The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-22
Cuban Army Said to Have
DWindled to Less Than
1000 Men.
DECREE OF AUTONOMY.
Royal Document Will Be Sub
mitted to the Cabinet
at Madrid Today.

MADRID, Nov. 21.-The royal de-
crees for the establishment of auton-
omy in Cuba will be submitted to
cabinet council tomorrow.
HAVANA, Nov. 21.-About seventy
| of the recent inmates of the Matanzas
| Jail have been stricken with what is
/ supposed to be Beri Beri. Three Ha-
| vana specialists have been sent to
| diagnose the disease, and the sick prjs-
oners have been transferred to more
healthful quarters, where they will be
provided with medicine and nourish-
ments, while other steps have been
| taken to avoid an increase of the cpl
! demic. Capt. Gen. BlancO has called
for public subscription on behalf Of
the afflicted persons, and has himself
subscribed 500.
HAVANA. Nov. q Via Key West,
Fla)-La Lucia, in a recently pub
! lished editorial. expresses doubt as to
the sincerity of the friendship for Spain
professed by the American government.
and says: IF the American govern
ment cannot prevent the sailing from
the ports of that country of expeditions
in aid of the insurgents and does not
respond in other ways to Spain's ef-
forts to come to favorable terms il
is useless for Spain to maintain friend
ly relations with America"
Reports from Matanzas say that the
| Conservatives, having become enraged
at the change in the governments pol
Icy, are disturbing public order Ex-
| Mayor Crespo initiated the disorder!y
conduct by publicly giving offense 70
Senior Aramas, the new civil governor
of the province. The chief of police
followed Senior Crespos lead by en-
deavoring to prevent aid being given
To the suffering recOncentrados by
| newspaper correspondents and others
| OF the reconcentrados in Matanzae,
numbering more than $4,000, 20 died IN
| two days, 81 perishing from hunger.
| Yesterday II deaths were reported. q
large proportion of which were the re-
suit of starvation. In Jaruco, about
60 per cent of the deaths are caused
by starvation. and the same is true
of many other towns. Owing 10 the
lack of proper clothing and of blank
| cts the situation of the recOncentrados
is becoming worse as the winter sea
son approaches, despite the efforts
! made to relieve them.
Horrible episodes are of daily occur
/ renee among the reconcentrados A.
/ ter lying for three days upon the side
| walk in front of a house in Matanzas.
a poor negro woman who was suffering
| terribly and was unable to move was
| carried away by flood caused by a
! heavy downfall of rain A short time
| afterward her dead body was disccv-
| cred few blocks away and at last re-
ports was still lying in the gutter.
A cab driver who was carrying a Sex
man to the hospital observed that his
! passenger was dying and dragged him
! from his cab, leaving him on the curb
! stone, where he finally died. Cases
similar to these are of frequent occur
renee.
! Reports from Candelaria say that a
man who was suffering from smallpox
/ was driven by the authorities into the
| insurgent camp at Cejadal Negro.
/ Pinar del Rio province, where threats
were made TO hang the man if he was
! not taken away.
On Wednesday evening the remain
! ing cane fields on the plantation
POrtugalete, owned by DR.. Manuel
CalvO, were destroyed by fire.
( Marshal Blanco has appointed thirty
/ four new employees at the custom
! house. OF these five are native Cubaus
| and the remainder Spaniards and re-
| formists The AutonOmists are greatly
Disguised by these appointments.
| Sixty persons employed about the
nt In, r.ig
| of the island have joined the revolu-
| tiOnists, and number of prisoners At
| Guines who were pardOned under the
recent proclamation have returned 10
the insurgents.
Smallpox is ravaging the neighbor-
hood Of insurgent headquarters ~
Pinar del Rio, and there are in the
hospitals in the hills LOO PERSONS suf-
fering from the disease.
1t is stated by prominent residents
of Pinar del Rio according to an Official
| report, that there are only 1900 armed
insurgents in the province, including
the bands which have recently entered
the province under Mavia Rodriguez
and other leaders.
Gen. Hernandez Velasco confirms tie
statement that the insurgents in Pinal'
! del Rio are abundantly supplied with
ammunition. Seventy of Gen. Velasco's
men have arrived at Pinar del Rio suf-
| fering from wounds received in recent
! engagements.
The financial situation of the mill
tary administration is bad. The sol
diers have not been paid in eight
months. There is a scarcity in the
meat supply for the hospitals, and in
many towns no meat has been obtain
able for many days.
Gen. Losada, sub-inspector Of the
health department. said recently to the
correspondent of FL impartial of Mad
rid, that there were actually $4,000 sol
diers in the hospitals in Cuba, and
about $1,000 of this number were not
suffering from any disease but simply
! from need of nourshment.
A band of insurgents recently fired
Continued ON ThIrd Pnre