
Think of house with six naked, skeleton chill
1ren crying with hunger, and poor, miserable
mother sick on the filthy bed, tortured less with
her disease than to sec the little ones begging
Tor bread. Think, again, Of families begging 10
The streets, among them old men and pretty
Goupg girls, almost naked, or with only dirty
rags to cover them; abandoned children, who
AN no longer drag themselves along, begging
ur bread on their bendcd knees. then you will
awe a Door idea OF the state Of things here"
From Saboeiro, June II:
":Ycstcr1ay there was buried boy named
Steven; died OF hunger"
uEAETLEss CREDITORS. Il
4 longer letter comes from Cococy, June 90.
. transcripe it because it shows how the famine
yas making itself felt in all classes, and how
ne. 1t is from priest:
- It is no longer necessary to say thatssWe had |
10 winter, that the people are dying Of hunger. |
10 this terrible blow smother comes to exaggcr-
TO our 1fls; The Sh'pkccpers are more and
more inclined to gain money at the expense Of |
hcse poor victims of hunger. 31y ministry /
aries nle to the hut of tue peasant as well as
o the mansion OF the rich, and in both have ]
ritnessed scenes that tear my heart and I'LL me
'ith Indignation. Now l see father whose !
amlly is already suffering from famine. He |
las only one horse with which he might go to
eek load of provisions in Piauhy; this horse
5 taken away from him by his creditors. An
tler has no horse. but he hus single OK,
;hich he might kill to feed bis children on their
Quincy to some place Of safety; this is torn
way from htm. Another has neither horse nor
Z, but he has 4 lew goats that might serve to
ccp the family alive Tor little; but these are
cscn by the creditors. Still another has neither
orsc, nor OK, nor vet a single goat. his family
ctniu uoi wild 1111f hHs q