The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-03-25

from the outside. This IL mistake. I
may have said that such was the gem
eral impression among Americans in
Havana. In fact. | have no opinion
about IL myself. and carefully avoided
| forming one. | gave no attention TO
these outside surmises. | met the
members of the court on their boat.
but would as soon approach our SUI
preme court in regard To a pending case.
a. that board They are as competent
and Trustworthy in the lines OF their
duty as any court in the land, and their
report. when made. will carry conyic-
ton 10 all the people that the exact
I truth has been stated just as far as il
is possible to ascertain il.
There are six provinces in Cuba,
each, with the exception OF Matanzas,
extcndin the whole width of the is
land and having about an equal sea
I front on the north and south borders.
/ Matanzas teaches the Caribbean sea
\ only at its southwest corner. being
separated from il elsewhere by mar
row peninsula of Santa Clara province.
I The provinces are named begin
ming AT the west. Pinar del Rio.
/ Havana Matanzas, Santa Clara. Puerto
/ Principe and Santiago de Cuba. My
observations were confined TO the four
western provinces which constitute
about onc-half Of the island. The two
eastern ones are practically in the
hands of the insurgents except the few
fortified towns. These two large prov
inces are spoken OF to-day as Cuba
Libre.
Havana. the great city and capital
OF the island. is. in the eyes OF Span
iards. and many Cubans, all Cuba. as
much as Paris is France. But, having
visited il in more peaceful times and
seen its sights-the tomb of Columbus,
the forts, Cabanas ami Moro castle.
etc. ! did not care To repeat this. pre-
ferring trips in the country Every
thing seems to go ON much as usual in
I Havana. Quiet prevails, and except
for the frequent squads of soldiers
marching TO guard and police duty and
their Astounding presence in All public
places. one sees little signs OF war
Outside Havana all is changed. IL
is not peace. nor is il war IL is desola-
ton and distress, misery and starva-
ton. Every town and village is sur
rounded By a trocha trench. a sort OF
ride pit. but constructed on a plan new
to me, the dirt being thrown up on the
inside and a barbed-wire fence on the
outer side of the trench. These trochas
have at every corner and at frequent
intervals along the sides what are
called forts. but which are really
small blociShouscs. many OF them
more like "A large sentry box. loop
holed for musketry. and with a guard
of from two 10 ten soldiers in
each. The purpose Of these trochas is
To keep the reconcentrados in As well
as to keep the insurgents out. From
all the surrounding country the people
have been driven into these fortified
towns. and held there to subsist as they
can. They are virtually prison yards
and not unlike one in general appear
ance. except the walls are not SO high
and strong. but they suffice. where
every point is in range of a soldiers
rifle. TO keep in the poor reconcentrado
women and children.
Every railroad station is within one
of these trochas and has an armed
guard. Every train has an armored
freight car, loopholcd for musketry and
filed with soldiers and with. az | OBJ
served, usually, and was inform "a was
always the case, pilot engine, a mile
or SO in advance. There are frequent
blockhouses Enclosed by trocha. and
a guard along the railroad track.
with this exception there is no
human life or habtation between these
fortified towns. and villages. or
throughout the whole OF the four west
ern provinces, except To a very limited
extent among Che hills where the Span
iards have not been able to go and
drive the people 10 the towns and burn
their dwellings. | saw no house or
hut in the 400 miles % railroad rides
from Pinar del Rio province. in the
west. across the full width Of Havana.
and Matanzas provinces. and to Sagua
la Grandc on the north shore and to-
Cicnfuegos on the south shore of Santa
Clara. except within the Spanish
trOchas
There are no domestic animals or
crops on the rich fields and pastures.
except such as are under guard in the
immmediatc vicinity Of the towns In
other words. the Spaniards hold in
these four western provinces just what
their army sitson. Every man. woman
and child and every domestic animal,
wherever their columns have reached,
is under guard and within their So
called Notifications. To describe one
place is TO describe all. To repeat. it
is neither peace nor war; IL is con-
ccntration and desolation. This is the
pacified' condition OF the four west
crn provinces.
senator Proctor continued his speech
AT great length, treating OF the Span
lard, the Cuban. the military situation.
etc. the whole being graphic recital
of horror. dcsolation and starvation