Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1898-04-29
IN CUBA.

The following from reports of Ger
eral Fitzhugh Lee tell u tale Of saf
tering IN Cuba that is horrible "a
contemplate. In a letter OF Januar.
| Sth General Lee estimates thu
result OF n star sntinp policy:
Il have the honor to state, rs II ma
ter Of public interest, that the 'rccon
centrado order Of Gener Weyler, for
merly governor general NJ this island
transformed nbnut 100000 selt'su
porting people. principally w"me
aud children. into IA multitude to IL
sustained by the contributions o.
Others. or die ~ starvation, or a.
fevers resulting from a low physica
condition and being massed IN larg'
bodies. without change OF clothing
and without food. Their homes wer
burned. their fields and plant-benh
destroyp I'd, and their live stock driver
away or killed.
Il estimate that probably 2O0,OO'
of the rural population in the prov
iuce of Pinar del RIO, Havana. Mat.
anzas. and Santa Clara have died OF
starvation or from resultant causes;
and the deaths 81 whole families nj
most simultaneously. or within u few
days of each other, and ~ mothers
praying for their chill lren to be re-
lived Of their horrible suiTerings b.
death, are not the least OF the man.
pitlahle scenes which were e,rr pres
eDt. In the provinces OF Pucrt"
Principe and Santiago de Cuba.
where the 'r"concentrado order
could not be enforced, the great mas
of the people are self-sustaining.
~ daily average Of ten cents
worth of food to 2O0.0 people woulL
be an expenditure uf $4,000 per day,
and, uf curse. the most humane ef-
forts upon the part of our citizens
can not hope To accomplish such a gil
gantic relief. AMI Il great portion Of
these people will have to be aband-
oned to their fate"
Some terrible instances Of suffering
are described in n communication to
Consul General Lee from two reli.
able gentlemen (wnose names are
s%uppressed) relative to The condition
in l. IS Fosos (the ditches) in Havana
W. quote from the press summary:
"'Four hundred aud sixty women
and children thrown on the groui.d.
heaped pell-mell rs animals, some in
u dying condition others sick.
others dead, without the slightest
cleanliness OF the least help, not even
abe to give water To the thirsty. with
out either religious or social help.
each one dying wherever chance laid
hIn.'
"The communication goes on to
state TINT the deaths among these re-
concentrates averaged forty or fifty
daily. and that oh an average there
were but ten days Of life for each
person. 1t aays that these unhappy
creatures received food only after
having been eight days III the fosOs,
during which time they were obliged
to subsist upon the bad food, which
the dying had refused. Some hor-
rible instances OF the distress wit
messed are given.
-'AnIong the many deaths we saw
says the communication, there was
seen one impossible to forget. There
is still alive the only witness. IL yonng
girl OF eighteen. whom We found
seemingly l~ifeltss On the ground. On
her right side was the body of u young
mother. cold and rigid, but with her
young child still alive clinging to her
breast. On her left side WIS the
corpse of a dead woman. holding her
son in a dead embrace. 4 little fur
! ther on a dying woman, having in her
arms Il daughter OF fourteen. crazy
with pain, who, after twelve or four.
teen days. died in spite OF the care
she received Further along the
communication says that ifany Young
girl came in who was nice-lnoking,
she was infnllibly condemned To the
most abominable OF trHfiirs. The
communication says that SI,7O0 per.
SONS had entered tue fos0s since Aug.
ust, md O: these but 3l3 we're then
living. 1t places the number nj
deaths among the reconccntrados al
II per cent"