The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-16
PAREER'S DESCRIPTION OF CUBA
THRILLING PICTURE OF DESC
LATION AND FAMINE.
Young Hen Of the Best People In Ha-
vana Are In the Ranks ,of In
surgent Army.

| Washington, March 15-Colonel Myron
NJ Parker. who was Senator Proctor S
companion on his trip TO Cuba, in an in
terView with a Star reporter today, said /:
You might believe, but you could not
realize the condition of the reconcentra-
dos in Cuba 1t surpasses the compre-
henslon OF men accustomed to the usual
phases of life Their emaciatiOn is Ter
rlble. Their suffering is understandable.
We saw warehouses fuIl of starving wom-
en- ana children. Those people have been
| forced into the villages and towns by the
SDaniards. and the whole country where
they lived has been devastated.
In the ride from Havana 10 Sagua la
Grande- a distance OF about 200 miles or
more. the country presented a picture of
desolation. For miles and miles the
charred stalks of burning sugar cane
showed where the torch had been applied
By the Spanish and the insurgents alike.
AT intervals are block houses. Occu-
pied by the Spanish soldiers. Above each
block house is d cupola where a Spanish
soldier is always on the lookout. If a re-
concentrate attempts to go out from the
village and crosses the trOcha he is shot,
and II an insurgent tries 10 come in, he
Is treated likewise. The trocha serves,
however, to prevent sudden dashes BY
the insurgents into the villages at night
to burn them.
The Spanish army is largely employed
alon- the railroad. but as closely al the
road is guarded the insurgents can do
derstood in Cuba that the railroad COM
pany pays tribute to the insurgents for
running the passenger trains.
Then insurgents do not want to bother
the passenger trains, hut they interfere
with the freight and troops trains. The
day before we reached Matanzas the in
surgents blew up a sugar train only three
miles south of the town. In my opinion,
Gomez is virtually in control of the
island.
There is not an estate under cultiva-
ton, so / was reliably informed, that does
not pay tribute 10 the insurgents.
The best people in Havana told me
that the young men of the best Cuban
families in. the island were in the ranks of
the insurgents.
My informantalso told me that the in
surgent army was never as firm and as
strong as Ii is today. It-RetS a very large
proportion of it's medical supplies right
from Havana and its discipline is said
to be all that can be desired. The insurg-
ants have complete control of the prov
inceS of Santiago de Cuba. and Principe.
They claim to have all the supplies nee
essary for their subsistence. having great
herds of cattle. besides cuitiVating a large
portion OF the land in the provinces men
toned. What they need is arms ammu-
milton and clothing. 1t is generally I'M
derstood in Cuba that the insurgents
known as preSentadoS. who came in and
gave themselves to the SpaniardS in re-
Spouse to the offer Of pardon. We're all
men who had met with the disfavor aof
Gomez because they had disregarded the
discipline he so vigorously enforced in his
army"
Did your investigation lead you to
form any opinion on the subject of
autonomy inquired the reporter.
No one wants autonomy in Cuba
replied Colonel Parker. Even the au-
economist governors do not favor it.
of Havana. appointed as autonornists,
who are wholly in sympathy with the in