The Northern Pacific farmer., 1880-03-25
FAMINE'S HORRORS.

FAMINE's HORRORS.
A Touching Account of Ireland's Woes
by Member Of the ssHerala'' Com.
mittee.
Rev. George Hepworth, one of the
Herald relief committee, cabled the fol-
lowing to the Herald from London, on
the 10th inst:
I have made my first visit to the suf-
fering counties of Ireland, and hasten
to make my report of what 1 have seen
and done. The committee, which is
com posed of gentlemen thoroughly &C.
quainted' with the country and the
people, has entered upon its difficult
task with the determination to make q
personal inspection of the distressed dis
tricts. They are eminently fitted to
supply the pressing needs of the suf-
ferers with the greatest possible speed
and economy of the funds. They have
already held several meetings, at which
those sections have been indicated
which need the earliest attention.
They have voted supplies for the quar-
ters where vast amount Of suffering
is known to exist. 1t is easy to under
stand the causes of the present poverty.
The people have had three bad crops
in succession, and things have been
growing worse and worse until the al
most utter failure of the crops last year
brought them to the verge of starva-
ton. They have nothing to plant,
want which the British government will
supply by the loan of seed potatoes on
very easy terms. They have nothing
to eat, a want which you have your
selves so generously helped to supply
by gifts which, I am sure, you will
supplement by other gifts when you
know what is the real state of the case.
In order to understand for myself the
condition of affairs spent few days
under the leadership Of Col. King Har-
man, covering about thirty square miles
on the first day and over forty on the
second.
y I visited large lumber of small SET
Elements on the west bank of the Shan
non. in the counties of Roscommon and
Sligo. For about ten hours each day
rode and walked. entering altogether
about one hundred wretched novels
which this afflicted people delusively
call their homes, and where, from
morning till night, they encounter the
dread monotony Of want and misery.
While fully prepared to meet more or
less distress everywhere, knowing,
through former visits, something of the
chronic state Of poverty in which the
people live, was not prepared, nor
could anything I have ever before seen
in any degree prepare me for the scenes
of abject misery and sickening squalor
which I found at every turn. The peo-
pie did not know of my coming, and
could not prepare for any dramatic dis
play Of wretchedness and want. Un-
aware, I searched every corner of scores
of houses for any means of subsistence,
and came back at night with an aching
heart. I had seen what it would do |
you all good to see. Even after hear
ing it, I am sure you will increase your
gifts, generous as they have been, until
this great chasm of distress can be
bridged over. When I tell you that |
have Seen men utterly break down
when I slipped paltry shilling into
their hands, the women clutch loaf of
bread as though they were afraid that
some one would suddenly appear to
take it from them. you can family i'm.
agine what I have experienced in the
last few days. The friend who accom-
panied me observed that felt a large
lump in my throat all the time. I
could find no fitting language in
which to express my sorrow and my
sympathy.
The first case ! remember was that
of an old woman, who sat on the mud
dy threshold of her hut as we went by,
lifting up her hands as if in supplica-
ton, and crying: "Nothing has passed
my lips for twenty.four hours" I nev-
er knew the value of bread till that
moment, when we gave her half a
loaf. She took it with the eagerness of
a famished dog, She trembled with age
and weakness, for she was over seventy
years of age, and hunger had reduced
her to the likeness of a skeleton. There
was glare in her eye that told of FAM
ire. She stood in the middle of the
road and thanked God that the Ameri-
cans had not forgotten Ireland. Itwas
hours before could get away from that
haunting, haggard face. Nor al I |
soon forget the sight I saw in another
hut. The mother of seven children was
holding the youngest, girl of a few |