The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-02-21

the way. and only the wife lived TO reach
sitting on the ground near the barracks,
tho very picture OF despair.
Our first visit this morning was TO Los
Fcsos. an abandoned warehouse near
the waters edge. and Moro castle,
which 10 now used for hospital for sev-
ernl hundred sick reconcentrados. AZ
ter the reign OF terror began and the
wretches were dying by hundreds In the
streets, no provision whatever having
been made for their maintenance by the
Spanish government, some charitable
Cubans In Havana made bold to. estnb-
llsh hospitals and take care OF them ns
hes. they could. II was but drop OF
comfort In the ocean OF wretchednes5--
but all honor to the noble ladies and
gentlemen. who ut considerable risk 10
themselves In a city under strict MILL
tary law where party feeling runs so
high, had devoted their time and money
to the work The government, In It's
policy OF determination. has ever placed
every obstacle In tho way OF these char
tiles. f5t
Spain has 10000 soldiers In the hosp!-
tails OF Havana suffering for food and
medicine. and naturally the little her de-
pleted resources can devote to charity 10
given to them. Weylcr says: Nobody
can starve in Cuba; they can live on
bananas" But the fact remains that
more than 100000 people have already
starved TO death as the result of this
concentration order. Even bananas
have their seasons. II the whole Island
were planted with them (Which Il Is not)
and " bananas were to be had for the
picking, there would not be enough to
sustain the teemlng population, could
they, endure the exclusive diet. People
cannot live on climate; they starve In
any part Of the world where food is not.
Diminishing our carriage Mt the gate Of
Los Fosos. Intending to call another for
the return. according to the custom of
Havana. where carriage hire Is only
twenty cents. each way. to any part OF
the city. and carriages swarm In tho
street like files around 4 molasscs bar
rel, we passed into the patio, or inner
courtyard. Lying all about were what
at first glance looked like heaps OF rags:
they were reconccntrados who were able
to crawl out into the sun, leaving the
few beds OF the hospital for those worse
of than themselves. I have seen mis-.
cry In many lands. but never anything
like this. We did not enter the building
devoted TO the men. but went at once to
the quarters OF the women and chill
dren. Such sight! Two floors filled
with.long rows OF cot beds-a recent &C.
QUESTION since money came from tho
United States, for at first they lay upon
the floor: and on each bed q horror.
Five had died that morning, and their
bodies had not yet been removed. Sew
eral were. evidently dying, and others
were In the stupor Of unconsclousness.
In one corner lay a boy, perhaps nino
years old, writhlng In commissions. and
he died few moments later, clutchlng
my hands with bony fingers that felt
like bird-claws. My attention was mar.
ticularly attracted to young woman.
who must have been very beautiful a
short time ago, but whose emaciated
face already wore the dignity of death,
although slight tluttering of the breast
showed that the breath OF life yet lin
Sercd. Nobody In the hospital knew
anything about her, except that she was
reconcentrado, driven like the rest
from her home somewhere In the coun-
try. Proudly silent, she held aloof from
the rest during the terrible march.
sleeping In the fields and slowly starv-
ing. Where were tho living hands that
once carcsscd that wealth of Ginning
hair? Father and brothers, husband or
lover were no doubt with the insurgNut
army somewhere in the southern prsy-
inces. or perhaps lying dead in the
trenches. While we stood beside her the
breath ceased to move. Death had SC,
his inscruteblc seal on her lips and tho
soW. had happily escaped It's mortal
prison.