Evening star., 1897-06-07
IN PRISON CAM PS
How the Rural Population Of Cuba is
Herded.
SYSTEMATIC MURDER OF 4 PEOPLE
Result of the Concentration Order
of General WeyIer.
THE PESTILENCE OF GUINEs
rom The Stars Special Correspondent.

Spain holds the rurdl popuhdtioh VI Supa
as prisoners of war in prison camps Un-
like any other nation which claims to be
civilized she does not feed her prisoners
Of war.
This is a plain statement of the gath
ing in of the peaceful country people, the
non-corlbatants, in concentration settle
ments. If it seems a harsh judgment the
facts on which 1t is based must speak for
thems elves 1t is not with any purpose of
picturirg moro misery that these lines are
written. 1 have been asked whether the
conditions were as bad as they have been
painted. My conclusion is based on what
1 have seen, not going one hundred miles
beyond Havana.
There is no means of learning the ex-
act number of the reconcentradoes. An
American consul, who has made a careful
study. says it is more than 250,0OO. He is
well informed regarding the interior of the
island, and declares that the rural po9u-
laticn has always been underestimated. \
Spanish officer told me there were more
than 10000 of "those starving country
people The best opinion places the num-
Der between 10000 and 100000. 1t is
months since Weylera order was put In.
force, but they have --ot all been brought
In. The accounts given of the military
movements of the troops tell mostly of
the destruction of bohios, or palm huts.
Where the families are not murdered they
are driven in like cattle and herded with
the other pacificos. In the daily lists Of
presentad6 es or persons who surrender. to
the military authorities, those without
arms are the most numerous This usu-
ally means women and children. So the
recruiting of the reconcentradoes goes
steadily on.
An inspection of a settlement of the pa
eineos SHOWS Just how they are held as
~ i'oiers OF war. In not all the places are
.he' heiiined In by bitches and barb-wire
iehces as at Campo Florido, but they are
e'e'' where under military guard. Those
VIM are lett OF the men cannot go out into
.he country beyond certain line, and then
II Is with an escort of soldiers. Usually
tnese are the guerrillas. And it is an even
cnance between death by starvation and
getting back without being murdered The
pacincos are allowed tosbeg in the villages
or towns where they have been concentr.t
co. ana IN some of the camps the military
terrorism has been relaxed. Rut II is a
shadow which is always over them. At
hemedios. a little town on the coast in. the
province of Santa Clara, the local comma,,-
uant would not give the permit for the pa
cihcos to go out Of the village That had
TO come direct from Gen. Weyler The al
caIde asked 1t. but the permission was long
In coming. read in one OF the govern
ment papers few days ago that during
the month there had been forty deaths
from starvation at Remedies A sugar
planter, whose plantation Is within two
hours Of Havana, told me of four pacificos
VINO had risked a permit from the munich
pal authorities of the village and gone into
the country. They were overhauled by the
guerrlllas, who tore up the pass and mur-
dered them. These are simply instances.
No Regular and Sufficient Rations.
have made diligeDt inquiry and have not
been able to learn of a reconcentrado set
tlement on the island where the pacificos
are allotted regular and sufficient rations by
the military authorities. That is not Gen.
Weyler's policy. They are turned loose on
the villages where they are con .entrated.
Often they make twice the pumber of the
population in the midst of which they are
set down. The ability of any community
surrounded by desolated country to sup
port this extra burden is easily measured.
Where willing, it may do a little, but 1t
cannot feed all the hungry stomachs. In
many of the towns local relief is afforded.
At Guines, where there were thousands of
the pacificos before the plague swept
through, a local subscription enables COO
rations to be distributed daily through the
agency of the military commandant.
At Santiago Mr.. Michaelson, benevolent
German. organized a soup house in direct
opposition to the military authorities, who
said il was a help to the insurgents. Here
for a time even fresh water was lacking.
At Sagua, where the number Of concentra-
does is very large, a feeble attempt is
made to issue a half ration once a day.
But at Matanzas and most of the other
concentration settlements not even the pre-
tense of supplying food to the pacificos is
made.
Condition Of the Cattle.
When Weyler's order was issued the
country people were allowed to bring in
their cattle. Some of these cattle did es-
cape the "benevolence" of the soldiers and
guerrillas. But they too, are prisoners of
war. They must Craze within the lines.
To stray without Is slaughter and confisca
ton. The vegetation Is now bare. They
have eaten clear down into the soil, and
there Is little left on which to feed. 1 have
seen small herds Of these cattle corraled
within the lines, which looked as lean and
hungry as tne StaEVeu pdClHCOS. Iu0y are
watched carefully. for every drop of the
milk of the cows is precious, and to kill for
beef would be a sacrilege. However, few
Of the reconcentradoes can lay claim to the
tithc of an ownership in cow. AS mass
their only means of gaining food is to Gig
1t from the ground.
Since the relaxation Of the military
severity they go out short distance into
the country and grub for roots. I have
seen the guerrillas who guard them on these
foraging expeditions. and my eyes have
never looked on an ugiier set Of cutthroats.
But that Is neither here nor there The
pacificos grub like wild animals for the
yucan. malanga and yamas. The yamas
are kind Of wild sweet potato. The others
are succulent roots. The yucca has con-
siderabie starchy material In It, Taken
too freely it causes distention. or dropsy.
In some Of the camps In Pinar del Rio the
military authorities have been having the
yucca roots boiled in large quantities and
served out to the reconcentradoes as ra-
tions. The result Il much sickness.
Grown people Il they know how to be
CONTINUED on Third Page.)