The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-03-18


pastures except such as are under
guard in the immediate vicinity of the
towns. In other words, the Spaniards
hold III these four western provinces
just what their army sits on. Every
man, woman and child, and every do
mestic animal, wherever the columns
have reached, is under guard and
within their so-called Notifications.
To describe one place is to describe
ali. To repeat. it is neither peace nor
war. 1t is concentration and desola-
ton. This is the pacified" condition
of the four western provinces.
West Of Havana is mainly the rich
tobacco country; east, so far as l went.
it is a sugar region. Nearly all the
sugar mills are destroyed between Ha-
vana and Sagua. Two or three were
standing in the vicinity of Sagua, and
part running, surrounded as are the
villages by trochas and forts of pal
isadeS of the royal palm and fully
guarded. Toward and near Cienfuegos
there were more mills running, but all
with the same protection. 1t is said
that the owners of these mills near
Cienfuegos have been able to obtain
special favors of the Spanish govern
ment in the way of a large force of
soldiers, but that they also, as well as
all the railroads. pay taxes to the
Cubans for immunity. had no means
OF verifying this. 1t is the common
lain d4lloLS lilpSG VIII IdNG OGLlEA
means Of knowledge.
THE RECONCENTRADOs.
"All the country people in the four
western provinces, about 400, 600 in num-
Der, remaining outside of the fortified
towns when Weyler's order was made,
were driven into these towns, and there
are the reconcentrados. They were the
peasantry, many of the farmers, some
land owners, others renting lands and
owning more or less stock, others work
ing on estates and cultivating small
patches; and even a small patch in
that fruitful cline will support a fam
lily. It is but fair TO say that the nor
mai condition of these people was very
different from that which prevails in
this country. Their standard of COM
fort and prosperity was not high. meas
ured by our own. But according to
their standards and requirements, their
conditions of life were satisfactory.
They live mostly in cabins made of
palm, or in wooden houses. Some of
them had houses of stones, the black
ened walls Of which are all which re-
main TO show that the country was ever
Inhabited.
Many doubtless did not learn of
Weyler's concentration orders. Others
failed to grasp it's terrible meaning. Its
execution was left largely to the guer-
rillas to drive in all that had not obey
ed. and 1 was informed that in many
cases a torch was applied TO their
homes without notice, and that the in
mates fled with such clothing as they
might have on their backs, their stock
and other belongings being appro-
priated by the guerrillas. When they
reached the towns they were allowed to
build huts Of palm leaves in the sub
urbs and vacant places within the
trocha, and left to live if they could.
Their hlrfC a nv in
size, and for want of space, usually
crowded together very closely. They
have no fioog. but the ground, and no
furniture, and 2fter a years wear but
little clothing. except such stray sub
Stitutes as they can eXtemporize. With
large families, or with more than one
in this little space, the commonest san
itary provisions are impossible. Condi-
tons are unquestionable in this respect
Torn from their homes, with foul earth,
foul air. foul water and foul food, or
none, what wonder that one-half have
died, and that one-quarter of the living
are SO diseased that they cannot be
saved.
PITIABLE SIGHTS.
"a form of dropsy is a result of this
condition. Little children are still |
walking about with arms and chest |
terribly emaciated, eyes swollen and
abdomen bloated to three times the /
natural size. The physicians say these /
cases are hopeless.
Deaths in the streets have not been |
uncommon. l was told by one of our |
consuls that they have been found dead |
about the markets in the morning. !
where they had crawled, hoping to get /
some stray bits of food from the early |
hucksterS. and that there had been
cases where they had dropped dead in
SIDE the market, surrounded by food /
These ont md
self-supporting before Weyler's order |
They are not beggars even now. There !
are plenty of professional beggars in
every town among the regular resi-
dents, but these country people, the re-
concentrates. have not learned the art
Rarely is a hand held out TO YOU for
aims when going among their huts.
but the sight of them makes an appeal
stronger than words.
of the hospitals l need not speak.
Others have described their condition
far better than l can. It is not within
the narrow limits of my vocabulary to
portray it. / went to Cuba with a
strong conviction that the picture had
been 0Verdrawn, that a few cases of
starvation and suffering had inspired
and stimulated the press correspond !
ents and that they had given free play
20 a strong, natural and highly-culti-
waited Imagination.
Before starting, 1 received through
the mail a leaflet published by the
Christian Herald, with cuts of some of
the sick and starving reconcentrados,
and took ii with me, thinking these
We're rare specimens got up to make |
the worst possible showing l saw
plenty as bad and worse: many that
should not be photographed and shown
! could not believe that out of a pop
ulation of 100000, 100000 had died
within the Spanish forts, practically
prison walls. within a few months past.
from actual starvation and diseases
caused by insufficient and improper
food.
AUTHENTIC INFORMATION.
MY inquiries were entirely outside
of sensational sources. They were
made Of our medical officers, of our
consuis, of city mayors. of relief COM
mittees, of leading merchants and
bankers, physicians and lawyers. Sew
eral Of my informants were Spanish
born, but every time the answer was
that the case had not been over
stated. What 1 saw I cannot tell so
that others can see it. 1t must be
seen with ones own eyes to be re-
allied. The Los Passes hospital in Ha-
vaaa has been recently described by /
one of my colleagues. Senator Gal
linger, and ] cannot say that his pic
ture was overdrawn. He visited it af-
ter DR.. LASER. one of Miss Barton's
very able and efficient assistants, had
renovated it and put in cots. 1 saw it
when young women and children were
lying on the stone floors in an indie !
scribable state OF emaciation and dis !
ease many with fba spap+sas+ r.,r-o-