The record-union., 1898-03-18

| tain special favors of the Spanish Gov
ernment in the way of large forces of
soldiers, but they also. as we'll as all
the railroads, pay taxes to the Cubans
/ for immunity. I had no means of
verifying this. 1t is the common talk
among those who have better means
| of knowledge.
DRIVEN FROM THEIR HOMES.
'tAn the country people in the four
western provinces, about 10000 in
number. remaining outside the fortified
towns when WeyleT's order was made
We're driven into these towns, and these
/ are the reconcentrados They We're
| the peasantry-many of them farmers,
some land owners, others renting
| lands and owning more or less of
their stock, others working on estates
and cultivating small patches; and
even a small patch in that fruitful
cline Will support a family
1T is but fair to say that the normal
condition of these people was very diff
ferent from that which prevails in this
country. Their standard OF comfort
and prosperity was not high. measured
by our own. But according to their
standards and requirements their con-
ditions of life were satisfactory. They
live mostly in cabins made of PALM,
or in wooden houses Some of them
had houses of stone. the blackened
wall os which are all that remain to
show that the country was ever in
| habited.
MANY doubtless did not learn of
| WeylerS concentration order. Others
failed to grasp its terrible meaning.
Its execution was left largely to the
guerrillas to drive in all that had not
/ obeyed, and | was informed that in
many cases torch was applied to
their homes without notice. and that
the inmates fled with such clothing as
they might have on their backs. their
stock and other belongings being ap-
propriated by the guerrilas. When
they reached the towns they were al
lowed to build huts of palm leaves in
the suburbs and vacant places within
the trochas, and left to live if they
i could. Their huts are about ten by
fifteen feet in size, and for want of
space are usually crowded together
very closely. They have no floor but
the ground, and no furniture, and af
ter years wear but little clothing,
except such stray substitutes as they
can eXtemporize. With large families,
space. the commonest sanitary provis-
ions are impossible Conditions are un-
questionable in this respect.
Torn from their homes. with foul
earth, foul air, foul water and foul food,
or none, what wonder that one-half
have died, and that one-quarter of the
living are so diseased that they cannot
be saved. A form of dropsy is a COM
mon form of disease resulting from
these conditions. Children are seen
walking about with arms and limbs ter
ribly emaciated, eyes swollen and alb
domen bloated to three times the nat
ural size. The physicians say these
cases are hopeless.
DEATH IN THE STREETS.
Deaths in the streets have not been
uncommon. l was told by one of our
Consuls that they have been found
dead about the markets in the morning
where they had craWied, hoping to get
some stray bits of food from the early
hucksters, and that there had been
cases where they had dropped dead IN
side the market, surrounded by food.
These people We're independent and
self-supporting before Weyler's order
They are not beggars even now. There
are plenty of professional beggars in
every town among the regular resi-
dents, but these country people, the
reconcentrados, have not learned the
art. Rarely is a hand held out to you
for aims when going among their huts,
but the sight of them makes an appeal
stronger than words.
''Of the hospitals I need not speak.
Other have described their condition
far better than l can. 1t is not within
the narrow limits of my vocabulary to
portray it. l went to Cuba with a
strong conviction that the picture had
been overdrawn, that few cases of
starvation and suffering had inspired
and stimulated the press correspond
ents, and that they had given free
play to a strong, natural and highly
cultivated Imagination.
TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND
DEATHS
Before starting I received through
the mail a leaflet published by the
. Christian Herald, with cuts of some
of the sick and starving reconcentra-
dos, and took it with me- thinking
these were rare specimens got up to
make the worst possible showing. l
saw plenty as bad, and worse; many
: that could not be photographed and
shown. | could not believe that out of
: of a population of 100000, 200, ,00G
had Tied within the Spanish forts, prac-
tically prison walls, within a few
months past, from actual starvation
| and diseases caused by insufficient and
improper food. My inquiries were en-
tirely outside of sensational sources.
They were made of our medical officers,
of our Consuls, or city Mayors, or re-
lief committees of leading merchants
) and bankers, physicians and lawyers.
Several of my informants were Spanish
born, but every time the answer was
that The case had not been overstated.
MISS BARTON'S GOOD WORK.
What L saw I cannot tell 50 that
| others can see it. 1t must be seen with
: ones own eyes to be realized The Los
Pasos Hospital, in Havana, has been
: recently described by one Of my col
!, leagues, Senator Gallinger and | can
| not say that his picture was overdrawn,
; for even his fertile pen could not 40
| that He visited it after DR. Lassar,
! one of Miss Barton's able and efficient
: physicians. had renovated it and put in
} cots. l saw it when 400 women and
children were lying on the stone floors
: | in an indescribable state of emaciation
> and disease, many with the scantiest
? covering of rags. and such rags; and
I sick children, naked as they came into
+ the world And the conditions in the
; other cities are even worse
4 Miss Barton needs no Endorsement
s from me. I have known and esteemed
! her for many years. but had not half
cd &c rN~. nd ltay-S.