People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1898-03-03
SKELETONS lN-RAGS.
Fourteen Thousand Starving Cubans
Grovel in Matanzas' Streets-Aid is
Badly Needed.

Correspondence of the Associated Press.
Santiago de Cuba, Feb. 23.-While
the United States cruiser MOntgOm.
cry was at Matanzas recently a bOald
o. officers was appointed to inquire
into the condition of the people in
that province. The report sets forth
that there are 1900 people absolutely
without food and clothing within the
city limits. About 1900 of these live
In small huts of palm branches.
These huts form three separate vii
lagos, beyond the built up portion OF
the city. The other 1000 unfOrtun-
ates live in the streets of the city and
are absolutely without homes or shell
ter.
These 1900 people are of the labor
Ing class, and have been driven into
the cities from their country homes,
which have been destroyed in the war
operations. Most of them are women
ana children and they are all enact
ated, sick and almost beyond relief
unless they can have the benefit of
the regular treatment in the hospitals.
As it is, they are dying in the streets
for want Of food.
According to statistics gathered
from the best of sources the number
OF deaths in the province Of Matan-
zas from starvation is $1,000 and the
number of starving people at present
In the province is estimated at $4,000,
out of total population of 253, 4l6 in
December, 1897, and the number of
starving people is rapidly increasing.
In the city of MatanzaS alone there
have been about 1000 deaths during
the past year, and the number is in
creasing daily. The death rate at
present averages As per day, as shown
by the reports from the cemetery.
The increase in the death rate is due
to the fact that the distress is no
longer confined to the labOring class.
most of whom have already persisted.
1t has now extended to these people
who before the war were in moder-
ately comfortable circumstances.
Those who are now begging in the
streets were in large part, well-to-do
people, or the children of the well-t0.
do. And in addition, the citizens of
the city of Matanzas themselves are
beginning to suffer for tie actual
necessities Of life, having reduced
their resources in order to supply the
needs of the labOring class who have
been quartered upon them,
At one of the relief stations the
board of officers found 100 starving
people. In room across the court
yard of the building were 100 tin pans
and as many spoons. These pans were
filled with cooked mess of rice and
fish and were arranged in rows ready
for distribution among the furnishing
people who were in waiting in another
part of the house.
These statements are the conclu.
sionS, Facts and figures arrived at by
q board OF United States naval officers.
When the naval officers landed they
were constantly followed by clamoring
crowds of starving men, women and
children, who impUrtuned them in the
most heartrending manner for a little
food, for the want of which they were
slowly dying.
The United States consul at Matan.
zas has done everything possible under
the circumstances but when the
Montgomery left there, in the first
days of February, the consul had only
enough rations remaining to last