The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-22
THE REAL CONDITION OF AFFAIRS in CUBA.


and not a single beggar would come
out of his rat hole TO importune you
for aims. You could dine at q table ON
the sidewalk and no one would ask you
for the leavings of your plate. If you
wanted to see them you would have to
go to their bohios on the sill sides,
where, stretched out upon the damp
ground and gazing vacantly before
them, they passed away the weary,
endless days. Now and again I met in
the streets O wretched, despairing
mother, clasping O. puny, ailing child to
her shrunken bosom, hurrying to and
fro. through the mourning, famishing
city, with a terrible expression of
dread anxiety depicted upon her drawn
features, and crying out as she went,
"leche," milk. Milk for her starving
child. Once I saw seated in the plaza,
half clad and shivering with cold, for
the keen norther was blowing, moth
er clasped convulsively in her arms a
child that was dead. And she was
trying to nurse it, begging and implor-
ing it with all a mothers caressing
words to drink, to live. Friends came
down from the Cascoro Hill ut last
and began to lead her away. A mo-
ment later she fell exhausted, and
while she hugged her little one relaxed
and while SIZE opt on the child was
taken from her bosom, thrown into the
passing dead cart and carried out into
the country, where lie hundreds Of but
half buried dead who have fallen vic
tins to this atrocious system.
NO RATIONS.
AS a sequel to the proclamation Of
recommendation, certain orders were is
sued to the military authorities in the
different districts with the purpose, as
it was said, of giving the non-combat-
ants, who were herded together in the
way have already described, an OPP
portunity to support themselves and
families. There was at the time, in
November much talk of zonas of culti-
walton which were to be surveyed and
then allotted to the heads of families.
These lands were to be close to the sta
tions of concentration, and at their
peaceful labors the non-combatants
were to be protected by forts and by
the presence of armed guards. But in
no single instance has this plan been
carried out, and there is not a single
zone Of cultivation, so-called, in the
whole island which is under cultiva-
such lands have been marked out, but
not one where they have been allotted
or where the country people have been
permitted to plant their simple crops,
Many reasons are given for this failure
to carry out the only human and re-
deeming feature of an otherwise wholly
diabolical plan. I cannot enter upon
them here. but simply state the facts
huu
given to the reconcentrados as often
stated in the most official way; and
secondly. that no opportunity has been
given these people to become self-sup-
porting, and that they have been pre-
vented from becoming so, and have
no hesitation in adding that I person.
ally believe that this failure to carry
out the whole programme is not be as
cribed to accident or to the disobedi-
ence of subordinates, but that it was
part and parcel of the original plan
conceiYed by General Weyler for the
purpose of exterminating a race he had
failed to conquer in battle.
THE ZONE OF FIRE.
1t can be truthfully said of the whole
province of Matanzas that it resembles
nothing so much as a great ash heap.
And the same is true of the three other
western provinces. But there was a
radius of five miles around the city OF
Matanzas that had not been destroyed
in January This had been pointed out
as the zone of cultivation, where some
| day, some remote manana, the land
would be allotted to the pacificos, and
seed be given them to plant. But fin
u al
in March the destruction of all this
property, and even the growing crops
| was decreed by Gen. Molinas, the mill
tary governor. The last time 1 stood
| on the summit of Montserrat there
| were three great fires burning to the
| right and to the left Of me, and before
me. Everything was on fire except the
| sea, which cannot be made to burn
| even by royal decree. And for a week
Matanzas, usually so bright and clear
was as smoky and sooty as Birming.
ham.
DEMONSTRATION OF THE DYING
| On March 22 it had been raining con-
tinuously for three days. The want o,
| food had never been greater, when sud.
| denly the glimmering Of an idea of self.
| preservation seemed to dawn upon tn.
starving thousands on Cascoro Hill
| Without any plans, or without any
leaders, those in the settlement VIII
were still able to walk marched dowr
the hill toward the palace which lies in
| the heart of the city. AS they stag.
| gered along through the muddy streets
in motley half-clad groups, they were
Joined by many other fellows in misery
who lived in the stations known as Cha.
farinas, Melilla and the bohis acros,
the river in the Pueblo Nueyo. Wher
| they reached the palace of the Ciyi
Governor, they must have numbered
2,OoO men, women and children, witt
wan, drawn faces, and features pinch.
| ed by hunger. The palace guards were
| about to drive them away in short or.
der, when a young officer of the gov.
ernment came out and asked what thew
| wanted. They were thoroughly fright.
| ened now at what they had done, and
not man could be induced to saw .
| word, and not a few began 70 slide
away. But several of the women smoke
up right bravely with their weak. shril
voices, and said they meant no disre.
| spect to His Excellency, the Governor,
all thev wanted and what they haf
| come to ask for was simply a littl,
bread and little milk fer their starry.
ing children. The adjutant returned I,
the Governor, leaving the starying
helpless people out in the pelting rain
very much frightened at the possibl,
consequences of their audacity. In :
feW minutes, however, he reappearef
and led them around to the new artil.
lery barracks, where to each and every
one Of the crowd a single sweet potatC
was given. Encouraged by this kline
treatment several of the men foun(
their voices and spoke out, saying tha
If the Governor would only allow thnp