Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-01-12
100000 STARVED
And 100000 More Cubans
Slowly Starving to Death
Is Startling Story Brought from Cuba
by Hon. Charles Russell.
Says Suffering Is Horrible and the PEOPLE
Need Immediate Relief

Washington, Jan. 11.-Hon Charles
Russell. assistant United States attor-
ney in the department of justice. re-
turned. today. from Cuba where he has
spent TWO weeks investigating the con-
dltlons prevailing on the island. To
ne Associated Press. Mr.. Russell said:
Il feel it a solemn duty TO humanity
10 endeaVor 10 make the American peo-
pie realize the terrible distress which
exists in Cuba. / spent just two weeks
IN cuba. visited Havana, went south To
Jaruco. southeast to Guines. northwest
TO Mantanza, easterwardly about 200
miles through the middle of the cour-
try to San Domingo, Santa Clara and
Sagua Legrande
/ visited Marianao. a short distance
west OF Havana, and saw along the
railroads. 80 or 40 towns or stations In
Havana | visited the FosSos, the hospi-
tai prison Aldreoa, where ! talked with
the father of Evangclna Cosio Cis-
neros. and a place called. the Jacoba.
1 found rccontcntrados at all three
places and begging everywhere about
the streets Of Hawai-.
The spectacle at the Fossos and
cmaciated to skeletons and suffering
from disease produced by starvation,
was sickeninS. In SaSua | saw some
sick and cmaciated little girls in a chill
dren's hospital started three DAYS be.
tore by charitable Cubans. and saw a
crowd of miserable looking reconcen-
Trades with tin buckets and other re-
ceptacies getting small allowances Of
food doled out to them in Il yard.
In the same city in an old sugar
warehouse | saw stationed around the
inside walls the remnants of 20 or 80
Cuban families. In "Ac case the rem
haht consisted of two little children,
out Of seven on eight In another case
there were four individuals, a mother.
Il girl of II, and two quite small girls.
me smallest was then suffering from
fever The next had the signs
on her hands, with which | had be-
come familiar. having had the beri
beri. These four were all that the
order of concentration had left alive
of II.
AT San Domingo. where two rail-
roads join, the depot was crowded with
women and children. one of the latter.
rs remember. being swollen up with
he beri beri, begging in the most ear
nest way of the passengers. San Do
minSo, at present. has considerable
population living in cabins matched
WITH tops Of royal palm trees compos-
at OF the survivors of the reconcendra-
los The hutS are arranged close to
seher in little lump and the conceu-
RADIOS orders required and apparently
still requires these people to live within
| circle Of small bockhouses. common
y diSniiied in the dispatches by tn.
names Of forts. OF course they had no
YORK 10 40, no soil to till. no seed TO
1lant and only begging to live on. |
10 mol Know the exact measure of the
leadiine circle drawn around them. bur
mere was certainly nothing within
lpon which human being could sub
list. Practically they are prisoners.
Al every one of the numerous stop
ing places along the road similar
Of huts could be seen and
t most of them beggars. often nice
ookins women and beautiful children.
INVADED the cars. Near the larger
owns the circle Of concentration seem
d 70 be somewhat larger and plant
ne oi vegetables, tobacco. etc. seemed
Q be going on. A this a very few
crsOns possibly some of them recon-
entrados found employment.
All along the railroad. as far as
Guild he seen. were stretches of the
lost fertile and beautiful country with
cry few trees and most of these the
oval palms. ] saw many dozens of
urned canefields.
Except in he cities. | saw no indi-
alton that any relief was being af-
,rded to the starving people. Neither
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