The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-02-09
THE FAMINE FIEND
Stalks Like q Spectre Gaunt
os Through Erin's Isle.
Thousands Still Starving in That Dis.
. ~ 'ao tressed Land.
TERRIBLE PICTURE OF DEsr1rUT1oN.

Special to the Star.
New York, Feb. "A Dublin letter to a
morning paper gives terrible picture OF
the destitution in some parts of Ireland.
The famine fever prevails to an alarming
extent in some places, and narrowing de-
scriptions are given of the distress.
There are four parishes in Connemara
lying along the Southern Coast Galway
County, and not one of the three Com
missioners deputed by the Government to
inquire into the state of ings in Con,
naughthas visited these parishes. Similarly,
two gentlemen who travelled through
the reported distressed districts on behalf
of the Duchess of Marlborough are said ia
have left these parishes out of their in.
spection. They lie far away from all regu.
lar routes, and the Work-house the legal
refuge for the destitute, is twenty-six
miles away. The process server, however,
has visited these wilds.
These four parishes cover an area Of
about forty miles square and there is not
in the whole island a more stricken and
woebegone region. The following is re-
port about the condition of the parishes
named: Carnagh, with perhaps couple
dozen exceptions, the whole population of
5000 are on the highroad to death by star.
vation. Hunger has overtaken more than
one-third of them already.
Those who have anything to eat are
living on the seed potatoes. Every day
some family is eating its las meal of them.
Numbers Of families squat in their hideous
cabins around the morsel of live turf all
day long, IN order not to awaken the pangs
of hunger by active exercise. Wretched
peasant mothers stumble over miles of
sharp pointed rocks with their bare feet. to
implore Indian meal for their whining
children.
They also carry layers of turf or dripping
sea- weed on their backs for ten or fifteen
miles like beasts II burden. Starvation is
going on far and wide. The weather il
cold, and the people are half-naked. There
are no beds even for the sick, and they lie
in their daily clothes, with old tattered
rags around them.
Assistance is promised the famishing In
the spring, but it is a question how many
Connamara peasants will live to see the
spring; and those who survive will be ema
ciatcd and incapacitated. Nine-tenths o
the whole coast population of Connaught
from Galway round to Sligo, are on tn,
brink of starvation. r'-i
THE HERALD FAMINE FUND. a's
The Herald Irish Famine Fund is (,
great success. 1t mas received contribu
tions at the rate Of hundreds of dollars pc
hour Among the latest large contribu
tors are Dion Boucicault P. T. Barnum
Rose Coghlan, Cornelius Vanderbilt anG
others. Among the contributions. is ON
| from the Hebrew Orphans. Boucicaul
thinks If the four or five hundred tIeater
and music halls of the United States Civ
benefit for Irish distress on St. Patrick
Day, $50, 900 may be raised for them.
The morning papers say there are be
tween seven and eight thousand news
papers, daily and weekly, in America, AM
| Ii they were to unite for the relief of Irisl
distress what might they not achieve in tn
great work of feeding a starving people?
CATHOLIC CHURCH CONTRIBUTIONS.
BROOKLYN, Feb. 9.-The Roman Catholi
Churches and chapels in this diocese too
up collections yesterday for the relief {
the starving people OF Ireland. It is NO
vet ascertained how much money was cor
tributed, but it is estimated at $l5, ,OO0.
i -Hl