The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-04
TOLD By SPANARDS
Tales of Starvation and Death
in Havana.
WAR PRICES ARE QUOTED
Forehanded Merchants are
Piling up Wealth.

New York, Aug. 3-Accounts Of the con-
hitton of affairs in Havana, Matanzas
and Cardeuas have been given by passen-
gems of the steamer Friedtjof Nansen.
which has arrived from Sagua- She
Brought twenty-nine refugees, most OF
whom were Spaniards, who had made all
sorts of sacrifices TO escape from the
island in anticipation of its being con-
troiIed by the insurgents. Many OF them
were well supplied with funds, having
turned all their available property into
cash. They paid $3.50 each for passage.
Almost all those on board being Spanish
Spanish sympathizers, a meeting was held
in the saloon while the ship was off Bar
,negat, n. J., at which a majority pledged
themselves to refuse TO give any informa-
lion 10 Americans regarding the condition
of things in Cuba. A few, however, con-
scented to talk after they got ashore, but
even they were unwilling to permit their
names to be used
One woman who had reached Sagua by
rail from Havana said that the condition
of affairs in the capital were deplOrabie
and was daily growing worse,
There IS plenty of money" she said.
''but of what use is it when It will hardly
purchase anything? 1t is impossible TO
get beef at any price, and even horsefiesh
costs 81 a. pound. Bread costs % cents q
pound and is very bad at that. Eggs,
tn small quantities, cost 50 cents each.
The supply Of condensed milk is practic-
ally exhausted and the little left is sold
at 81 q can for such as you buy here for
80 cents. On an average ten TO twelve
persons are found dead of starvation in
the streets every day, and this takes no
account of the scores VINO daily die of
hunger in the houses. No words can do
scribe the horrors Of Las Fosos. the place
at the foot of the Prado. where the re-
concentrates are herded together. I was
told that there were no less than 1000 Of
these miserable people in the place when
] came away, and they are dying by hun
dreds, for. of course, nothing is being
for their relief. even the government has
not enough food for its own soldiers.
Worse than this, the officials beat and
abuse them shamefully.
"a few gas lamps are still burning in
the streets but the electric lights are only
lighted on Thursday nights, when there
Is music n the Parque Centrale What a
CHASTITY mockery those band concerts are
with so many people starving to death
within sound of the music. All the thea
tres are closed and their Hobbies are
nightly crowded with the homeless poor.
Wine is the only thing in the city that
as plentiful and cheap, so that even the
poor can get a little at times
almost all the stores in Weyler and
O'Reilly streets are closed, as are the
principal hotels. The stock of coal is al
most completely exhausted and for few
days the local trains that run to Vedado.
she Santa Clara battery, were stopped for
want of fuel. They are now burning
wood, but even that will soon be gone"
Juan Sarraga Searte said:
81 do not know anything of the condi-
tion of things in Havana, but ] do know
that there is much misery at Cardenas
and Matanzas. Things. however. might
Zoe worse, considering the stringency of
the blockade Much starvation has been
avoided by the foresight of the merchants
who, in anticipation Of the outbreak Of
the war. laid in large stores of provisions
OF course they have sold at high prices
and l heard Of one man who made 100000
in a speculation in flour in Santiago. All
the stores which have provisions are kept
under constant guard by soldiers to pre-
vent the starving people from footing
them Every one Is tired of the war and
on all hands one hears prayers that peace
viii soon come"
The Nansen brought up cargo Of sugar
which she discharged at Williamsburg.
She also brought 500 bales of tobacco. and
S22 cases of cigars. This was the first
cargo of sugar reaching the United States
since the surrender of Santiago.