The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-18

time III my. life I blessed my Inability
ns an artist: for Otherwise y 1 hhould'
surely have been sketchlns some OF
thpse picIaresque forts. Had such a
picture been found Upon me-, 4 II "a
doubtful. II Iwonld now be writing this
letter. II Y N l; y " 4 Il X Il 4, "a
Los Fossos, that den OF death in;
Havana, where q few weeks ago the.
recoheenttades were dslns at the rate
OF one hundred . day. has been trans
formed Into n tolerably decent hospital
--thanls 10 the Red Cross. Paint, soap
and water have been USED without
stint. conyehIences have been added.
and phyficianB and nurses arc IN daily
attendance. One who visits the, place
BIZ day Is profoundly Impressed by the
Improvement; but eternal Vigilance
Is the price OF it--or rather, eternal
scrubblng, Los Fossos Is the general
sleeping place for the whole army OF
bGRgars mostly reeoncentrados.H who
swarm the streets OF Havana By day
seeking &hat they may idevour.' ,. Al:
nighttall they drag themselves back,
with all thar sores. Nth and inilrmities
and walt for another day OF bcggary.
Then the scenc is worth the pencil OF
pore. Wrapped In their rags and tat
ters, some almost naked, men, women
and children lie IN long rows on the
floor, in the courtyard. under the carts,
wherever O human body can md room.
Many OF them IRE orphaned children
here and there a solitary little wretch
alone in thlstweary world, or n, bcvy OF
fatherless and motherless brothers and
sisters, cling!ng TO one another for pro-
lection, but Los Fossos Is Infinitely; bet-
ter thnn.it used to be. since all ore now
tolerably sure OF something to eat at
least once q day. through the bounty OF
the United States. Formerly 1t was the
morning task OF the charitable to go I
about among the melancholy heaps OF
humanity and pick out the dead from
the llytng-takins dead children from
the mothers arms or finding perhaps q
dead mother With crying children.
crawling over her. Tears? J Yes, we have
shed diem: and they continue to flow,
day after day. But works are more to
the purpose. These poor souls demand
sympathS-and more than that, they
need substantial aid, Il x
The Red Cross society continues to
have more or less trouble with the
Spanish authorities in Cuba. Uncx-
pec,ed Obstacles are Continually pop
ping up like Banquo's ghost, and de-
lays are the order OF the hour Just
now there Is kick" in the custom
house over an Insignificant box OF toys
which would be q regular G cd send
in the new Orphanage II the waits
could only get hold Of them. Although
Spain subscribed TO the treaty of Ge-5
neva long before the United States came
Into the fold she has never expected
the American amendment" the terms
wounded soldiers In time OF war. II It !
were not for the worlds opinion. It Is
doubtful II she would admit the Amer I,
lean Red Gross at all into her island
colony, since the Cubans are about the 4
only ones 10 be benefited. For the Or
phanage just established, Miss Barton
leased q commodlous house In a quiet
suburb of Havana, a beautiful old
fashioned casa, with large, airy rooms
and ample grounds, the once luxurious
home OF titled Spanlar6. All was
ready for the reception OF seventy-five
orphans, when the first hitch oc-
speaking OF It as the ..chtldreEs hos
pItal," because naturally oil the. starv-
Ing waits were aillrS. Just as the
children were about to be moved In, the
alcai6i decided that 1t was against the
law to establish q hospital outside Of
certain limits; but after weeks delay
{ the necessary papers were made ou,
{urderEth naInelof an Easy lu1n," and
things proceeded exactly as had been
first intended. Only thirty-fire chill
idleE, between one and six years OF age,
{ are there at present-ali full orphans.
mostly taken from Los Fossos. Many
hunger, to at UP, and a number OF them
viii probably die. When the first en-
tered the stately! portals and saw the
marble floors and beautiful frescoes OF
the old time palace, their delight and |
establishment were urbounded. Said |
one srr:aN girl .,Esta el Cielo?"-"Is It !
heayen?" The work OF preparing them
for their. new home was&a serious one |
for the nurses. Most OF the walls had |
pever been DRESSED properly In. their
fives. al were filthy beyond degree;
one boy OF six years had never worn |
any sort OF garment. and many had |
never before felt the touch OF soap and |
warm water. After all had passed un-
der the scrubblng brush and had been
shorn OF their tangled and danseIy pop |
ulated locks, they were .arrayed in gar |
melts OF various sorts from big box |
OF secondhand clothing bearing the |
sign Of the United States Red Cross,
given supper OF oat meal and milk, |
and put to bed. About 9 o'clock went |
over to look at them. 1t was a sight |
for angels TO see-the rows OF neat white |
cots. each with Its spotless sheets and
pillows, and under the soft blanket a |
sleeping child who had never before
10 lptY ~ nt oil i
beautiful but somewhat dilapidated |
cherubs on the frescoed walks seemed |
( to loolr down with pity on the suffer-
ing-worn cherubs below: the fragrance
OF flowers floated In through the WIN
dows. the hallowed benediction OF the |
mpon. rested upon all. Never in It's
palmiest days did the. old casa of the
Spanish ar!stocrat so richly merit the
blessings OF heaven. e IS at5i;!3es
The new Orphanage Is under the d.
rect supervision OF the ,weN-known DR..
a. Monae Lesser and his wife, OF. New
York city. Or. Lesser as everybody
knows. is the surseon-inlc of the
Red Cross hospital In New York-the
only one In America, I belleve--wllich
was founded about four years ago by
ms WIFE, then MISS Bettinns Hooker.
When young girl this lovely lady be-
gan to- nurse the poor in their homes.
She found that love for the profession
was not the only requirement Of the
proper nurse, ard Il: 1891 she entered
the Mount S!na! training school for.
nurses. In two years she was gradu-
ateG. receiving the prize medal OF her
class. and immediately resumed her
former work. Mainly through herief
forts, within one month a little fund
was started for the establishment Of n