Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-11-12
THE NEWS IN BRIEF.
Cuban News of the Week.

C"Oah NEWS Oh the week.
Pacific Tone In spanish Utternnces---
gen. Lees Return to Havsnn-
Dreadful stories OF Starvation In ,n.
Island.
The past week has been prolific of RI
mors of impending war between Spain and
the United States, and these rumors have
been seriously disturbing element in Wall
street transactions. But on Tuesday Senior
Sagasta, the Spanish premier, declared that.
so far from seeking pretext to declare war
against the United States, Spain would
regard it as great misfortune to be given
the occasion for such an unhappy resolu.
ton. The full text of Spain's reply to
Minister Woodford's note was read AZ the
cabinet meeting Tuesday. Its tone was
very pacific, and was regarded by the csbi-
net as very satisfactory and as calculated
to allay any fear of a hostile outbreak.
What will be the policy of Banco, the
new captain general, in the island remains
to be seen. Immediately on his arrival in
Havana he made show of issuing a proc.
lamallon OF amnesty and pardon to all DO
nllcal prisoners, with certain restrictions.
but 1t appears that this amounts to moth
ing, since the amnesty does not extend to
crimes punished under special military
law, and in this category all the important
revolutonists are included,
Consul General Lee sailed from New
York Wednesday on his return to Havana
II is understood that Gen. Lee. who was
appointed to this Office by President Cleve.
land, would have greatly preferred to have
had his resignation accepted by President
Mckinley, but the President felt that the
experience gained by Gen. Lee in that i'm
portant and delicate service, and the wis
dom OF the course pursued by him, made
1t very important that he should return.
Gen. Lee visited Washington Tuesday for
final conference with the President before
his departure. To interviewers he would
say nothing other than that President Nc
kinney was anxious that the rights of
American citizens in Cuba should be pro-
tected, and that peace should be main
tanned.
Dispatches from Cuba report the rebel,
General Gomez, as being very active. and
as having gained important victories over
the government forces.
An Havana despatch to the New York
World declares that hunger is killing the
"concentrados'' by tens of thousands. By
this term is meant the rural population of
the island whose lands have been despoiled
and who have been forcibly concentrated"
in the cities and towns. This despatch
says: Hunger is doing what Spain's POO
OOO soldiers cannot accomplish. Women
and children, the weak and the old, are dy-
ing like sheep; the rural population con
centrated' in towns has filled the grave
yards, and its dead now lie mburied. 1t
is impossible to describe to you what |
have seen. Words fail. 1 have seen dead
babies lying on the breasts of their uncon-
scious mothers. l have seen babies whose
dry, black lips vainly pressed the breasts
of their dead mothers, seeking nourish-
ment. The physicians of Havana are now
forbidden to give starvation as a cause of
death. Women and children starve: the
reports of their deaths are falsified.
"During the week ending today 500 peo-
pie died in Havana. This tremendous
rate is almost four times the annual weekly
average of deaths here-135. Three hun
dred 'concentrados' were driven into Mo-
lena del Sur. Not one survives. In Arte-
misa 5000 women and children have per-
ished-starved to death.
I'm Matanzas now are not more than
10000 people. On Oct. 80 and 81 and Nov.
l, 1876 died in Matanzas, an average of As a
day. AT that rate the population of Ma
tanzas would disappear in two years and
half, for few children are being born there,
or, indeed, anywhere in Cuba
Other dispatches confirm the story of
starvation. One of these, apparently au-
thentic, says: The ravages of starvation
are increasing in Havana and all over the
island. The spectacle offered at night in
the public squares of Havana is dreadful
beyond description. Starving men and
women form a horrible human mass, lying
on the ground and crying for bread. Every
morning many poor children and some
adults are found dead The Fosos, where
the pacificos are huddled, are not large
enough to contain so many starving people.
The New York Sun has despatch in
which many details are given, and the
startling assertion is made that 1901 of
the native population have already died of
hunger.