The times., 1897-06-13

driving the peaceful Cubans of tile four
western provinces of Pinar del Rio, Havana,
Matanzas and Santa Clara into certain sIec!-
fled stations of concentration, was con-
ceived by Gen. Weyler early last fall Per-
mission having been duly obtained from
the home authorities Of Madrid in October
last, he published the bando, or proclanla-
ton under which the various commanders
OF military districts were instructed TO give
the guajiros Ieriod of eight days in
which to leave their homes and to take
themselves 10 the stations designated. The
soldiers then burned down their homes,
confiscated their horses and cattle, and
took all that belonged To item that was
worth the taking.
.They thenescort rted these trembling herds
of pacificos, or non -comhatants, and their
families TO the low-lying, swampy and ma
larial stations which had Teen selected as
suitable places for them To dwell in. These
stations are one and all well within the
Spanish lines and surrounded by Httle
forts. When you remember that the exc
cutiono this simply barbarcus proclamation
was intrusted almost exclusively to those
convict gangs who are known as guerriilas,
or irregular troops, you can form fair
estimate OF how often these military eyic-
tions and the pIunder OF private property
gave rise to bloodshed d and cold blooded muir
der Indeed, mu rider and bloodshed were OF
frequent occurrence in every district Of
these four provinces, and not few, fea ring
the end Of policy which began in this way,
preferred TO incur the risk OF endeayoring
to escape and of disobeying the proolama-
ton, and are now living i'll caves and CON.
cealed novels.
''These refugees, should they be discoy-
cred by the Spanish columns, would be,and
often are, shot down in cold blood Gen
Weyler's proclamation of October II 1895,
authorizes such d course, and disobedienee
would be pun nish able by death. 1t was with
the purpose OF starving out these people,
as well as the armed insurgents in the
field, that the orders were given at the
palace TO the commanders OF the respective
military districts to burn and ravage the
country, 10 cut down every green thing that
grows, and to dig up every root that might
help 20 sustain human life.
with the exception OF the few towns
and villages which are held and occupied
by the Spanish troops and are within the
military lines which they still maintain
there has not been left standing single
home. however modest and lOwly, from the
JuearO- Moron trocha to Cape San Antonio
BY the 1st of December last 100000 OF
these non cOmbatants and peace-loving
peasants, including their aged and nfirm
parents, their wives and tleir children,
were concentrated in the stations, which.
whether they were chosen with this OBJ
ject in view OF not, have proven admirably
adapted to the realiZa ton of policy OF
determination.
Military eordons were thrown ahout
these stations at that time, and from that
day to this not a single one or tGese
'pacificos' has been allowed to cross the
lines OF the station where he is penned
up, except on exceedingly rare occasions,
when one has now and again been granted
military pass as a special and often
very dearly bought favor, and the per-
mission given was. of course, for only
very few hours. Another exception to this
general statement should be made in speak
ing Of Matanzas and ATtendsa, where IN
many occasions such Of tAc starving peas
ants as seemed able TO do any work at
all were told off to dig in the trenches or
for any other work which the Spanish
soldier tlisiiked, and to which the unarr.'d
Cubaus Were driven at the Ioint OF the
a. the muZzle of the rifle.
Since the month OF sanuary, when the
scant supply of provisions which they Were
able TO bring with them SECRETLY from Their
homes was exhausted, as wen as their still
more scanty supply ofmoney, these 400 ,oo0
people have been existing in ablect misery
and want, and face to face with struggle
for existence, which, however bravely and
n aS.rfr q CpI
is doomed from the very beginning to be
hopeless and unsuccessful one In Plnar
del Rio, the most westerly province OF the
island, these stations Of starvation are sic
uated for the most part along the 1e0 kiio-
meters OF the Western Railway, which ex-
tends from Havana TO the town of Pinar
del Rio. In the stations at GuanaJay' Nd
riel. Candelaria, Consolation, San Cristo-
val and Artemisa alone these starving anu
homeless multitudes number 10000 souls,
and tue number OF those who nave been de-
hvered by death from their captivity is es-
tirnated by the mostconservatiye observers
OF fthiscolossalr by decree at lO,"oo
since the beginning of the year
~ have visited each and every one Of
these stations, and believe that the NOR
talitv has been much greater than this;
but | give the lowest figure that has ever
been stated by any one at all conyersant
with the conditions of life in which these
wretched people are existing, or, rather
being put to death by process of slow,
cold-blooded torture The deaths nave
resulted from starvation and from small
pox. as well as a score OF other diseases
which eagerly attack and easily over
come those who are penned up IN unhe athy
malarial places, without food of any kind,
without work and without medical assist
ance On the line of the railway through
Havana and Matanzas provinces TO the city
OF MatanZas, there is another series of
starvation stations, of which Jaruco ana
MatanZas are the most populods, ana nave
suffered the largest mortality, and nom
Matauzas to villa Clara and Genfuegos
this panorama of human deSdtution and
suffering extends uuinterruptedly, and
with moDotonous repetition at every
station of heart-rending scenes of want and
of abiect and hopeless misery. In these
last-Inentioned stations there are 10 be
found today at least zoe, 900 starving peo-
pie. without the barest necessities OF life,
aud with no hope or prospect OF obtaining
them. or of any escape from their depior;r-
BILE and wellnigh incredible situation, eX-
cent for those who prefer quicker death
and attempt to escape from their pens,
knowing that the chances are more than
95 out of 90 that in endeavoring to cross
the lines they Will fall into the hands OF
| blood thirsty and brutal soldiery.
In addition TO the stations already men
toned the Cubans o f the peasant and small
farmer class are concentrated on the
Ir- in ffAtr e