The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-19
STARVING A WHOLE TOWN,
WEFLER CAPS THE CLIMAX OF ms
BARBAROUS PoLICT.

He Orders tho stores nnd Markets or In Rsp..
rnnsn Closed and Surrounds the Town VIII,
5000 soidiers-Am who Try to Escape Ar.
kliicd-Appeni- or the Curate ana MAYOR
HAVANA, Aug. 15.-Thc curato OF the town ~,
La Espcranza, in Santa Clara province, has sent
the following despatch TO the Bishop OF Havana.
From the first Of July all the stores and mar.
kets in this town have been closed by order a,
the C~aptain.Gcnoral. In Gods name / beg your
EXccllcncy to implorc tho Captain General 10
withdraw his order. Otherwise all the inhabit.
ants will die of hunger. Many have died al.
ready. The Ca"ptain.General intends 10 enforce
his decree until the Notifications arc finished
around the town, and | am informed that tho
works will not be finished for twenty days"
At the same time the Mayor OF the town OF
La Esperanza wrote to the Governor Of the prov.
ince:
1.-THE whole population Is starving. Tho re-
sources of the municipality arc exhausted.
Hundreds OF women and children cry despair.
ingly for food and hundreds have died Of hum
ger. l do not know what to do under these hor.
riblo circumstances. Tho order of Gen. weyler
closing the markets and forbiddlng the sale Of
all kinds OF ~victuals l cannot disobey. Mean
while must l contemplate with Indifference the
spectacle OF tho people of La Esperanza dying OF
the direst OF calamitiosi / beg from your Excel
lency a prompt answer. We have no time 10
spare IL we are unwilling that everybody should
perish here"
La Esperanza Is a town of about 1900 inhab-
itants. II has been raided several times by tho
insurgents recently. and 10 ohastise the inhab
itants for not defending the town, Gen. Weyler
issued his barbarous decree, under pretext that
the stores and markets attracted the insurgents.
What is more cruel still is the fact that a strong
Spanish column is cncamped around the town
and the Spanish soldiers ure we'll provided with
food. but stringent orders are given to them,
under the severest penalties, not to give any
help to the inhabitants.
The most terrible tales of misery come from
the town. Mothers kneeling before the soldiers,
with their children In their arms. vainly be.
seech the hcartless Spaniards for a little food.
Men who attempt to break through the Spanish
lines in order to get into the country either TO
procure food or join the insurgents are imme-
diately shot. In many cases they have tried TO
force a passage through instead of getting away
by stealth, but being unarmed the Spanish
soldiers easily overpower and slay them.
The only hope OF the population is that
the insurgents may come and rescue them. But
there is very slight prospect Of this. The insur-
gent bands which raided the town in July have
moved now TO the west, invading the province
OF Matanzas. and the Cuban forces near La Es-
pcranza at this time are too few to cope with
the 5000 Spanish soldiers sent TO the town by
Gen. Weyler.
The latest report from La Esperanto says that
a sort Of epidemic madness has been produced by
hunger among the inhabitants. and that they
kill each other and commit suicide by scores.