Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-11-23
midas SAD PLIGHT.
An Awful Famine Threatens
Millions Of Her People.
Grain Riots Have Already Begun.
Mobs Loot Shops in Cities.
No More Crops for at Least 10 Months
Story Of The Situation.

Boston, Nov 22.-The American Board
of Foreign Missions has received the
following letter from Rev. r. A. Hume.
.. D., dated at Ahmednagar, India, OCT.
It,
l am just entering on my 23d year OF
missionary service in India. In THESE
years l have been through many per-
plexities. But the end of the 22d year
finds me in greater pecuniary embar-
rassment than ever before in my life.
MANY Is the day that there is not a
dollar in the house fer the personal ex-
penses. or for old, established, fruitful!
work, or for our Theological seminary,
nor any idea where a dollar is to come
from. And in the 23d year there seems
the almost certain prospect of the Keen
est and most trying suffering and per-
rlexity, caused by widespread famine.
The Indian weather bureau foretold
an inadequately rainy season this year.
The result is as foretold. From the
Himalayas to Cape Comorin the rainy
season has been inadequate In this
Ahmednagar district the early rain III
June and July was good; but since
July there has been no rain, and now
the prospect is that for eight months
more no rain will fall. In consequence,
the first crops have not properly II"
pened and for want OF later rains the
second crops cannot be even soWn m
most places, unless there are wells tol
be depended on. Even the water sup
ply is now low. What will it be few
months hence? l have been through
one famine in India, and the recollec-
ton of it Is most sad: but that was not
a general so much as a comparatively
local famine The coming famine seems
likely to be very general. for nearly the
whole population with its 300, 900, 600 peo-
pie.
Already grain riots are common. Grain
merchants will not sell grain largely
because they know the prices will great
" increase, though even now prices
are 800 per cent above normal. So
people break open grain shops aho
grainaries, and threaten to kill the
merchants if they interfere. But this
in only the beginning OF our troubles.
No more rain seems likely to fall for
eight full months. No seeds can be
sewn for S1a months. and no grain be
rjpened for ever 10 months. What fear
full suffering seems to be in store.
Already in some places parents are
deserving their children. In some places
cattle are being sold for the value OF
their hides. In many places farmers
forcibly drive their cattle into forest
reserves and say to forest ofhcers:
You may put these cattle into pounds
then they will at least get fed. but we
shall not regard forest regulations
Yesterday morning near the gate OF
Ahmednagar a cart with grain was
stopped by hungry men, who held the
driver till some of them had carried of
the grain For two days my servants
tried in vain to buy 80 cents worth
of grain for use. If they do this thing IN
the green tree, what shall be done in the
dry?
Rev. Edward Hume writes from Bonn
bav. under date of Oct. 10: You have
doubtless heard through the papers that
Bombay is suffering from the plague
Yesterdays report shows that during
the past week there have been nearly SOC
deaths or 50 per cent above the norma.
for this time of the year. This excess is
due to the presence of the plague, which
the doctors technically call 'bubonio
the neck, in the armpits and groins, ac-
companied by fever and vomiting. and
the patients present very noticeably
sad and demented appearance. In one
case which has been reported death
took place after an Illness of "a hours
but in most cases the patients linger or
Cor two or three days. At first the NOR
tally was very high but now the au-
thorities assure us that not more than &c
per cent of the cases are fatal. Ever
experts cannot tell us whence the dis
ease came. nor what the cause is.
I'VE are face to face with two grea
calamities, but our full confidence is il
him who has sent us to work for hin
here. He will not only protect us, bu
bring good out of this great trouble"