The times., 1898-01-13
REIGN OF TERROR IN CUBA
Chas. W. Russell, Of the Depart
ment of justice, Says So.
AUTONOMY WILL FAIL
Most Cubans Think 1t Is Mere
scheme TO Blind the United States
and to Seduoe the Men in Arms
Sickening and widespread Scenes
! of Suffering.

Charles, w! Russell. Assistant United
States Attorney in the Department of
Justice, returned yesterday from Cuba,
where he spent two weeks studying the
conditions prevailing there. When seen
by q Times reportersin his office m the
Department this afternoon Mr.. Russell
said that he was glad tosbe intervie8ed
on the Cuban situation, as he felt that
the people of the United States ought
to know the real condition. of things
on the island
The island" he said, lis about 700
miles long and about 100 miles wide,
and | travelled about 700 miles through.
the provinces of Havana, Matanzas
and Santa Clara. In the cities and
small towns and mushroom, towns
made up of concentrated people, the
suffering and death from starvation
have been such that no reports could
give an adequate idea of them, much
less an exaggerated one
If the new captain general has made
any new order concerning these i'm
prisoned people, | was not able to see
while there the results of such order in
their increased freedom to earn their
means of livelihood.
ITO give an idea of the rate of NOR
tality during the reign of terror. The
number of reconcentradoes at San
Nicolas, six miles from Guines. was
$500, of whom on November II there
We're ZOO survivors, Ia Santa Clara,
which | visited. and which has in times
of peace population of about 14.o00.
largely increased, of course. by the con-
central ton. I was informed by the Off
cial registrar that the death rate has
been about 900 a month
''One of the worst places visited was
a building in what Is called the Fossos,
in Havana, at the foot of the Prado, or
principal residence street.
There L saw several hundred people
whom some charitable Cubans were
trying to rescue from the last stage of
of emaciation This building measures
sixty baras in length nnd fifteen in
width and has two stories. A baraS is
thirty Eight inches In this small
structure the people lay for a long
time on the floors but are now on cots
1T is under the supervision of a Dr.
Guzman, Cuban, and among the at
tendantS is a Joung Cuban girl, said
to be sixteen, years Old, who gave me-
her name as NJ. Louisa Valladares. All
the attendants there volunteer their
services and were all Cubans.
In this wretched place, from Sep
tember to October Is. there died 14b
children and 129 adults, mostly women.
On the date last given there were alive
within those narrow walls 151 children,
102 men and 125 women.
Il wish to avoid all controVerted
questions but the total absence. so far
as | can see and hear. of any prospects
that the Cubans in arms will drive out
the Spaniards. will effectually sup
press the rebellion
tgxl l1a co hoo ,ar.r re
suffering people no hope except from
immediate succor by the United States
or the people of the United States.
1T is common talk in the cities l
visited that the Spanish troops and
civil officers are many months in ar
rears as to their pay. and while l do
not, as some sanguine Cubans do, con-
clude that Spain must speedily evac-
uate the island. for such reasons, still
ii seems absurd 10 expect from Spain
under such circumstances any ade
uuate measure of relief to these starv-
ing people whom she regards as enc
mics and has treated worse than per-
sons imprisoned for crime, who at
least are fed when prevented from
earning their living.
The majority of the inhabitants of
the towns are CubanS, and so far as
talked with them are in sympathy with
the insurgents. Most of them seem TO
regard autonomy as mere scheme TO
blind the United States and seduce the
men in arms. and. judging from the Gu
ban newspapers that | read, the gen
eraI impression seems to be that it is
not much of a success.
"One of the papers remarked that
it would soon be nessary to call the
Spanish Cortes in view of the possible
failure of the autonomy scheme, since
in that event all the different powers
of the Spanish government will be
needed to meet the situation
Some Cubans are sincerely in favor
of autonomy having been in favor OF
obtaining such reforms as We're possi-
BILE during times of peace and being
now offered more than they hoped for
then.
'.All these matters, however. sink in
importance in my opinion in view of
the sickening and widespread scenes
of suffering through which I have just
cd