The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-03-26

NIfIIt - 49,
d DOZEN decent raTlsnes arc left An
the district, the srafdees ,ot other days
are poor ns fhttrch mice. aud only iolt.
efins soldiers and hunrsy reconeentra-
dos afe seen IN the PaSeo. & y, J, 3
Bre,lktaEt had been ordered for our
parts' ht the Louvre. which Is ner.
hnps the sninlieN, and cieanest OF the
eight or nine leading hotelAr With
which Matanzas Ia blessed. II IL built
around u sunny patio In which palme,.
tos and banahAs. ilowtflng vines and
fragrant shrubs flourish 10 perfection.
Directly In front OF the main entrance,ai
beautiful marble haSln set IN the wall
looks like the, holy-water fountain In \.
cathedral. while above Il a printed pla.
card warns the. populaee. In choice Cas-.
tilian,A that only guestit OK the hotel
are expected 20 wash therein. a flight
OF stone steps leads 10 parlors and bed
rooms on the second floor; the rooms
are marble floored, with dadocs OF blue
and yellow tiles, and all Is as pictures.
que and Spanish as anything out of
Spain. Directly opposite Is "A small pla-
"a; with tropical trees banked by a
tnoldy old church. IN which q lot OF
rusty bells murder sleep for weary
travellers. a.
Before the many-course midway
breakfast was over, word was brought
that the governor was waiting 20 RE-
ceive us In his palace; and presently we
trusted our bones, somewhat timorous-
ly, 20 rickety carriages and were usher
ed with ceremony Into the presence OF
his excellency. The governor OF Matan-
zas Is certainly a rara avis among
Splnlards In Cuba, being an nmlable
gentleman and q friend OF Americans.
In his casa beautiful suite OF rooms
had already been prepared for Miss
Barton; and during the somewhat
lengthy official pow-wow, the governor
himself proposed the toast-"To tho
Star Spansled Banner" Then tho rick.
ETY. carriages were again brought into
use, for n tour OF the so-cIlled hospit-
ais. believed that no more dreadtuh
sights could be found In the sin-cursed
world than had already witnessed IN
Havana and Jaruco--but for wretched-
ness unutterable the poor OF Matanzas
bear of the palm! Crowds of beggars
followed us about the streets. display
Ing their sores and wounds and emacia-
ted frames. Famine glared at US from
thousand sunken eyes. Skeleton hands
were stretched In our faces, supplicat-
ing the wherewith to buy morsel OF
food; and stories of starvation, pitiful
enough to make the blood run cold.were
clamored In our ears. 3
The hospitals are mere sheds, crowd
ed with rude stretchcrs-most of them
with no flooring but mother earth, and
no sort OF attendance. Over their por-,
tails might. well be written, IAN hope
abandoned. We who enter here" Words
fail I'm attempting to describe the
soul-slckening sights that day witness
ed the emaciated wretches. the swol-
len legs and bursting feet In the last
stages of starvation; dying men. wo-
men and children imploring morscl OF
bread: the horrors OF individual cases
which nothing but death can relieve:,
the dreadful smells and cries and
groans that everywhere pursued us.
Strong men wept like children, and
with our tears was mingled burning in
dignation that such state OF things
would be permitted to exist nea- the
end of the nineteenth century within
n days journey OF the United States.
FANNIE B. WARD.