The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-12
MISERY Is TERRIBLE.
Conditions ia Cuba as Reported by
United States Official

WASHINGTON, Jan. IL = Hon.
Charles w. Russell, assistant United
States attorney in the department Of
justice, returned today from Cuba,
where he has spent two weeks in
vestigating the conditions prevailing
on the island. To the Associated Press
Mr.. Russell said:
| am very glad to be interviewed on the
subject Of Cuba, because. feel 1t solemn
duty TO humanity to endeavor to- M IKE tn
American people realize he terrible distress
which exists there. Much has been written
on the subject. but judging others nv NV
self, l feel quite sure that because we do
not commit and have not in our history com
mltted such atrocities as Spain is mint
ting on that island, the American reading
public regards the reports as biased by he
preconceiySd OPTIONS of newsplp= RS cr great-
y exaggera;ed. L spent just two weeks in
Cuba, visited Havana went south to Jaruco
southeast TO Gut1es, northeast to Matanzas
eastward about eco miles through the mid Ie
OF the countr 10 San Domingo. Santa Cara
short distance west Of Havana and saw
along the railroad thirty forty towns or
stations In Havana l visited the Fossos, the
hospital prison. where l talked with me
father of Evangelna CosSio y Cisseros. and a
place called the Jaccba.
| found reconcentrados at all three places
and begging every where about the streets
CT Havana The spectacle at the Fossos and
Jacoba houses Of women and chrdr n
sindcIateu co sheielohs and suffering from
diseases produced by starvation was sicken-
ing. In Sagua saw some sick ard emac:at-
ed little girls in a children's hospital started
three days before by charitable Cubans ami
saw a crowd Of MISUNDERSTANDING reconcent5 a
dos with tin bucke-s and other recep-ac. es
getting a small allowance of food lied out
to them in a yard In the same city, in an
OLD sugar warehouse, l saw stationed around
the inside walls the remnants Of twenty or
thirty Cuban families. In one case the rem
nant consisted OF two little children of 7 or
8. / IN h
people in broken Spanish there were four in
dividuals, mother, girl of II and two Quite
small girls. The smallest was then suffering
from maiarial fever. The next had the signs
on her hands with which | had become IA
miliar. Of having had the Beri-Beri. Thase
four were all that the order of eoncent ration
had left alive OF eleven.
At San Domingo where two railroads Join.
the depot was crowded with children, one Of
the latter, as remember, being swollen with
the Beri-Beri, begging IN the most earnest way
OF the few passengers. San Domingo is lit
tie more than a railroad station In time of
peace, but at present 1t has considerable
population. living in cabins thatched with
the tops Of royal palm trees captured of the
survivors OF the other reconcentrados. The
huts are ranged close together in a little
clump, and the concentrate order required
and apparently still requires, these people to
live within circle OF small block houses
commonly dignifed IN the dispatches by the
names OF forts. OF course they had no work
to do, no soil to till, no seed to plant, and
only begging to live on. l do not know the
around them, but there was certainly moth
ing within it upon which q human being
could subsist and also, certainly, IL any or
der had really permitted them 10 go short
distance further out, they had not gone and
were not going. Practically, they are prison
ers.
At every one Of the numerous stopping
places along the road a similar collection OF
huts could be seen and at most of them beg
gars, often nice looking women and beauti-
full children invaded the cars. Between the
stations, although l travelled always by day
light, as the trains do not run at night and
was as observing as possible, l saw no signs
of the reconcentrados going away from the
forts. II they had gone, it takes seed, in
struments, land and three or four months to
raise the vegetables, which could be pro-
dUced, and nowhere away from the block
houses was there any sign of vegetables
growing Near the larger towns the circle of
concentration seemed TO be somewhat larger
and some planting of vegetables. tobacco,
etc., seemed to De going on At this a very
few persons. possibly some OF the reconcen-
trados found employment