Omaha daily bee., 1897-04-15
cuBANs ARE STARVING TO DEATH.
Two Hundred Thousand without
Food. IncImIInu MnnN Anne rIcnns.


Food, Including Many Americans.
Copyright 1881. by Press Publishing Company
HAVANA, April 14-(New York World
Cablegram-special Telegram.)-Two hun
dred thousand, people are starving to death
In Cuba. From sixty to seventy die Of hun
ger every day. OF the 900 dying wretches
perhaps 1900 are citizens of the United
States engaged in peaceful pursuits.
The condition OF the people here is so
desperately wretched 1t will hardly be be-
lieved In tho United States. II was not be-
lieved by Mr.. Olney although many specific
cases OF the starvation and ruin of American
citizens we're reported to him by United
States consuls Mr.. Rockhill carefully filed
the reports away, and did not even reply
to them. II consul got too persistent he
was told not to color his reports, as 1t was
not desired to give offense to Spain.
General Weyler's order concentrating the
rural population in small towns and cities
Is the most nhuman decree ever issued. 1t
is sentence OF death by hunger OF a whole
people And he travels about the island,
not as a general at the head of his troops,
but as a military despot, visiting we'll forth
fed cities that he may gloat over the misery
he has wrought.
Mothers of Cubans and their daughters
are his favorite victims. He says he will
crush out tho breed of insurgents. He no.
ticed some cattle recently along the railway
la Grande, and that city on his present trip.
He angrily demanded of the military com
mandant why all cattle had not been killed
according to his orders.
There are only a. few" replied the COM
mandant; they are allowed to live so that
the people may have little meat"
ITO HI with the people, Weyler ex-
claimed. That's why / ordered all cattle
killed. See that 1t is done Immediately"
But" responded the official, 1.-The troops
need some meat"
well, take what you need for the troops
but kill the rest and destroy the meat" The
order was obeyed
Every town and city in the island is over
crowded 1t is impossible to get things to
eat Weyler has driven, under pain of death,
all persons living on farms into the towns
They have no money to pay rent or buy food
They build bark houses in alleys and low
spots and there starve. They beg to be al
lowed to go out to their places to bring back
food. This is refused. They ask that food
be given them. They are told there is not
enough for the troops. They grow thin and
die by the hundreds a week When the
rainy season comes in May they will die by
thousands, for pestilence will join with Wey-
Ter and hunger in killing off the breed"
1t is not uncommon to see palc-faced
wretches snatching UP banana peels in the
streets of cities and towns. i found that
they made soup out Of them for whole fam
lilies. Hundreds of Americans for nearly all
of them here are engaged in agricultural
pursuits, are forced into these towns pennl-
less The suffering and misery in this
American Armenia il beyond description. 1t
was well known to the Cleveland admins
tration. l know that appeals for food were
made to the State department, but the public
OF America was not informed of it,
THOMAS G. ALVORD, JR.