The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-06-05
SUFFERING IN CUBA.
What Judge Calhoun Has Seen on
the Little Island.

Washington, June AT the Depart-
ment of State to day 1t is said that Spe-
cial Commissioner Calhoun will leave
Havana to-day : and arrive in New
York on Sunday evening or Monday
morning. 1t is understood that Judge
Calhoun will not make y written report
to the President, but will verbally inform
him of the conditions which have been
discovered by him during his brief stay
in Cuba.
b, Charles Pepper, the correspondent of
the Evening Star in Havana, who is we'll
Known as one of the most reliable of
newspaper men, publishes another letter
over his signature this evening, in which
he says:
president Mckinley has seen through
the eyes of his special representative what
the concentration policy of General Wey-
Ter means. Mr.. Calhoun has been among
the pacificos or country people, who are
huddled together by the thousands on the
hillsides of Matanzas. He has witnessed
suffering such as he hopes never to see
| again and such as he never will see again
outside of this fertile island. 1t has been
| revelation to him of the"way in which
| Spain makes war, revelation that could
come only from personal knowledge"
Describing trip to Matanzas, which
was taken by Judge Calhoun on Sunday
laSC, MT. Pepper says:
"The railroad journey was reminder
| of war. The forward car WAS armored
and filled with soldiers. Other soldiers
were on the platform. The extensive
camp of pacihcos at Campo Flor'do is
surrounded by barhed wire fence eight
| feet high. Just utside the fence is deep
ditch. On the knobs and hills are little
forts, garrisoned and with sentinels on
the lookout. 1t is no wonder that the
pacificos do not try Co break out into
open country. They wander aimlessly
about their pen like Gagged animals on en-
hibition. All along the route were evil
dences of ruin.
sit is impossible to overlook the COM
pleteness of the military deefnses along
| the line OF the MatanZas railway. Every
hill has it's fortillion, with sentinel on the
| lookout in the watch tower and with SOL
diers garrisoning it Every station is for
| tilted. Even the church is barricaded
And the soldiers are numberless. Ad-
mirable preparation, it all seems. to resist
an invading army, but we had not looked
for it in IL province which is officially re.
ported as pacifed.n
The correspondent gives many specific
instances --of su fering and deprivation
which came under the personal observa-
ton of Judge Calhoun, including the
c"otASh odAACo VI otdtNlifB WOluCn anu
children, the dying bed of ''pacifico,"
the thousands of burned houses and huts,
the roofless novels and the pitiable condi-
tion of everybody and everything. He
concludes with this picture: "It was
while toiling up the hill at the Church of
Our Lady of Monserrat, where the best
view of the valley is had, that General
Lee came near spelling our anticipated
enjoyment of the scenery. The General
is always explosive. MY God,' he ex.
claimed, think of those childrenv
eve cannot forget them..if we would.
No one who has once seen the children
among the pacifcos ON Casbor sHill need
be told to think oil them. Helpless, starv-
ing childhood stamps it's impress too
deeply to he brushed away as passing
Impression
Let it be remembered that Charles Pep.
per is m honorable, reliable man and that
every newspaper man who knows him
would be ready almost to take. oath to
the truth of whatever he writes. He was
probably not diplomatic in quoting Gen
eral Lees expression, but we may know
from that one exclamation how our con.
sui general at Havana feels concerning
the conditions with which he is sur
rounded.