Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-08-16
CUBAN EXPERIENCES
Misery and Suffering Witnessed
After Surrender of Santiago
Disagreeable Special Duty.
REGIMENT UNFIT FOR DUTY
Sickness Disabled Two-Thirds of Rough
Riders - Extreme Heat Tropical
ins-Anxious to Leave Rank
Smelling Island.

Judge John r. McFie has received
the following interesting letter from his
son, Ralph, who was with the Rough
Riders" through the trying campaign at
Santiago:
In camp neal Santiago and II mile
from Ell Canea, July 2s.-The End bri-
gade, including ourselves, is camped in
a beautiful place about four miles from
Santiago and one mile from Ell Cane4,
with a little mountain stream of clear
water running within so feet of my tent.
We can see the city and harbor with
the numerous boats unloading there,
from a little hill 200 yards back of the
camp, and the city itself from Il tents.
The view from the hill is grand. All
the Notifications. MORO castle and all,
being plainly visible. The harbor looks
like a large mill pond with two beauti-
full little islands in it. and Il winding
outlet to the sea, and if the S%paniards
had had food they could have staid
there forever and never been touched.
| have not been into the town, and
from the accounts given by the boys who
have visited the place, | do not thing l
have much desire to make the trip. They
tell me that the houses are mostly built
of adobe and rock, with tiled roofs, dark
| and gloomy. The streets are all alleys,
foul, dark and ill-smelling, and they are
| so rocky a Jump cart can hardly jostle
| along. The houses and streets are on
hillsides 50 steep that walking is difficult
and hanling any kind of a load is an inn
possibility. Everything in town is dear,
for the merchants have raised their
prices 400 per cent, and there is a very
limited quantity of necessary articles
obtainable. l sent in for some chewing
gum and this writing paper and some
envelopes. The boy brought out two
packages of gum at Is cents each, and a
little tablet of this paper and Il few en-
velopes for As cents, and says that he
got the. last there was in the place.
As you know, Santiago surrendered
on the nth, and all that day the refu-
gees came down the main road in thou
sands. On the 18th and 10Th was given
A detail of three men and stationed in
the road to disarm all men going into
town, stop all American and Cuban sol
diers from going in and keep all Spanish
soldiers from leaving. AS you can
imagine it was a dirty job for the four OF
us to examine several thousand filthy
and malodorous Cubans, but it had to be
done, and l was the interpreter. Oul
regiment moved to it's present quarters
on the morning of the 18th, and | was
left with the three men. We We're told
we would be relieved shortly, but not tc
leave until relieved. We staid there all
the day of the 18th, all that night, and
all day the 10th, and We're relieved al
$50 in the evening, and marched the
best we could to camp, arriving at ll:3t
at night. We were not left any rations,
but rushed a living from other troops
camped not far away. 1t was a very
trying affair and | fully expected to con
tract some loathsome disease, but die
not, although | was sick for a week
afterwards, and am just beginning tt
feel myself again.
Fully two-thirds of our regiment is
unfit for duty on account of sickness.
We are attacked by vomiting and fever
and cannot keep anything on our stom'
achs. We have no yellow fever OF
smallpox in camp, nor any other con.
tageous disease. Major Llewellyn was
taken home yesterday and it was about
time, for he would lie all day long and
talk nonsense, being completely out Of
his head, although when / went to sec
him he knew me. The attendant told
me not to talk to him and that the doc
tor had forbidden him seeing any one,
but he heard lis talking and spoke up
mo, no., l know Ralph McFie and
want to see him." l only remained 4
few moments and he kept moaning pitt
fully.
But to return to those days spent or
the road into Santiago. When the peo
pie commenced coming down the roaC
there were all kinds of sights to be seer
and | saw more genuine misery than
had seen in all my previous life. saw
grown men and women come tottering
down the road so starved and weak thai
they could hardly walk; little children
without q stitch of clothing, so thin ant
emaciated that one could almost SEE
through them, and certainly every
bone in their little bodies could be
counted. A funny thing happened ir
this connection. A girl came along
leading a little negro three shades
blacker than the ace of spaces, about
4 years old, without the suspicion of Q
|, stitch of clothes on his person. One o
the boys along the road had a copy O
the New MEXICAN and when the little
negro came along he stepped up ant
pushed the little black head through thu
paper, leaving one half hanging dow
i'm front and the other down behind
That little sucker fought like rip a
G,, ~ ra+ a. nE I,+ Enn1lv- tWot%oJ ~
with it on. Tt was certainly the mos
comical looking sight l have seen for
Hong time. That newspaper was tn
coolest uniform | have seen, excep
none at all, in the tropics.
1t is extremely hot here, and even a.
l write the p%erspiration is dropping of
my face as If at hard work at home. |
rains torrents of water every Afternoon
and the ground does not have time tt
dry out between rains, but steams
sickly vapor, which l believe is tn,
cause of all our present sickness.
1t is understood that there is a tel
days armistice on between Spain ant
the United States pending peace nego
tiations, beginning July 20 and to en'
day after tomorrow. l don't know hov
true IT is, but that is what we hav'
heard. All of us are dying to 60 hom'
and all kinds Of rumors and specula
lions are rife every day concerning on
home going. While l was sick l wa
homesick for two or three days, bu
when l am well I don't mind it much
although l am anxious to get ava,
from this sickly and rank smelling
island. Everything is so dull arount
the camp, as we have nothing to do t.
pass the time except to sit around ant
talk from 4:1J in the morning unit
dark, with slight intervals for meals ant
some little extra duty.
Fresh vaccine points and tubes JUS
received at Fischer's.