The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-07-24
NOT FOR CONQUEST.
But to Stop This That This Country
Declared War.

Every day in Havana and in the gar,
rison towns in Cuba young women are
sold in slavery. Fathers sell theil
daughters, husbands their wives, broth
ers their sisters.
In Havana the sale is always a pri-
vate transaction. In the interior towns
the girls are often stripped naked and
sold at public auction.
The girls become the absolute proper
ty of their purchasers. Some of them
are hired out as field workers to the
few remaining sugar or tobacco plant
ers. Others are utilized as household
servants. The lot of the majority of
the girls, however, is a condition worse
than slavery. They are taken to GER
tain private residences in Havana, resi-
dences which are really harems. Here,
behind locked doors and barred win
dOws, the girls become prisoners of
brutal and wealthy officials.
The price paid for these girls varies
from one TO 80 pieces of silver. In the
interior many have been sold for box
of cartridges, or a rifle. or a quantity
of quinine. In Havana the purchase
price is oftentimes food; bag of corn
meal, a box of Goldfish, few pounds of
bacon.
Immediately after the blowing up of
the Maine, when the reconcentrados
were dying by thousands through ex-
posture and starvation, l spent many
days in Havana. l noticed that they
were chiefly old crones, aged men and
children. There were few young women
in the city. Where were the daughters
of these starving families? The few
girls | did find were as repulsive as
Medusa. One day I stumbled upon two
really beautiful girls in an alleyway,
just off Estrella street. They were the
daughters of peasant who. until the
concentration edict of Weyler. had been
prosperous truck gardener in the SUI
burbs. The family. grandfather. father
and two girls, had come into Havana
with $4,000 other reconcentrados. The
girls had at first earned money as ci-
gazette makers. Then they could get
no further employment. They now
lived as hest they might, begging by
day. and budding, with 40 or so other
families, in the narrow, noisesome alley
at night
A few days later, when ISgain visit
ed the alley, the girls were not there
Again 1 went there.
Where are your daughterS?' / ask
ed the father at last. The living stSel-
eton wrung his hands and looked heav-
Where are your granddaughter? ?"
The elder skeleton also wrung his
hands and looked heavenward.
I passed on, mystified. An old crOne
held out her hands for aims. and jerked
the thumb OF the other hand signifi-
cantly toward the two men. Finally I
that for a silver piece she
would tell what had become of the two
girls. She pointed to a box on the
stone pavement between the skeletons
Food" she said. Bought with
paid by the soldiers
who bought the senoritas.
At last came food. Plenty of it, The
American relief had opened a central
station in Estrella street. The father
and the grandfather were too weak 10
rise and go for their portion of charity.
They died where they had lain.
1t must not be supposed that many
IF these Cuban girls become inmates
Of harems. Many go TO masters who
want but one servant. or one slave. In
such cases the officer calls hs prop
srty his wife. But the moment the So