The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1898-01-12
Charles W. Russell Saw Much Suffering
In a Two Weeks Visit.
EYES OPENED TO THE TRUE SITUATION
Recommendations Living in nesenso
n"d wnnt-subsistins by negGary-
Astonishing Air of IndiEcronco 20
SnirerinG-Inade OF Contri>
buttons 60 Afford Relief.

w. Russell, assistant United State,
Attorney in the Department of Justice
returned to-day from Cuba, where he
mas spent two weeks investigating the
conditions prevailing ON the Island.
~ the Associated Press Mr.. Russell
said:
Il am very glad to be interviewed on
the subject of Cuba, because I feel II
solemn duty to humanity to en-
deaVor TO make the American people
realize the terrible distress which eX-
ISIS there. Much has been written on
the subject, but, judging others by my
self, 1 feel quite sure that because we
do not commit and have not in our his
tory committed such atrocities as
Spain lis committing on that island, tne
american reading public regards the
reports as biased by the pre- conceived
opinions OF newspapers or grossly
| eXaggera ted.
I spent just two weeks In Cuba, Wis
lied Havana, went south to Jaruco,
southeast to GuineS, northeast to
Aatanzas. eastwardly about two hun
dred miles through the middle of the
country to San Domingo, Santa Clara
ana Sagua In Grande. visited
Mariana. q short distance west of IIa-
vana' and saw along the railroads so
or ~ Gowns or stations. In Havana l
visited the Fossos, the hospital prison
Aldecoa. where talked with the father
OF EvanSelinl Cosslo Y. Cisneros and
place called the Jlcobl. found re-
concentrates a all three places, and
begging everywhere about the streets
OF Havana. The spectacle at the Fos-
sos and Jacobl houses. of women and
Children emaciated to skeletons and
suffering from diseases produced by
starvation, was slckening. In s'agua /
1iNIS nd ,r,io
Girls in a ohildreny hospital, started
three days before by charitable Gu
bans. and sew n crowd OF miserable
looking reconcentradoes with tin buck
etsnnd othcrric ,ptacle5 getting a small
| allowance of food doled out to them in
yard. In the same city, in an old
sugar warehouse l saw stationed
| around the inside walls the remnants
of 20 or 30 Cuban families. In one case
the remnant consisted OF two little
children of seven or eight. In another
case where / ,.allled ito the people In
broken Spanish, there were four indl-
Vlduals. 4 mother, gill of IA and two
quite small girls. The smallest was
then suffering from malarlal fever. The
next had the signs on her hands, with
which had become familiar, or hay-
tng hah the teri ber. These four were
| all that the oder of concentration had
49, hiiNS vi Cic!Cil- al lIJHllnSo,
where two railroads join, the depot
was crowded with women and chill
dren, one of the latter, being swollen
up with the bcri-berl. begging In the
most earnest way from the few pas
sengers
San Domingo Ia little more than
railroad STATION in :mes of peace but
at present 1t has a considerable poDu-
lation living in cabins matched with
the tops OF royal palm trees composed
of the survivors of the recontentra-
does. The huts are arranged close to-
gether In a little clump and the con-
centration order required and appar-
entity still requires these people to
live within 4 circle of small block
houses commonly dign.fied in the dis
patches by the name of forts. OF
course, they had no work to do. no soil
to till, no seed to plant and only beg
gng to live on. 7 do not know the ex-
act measure OF the dead line circle
drawn around them. but there was GER
calmly nothing within 1t upon which
human being could :uibs'st, and also
certainly, If any order had newly per-
| matted them to go a short distance
| further out they had not gone and
were not going. Practically they are
| prisoners. at every one of the numer-
| Gus stopping places along the read
similar collection of huts could he seen
and at most OF them beggars, nice
looking women and beautiful children,
invaded the cars Batween the sta
| tiors. although / travelled always by
| daylight az the trains do not run at
night, and was observing rs carefully
| as possible, ] saw no signs OF the
| reconcentradoeS going away from the
forts If they had gone, 1t takes seed,
Instruments land and three or four
months 10 raise the vegetable which
! could be soonest produced and no.
where away from the block houses was
there any sign OF vegetable growing.
| Near the larger towns the circle OF
| concentration seemed to be somewhat
larger and some planting Of vcgeta-
bles, tobacco, etc, seemed to be going
on. AT this a very few persons. posi-
| bly, some of them rcconcentrad0es,
| found employment.
"All along the railroad, far as could
| be seen, were stretches OF the most
| fertile and beautiful country, with very
| few trees, even on the low mountains.
and most of ,these the royal palms.
saw many dozens of burned cane fields,
and one evening. going from Guines to
Havana, saw the sky lighted up all
| along the road with fires, principally
OF the tall grass Of the country, but
| partly of cane. The whole land was
lying perfectly idla except where saw
three or four sugar mills where cane
was growing, but in all such Instances
the mill and cane were surrounded by
the forts. manned by soldiers. who are
paid, as ] was told by the owners.
Except In the cities saw no indication
that any relief whatever was being af-
forded to the starving people Neither
| In Havana nor elsewhere did any priest.
religious woman or any other person
| seem to be paying any attendton to
the wants Of the starving. except at the
l'ossos, and some other places charla-
Bile Cubans were nursing the sick. The