Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-03-10
VERGE OF STARVING.
THOUSANDS IN VIRGINIA WITHOUT WORK,
WITHOUT FOOD, WITHOUT NONBY.
A DsplOrabls Condition Of Affairs Brought on by
Cold Weather and Crop Pailurss-A
Systematic Ef'rt Berg yads to
Relieve Them.

NORFOLK, VA March 9.-The reports
that reach here from Greenville county,
Va, anent the starving condition of the
inhsbitants, is harro wing in the extreme.
The crops of the last several years have
been almost complete failures, and that CT
the past season was literally go, due to the
excessive and perpetual rains and their
consequent floods that entailed no lees de-
gree Of desolation and destruction in the
tidewster region of Virginia than was visi-
ted upon the Inflated Oonemaugh Valley
in Pennsylvania.
There are over 600 farms in the county
that are to day in state OF desolation and
the occupants in condition bordering on
starvation. There are no exceptions. All
have shared the suffering produced by the
blight.
The most thrifty and prosperous farm
era have made complete and absolute fail
ures in their last years crops. Large
numbers made scarce
ABALg OF COTTON
and only few barrels Of corn, not enough
for their own use, to say nothing of feed
ing their stock. What little meat has
been slaughtered aud put up has been
spoiled by the warm weather, and there is
to-day not sufficient provisions to last the
people twenty days.
The recent cold weather has produced
much suffering because the people have
not money with which to buy fuel and
winter clothing. Toe sufferers are badly
demoraliz i'd; they do not know what to
do; thsy are willing enough TO work, but
there is no loc .ative demand for their la
Dor.
Rev. Vernon L. Aa,on, wh) is pastor
Of one of the churches here, ia a former ma
tive of Gfeenville county. He has ust re.
turned from the scene Of suffering, and
when seen stated tina. the accounts Of the
famine have not fully described the starv-
ing peoples condition. He said that
while there he was in the county Court
House where was gathered large number
of citizens, who had heard that there was
TO be distribution of provisions. They
were disappointed, however. as
NOT ENOUGH SUPPLIES
had been received to Justify the committee
in making distribution.
Rev. Mr.. |. Anson stated that he made
diligent inquiry, and he is satisfied that
the number OF farmers who are to-day in
actual want of the necesssrieJ Of life, is
over 500, and this means considerably
more than q thousand when the house
holds are included. He says that the con-
di.ion tf the farmers ID dus to the fact that
for four or five years previous to the last
the crops were bad, ana the last was total
failure, and the farmers were conseq uently
in no condition to stand it. Many of the
farms are mor,gsged, and no money,
therefore, can hs raised By that means.
There is not enough grain ia the county to
plant u crop, much less 10 supply the
necessaries OF life. Nor can this c0Ddi
tion be improved before
THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST,
and not then if the season is as unpropiti-
ous as it has been for years past. The
drenchiDg rains of last year washed the
corn lands as soon as they were worked
ard rotted the cotton in the balls.
The only people OF the county who are
beyond the pale of want are negro labor
ers, who, for the past year have been en-
ployed in the construction through the
county of the Atlantic and Danville rail-
road. They have money with which to
buy provisions. Several instances of msg'
nanimous conduct on ths part Of these
more fortunate blacks have been narrated,
Mr. |. Anson says that there are silent
suffer rs whose pride of race sad position
keeps them from informing the Distribu-
ting Committee OF their wants. These are
THE ARIsToCRATIC FAMILIES
OF the county who have never before
known what it was 10 be in need of any
thing. He says one gentleman came to
him with his bsrefooted boy By his side,
and with eyes streaming with tears, said
his family was actually in need Of food
and clothing, but that he bad not been
able to bring himself TO let his wants be
known.
TIE people of Richmond, Petersburg and
other cities the State are moving in the
matter of sending supplies and the new
railroad, the Atlantic and Danville, in
which Pittsburg capital is interested, has
been conpcuous in it's effort to relieve the
stricken people.