Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-04-29
HORRORS OF A FAMINE.
A Terrible Picture Of the sufRsrings Of
che Natives OF Brasil.

A Terrible Picture Of the sufaertngs OF
the Natives OF BraziI.
The United States consul at Pernam-
buco, Brazil, writes TO the assistant
secretary of state, giving details OF the
terrible suffering in Northern Brazil,
caused by the protracted secca or
drought. He says: Two noted seccas
prevailed during the years of 1926 and
l645, but / doubt whether there has
ever been here or elsewhere, In the his
tory of the world, famine so fatal in
effects in proportion to the population
rs this of Ceara. Those of India and
China, 1t must be considered, occurring
in crowded countries. where the people
are counted by millions, and not by
thousands like the Cearenses. Two
years and half ago, when the secca
commenced, the province of Ceara num-
bered 300, 900 inhabitants; out of these
bOO.O 900 have died OF disease and starva-
tion.
The secca began in the summer OF
1876, and continued to the close of the
year 1878, lasting for thirty months: no
rain having fallen during the whole two
years and half, and the once fertile
and luxuriant Sertao, where the farms
and villages prospered in peace and
plenty. now presents the appearance of
n vast blackened desert, burnt over by
FIRE.
In November of 1879, after the "Easti-
vete" or summer sleep, when the
"Chuvas de Cajus," or fruit rains, failed
to appear. the people did not worry, as
their acueles, or ponds, were not ex-
hausted, AID they looked confidently
forward to the winter rains to- set every
thing right. But these never came, and,
as the dry spring advanced, sad accounts
began TO come eastward of poverty and
suffering among the poor. Later on, as
the burning summer slowly passed,
bringing no November showers, and an
other January went by without rain,
there came appalling news of famine,
disease, dead cattle, and of dying and
despairing people.
Long penitential professions were
formed and the miserable Sertanejos
beat. cut, and otherwise punished them
selves TO appease an offended Deity.
Bat the pitiless secca still continued,
threatening everything and everybody
with inevitable destruction.
The wretched people were now re-
duced TO the necessity of eating roots,
cotton pods, the Mucuma bean, which
produces dropsy, lizards. dogs, cats,
idIc, lOdCucS, any ilNiHg VI utdu Luiuk
capable of affording sustenance; and in
some instances they were even goaded
to cannibalism by the pangs of hunger.
To increase the unimaginable hor-
rors of the situation, the smallpox
broke out among the Sertanejos and be-
came epidemic; typhus and other fevers
were raging. and in February and
March of 1878 the mortality became
frightful.
The cattle were now all dead, the
rivers dried up, and there Being no rail-
roads or other communications by
which provisions could reach the Ser
tao, the inhabitants, dreading whole
sale starvation, abandoned it together,
and the whole torrent of life swept sca-
ward.
Ceara, Parahyba, ATcaty, Baturite-
all the towns along the coast were now
alive with suffering humanity; age,
youth, men, women and children, all
famine stricken, coming in from the
country by thousands upon thousands.
The city of Ceafa, with 25. .O0U inhabi-
tants OF its own, received over 10000
Sertanejos. Impossible to provide for
such host, the Ce4renses did their best,
but it was sorrowful spectacle to see
thousands of emaciated creatures sitting
OF lying on the open largos (squares)
smitten with smallpox and other loath-
some diseases, some lamenting their own
fate, or the loss of friends others too
weak or Ill to complain; some wishing
to die from despair, ard others insane
from suffering; dangerous and most
narrowing scene-oHe with few parallels
in history.