The times., 1897-04-16
WEYLER STARVING CUBANs.
Two Hundred Thousand Persons
in Want of Food.

| In Want of Food.
| Philadelphia, April ia correspondent
OF the Inquirer, writing from Havana
under date of April 10, says: Two hundred
| thousand people are starving today In
| Cuba. From sixty to seventy die of hunger
| every day. Ofthe 200, ,000dying wretches,
perhaps 5000 are citizens OF the United
States, engaged in peaceful pursuits. The
condition OF the people here is SO des-
| perately wretohed it will hardly be be-
| lleved in the United States 1t was not
believed by Mr.. Olney, although many spe-
oific cases of the starvation and ruin Of
| American citizens were reported to him
by the United States consul Mr.. Rock
hill carefully filed the reports away, and
did not even reply 70 them. III consul
got too persistent, he was told to color the
reports, as it, was not desired to give Of
Tense to Spain.
Gen. Weyler'S orders concentrating the
rural population in small towns and cities
is the most in human decree ever issued. 1t
is sentence of death by hunger of whole
people, and he travels about the island vis-
ting well-fOrtified cities that he may gloat
over the misery he has caused.
Every town and city In the island S over
ClONteu- IL 10 iIilpUSolDlt " Btt 70
eat. There is nothing to be had in the cpun-
try. Weyler has driven, underpain of death,
all persons living on farms into the towns.
They have no money t. pay rent or buy food
They build bark houses in alleys and there
starve.
They beg to be allowed to go out to
their places to bring back food That is
refused. They ask that food be given
them. They are told that there is not
enough for the troops. They grow thin
and die by hundreds each week. When
the rainy season comes in May they will
die by the thousands from pestiIence added
TO hunger
One American plantation owner re-
Gently stripped 80 900 worth Of brass
from his sugar machinery and sold it for
S340 to get some thing to eat. Another in
Santa Clara offered 10 sell his whole plan
tation for 1-2 per cent of it's value for
the same purpose. An American lady
wrote for aid because she had no clothes
to wear to come herself.
The suffering and misery n this Anne rican
Armenia was well known to the Cleveland
administration Appeals for food Were
made TO the State Department, but the pub
lie of America was not informed OF this.
The situation is now worse and an appeal
to the people of the United States will soon
he rnade direct, though it Will be as much
asthe lives ofthose whOappcal are worth to
do it,
Three cases of Spanish crimes against
Americans have been discovered by me
Petro Dominique, who was born and raised
In New York, was compelled to leave the
town of Rodrigo, where he had store and
u good business. Major GallegO, OF the
Spanish army, hated him because he was
an American citizen and one night Two
rifles Were fired from the fort near the
store and the bullets from them almost
struck Mrs. DoHAngueZ.
DomingueZ went To the fort, where the
major told him that the shots had been
fired at his orders, and ordered him To
leave town. This case was reported in full
to Mr.. Olney- Nothing was done, Domin-
gueZ says
Richard Riordan. a Brooklyn man, who
was III the real estate business in SantO
Domingo was arrested on charge of con
tempt because ne refused 10 provide quar-
tiers for some Spanish soldiers in his house
He was ordered TO give bond of 81 O,0OO
or go TO jail. nd appealed 70 the American
consul Mr. Barker. Hesa VS. Mr. Barker wrote
to the State Department foT advice. but
never received any answer. Finally, Mr..
Barker Convinced the judge that Riordan
had better he let alone pending reply from
Washington.
Narceiso Lopez, naturalized citizen and
graduate of Fordham College, y. Y, was
arrested while visiting at the house of
a relative in the Maguaria district and
showed his American passport as evidence
that he was an American citizen.
You are the kind we are looking for |
exclaimed the commander. Lopez was inn |
mediateIy shot to deaf and his body |
hacked with machetes. Those who buried |
the murdered American citizen found that |
he had been robbed. All his papers were |
gone. Mr.. Olney knew all these facts |
He did not even acknowledge the report |
of the case.