Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1898-02-24
Starving In Cuba.
OVER 500 900 DEAD.

The scourge of hunger has finishe
with more than five hundred thousan
persons of the fields-children and VIZ
men in the greater part. But in aG
dition to the hunger. sickness is fnist
ing up the reconcentrades, smallpox
malarial fever, infections fevers, dyser
terry, and other enteric diseases, cor
stitute the pathological condition
reigning in our land.
Senor Canalejas informed the write
that he estimated the number of non
combatants already dead from hunge
at half million. He has just finished
a tour of Cuba's cities to report upor
their condition to Premier Sagasta.
new minister Of Spain; patriotic Jour
nalist and great lawyer, Canalejas
with his facilities for getting at the
truth, deserves great praise for having
had the courage to tell it.
The Bishop of Havana. Santander Y
Fritos, has also stated the loss of life
shown by his parochical records to be
over Tue uguro quoted
OF the three-quarters of million
living persons now in the towns OF
1Cuba, two-thirds have practically no
mans of subsistence. The other third
are fairly able to buy food for them
lselves. The almost absolute cessation
of sugsr making and tobacco-raising
has brought hitherto rich families to
extreme roverty. To their credit, be
it said. these thousands of families,
even in the throes of genteel want,
have done, and are doing, all they can
for their destitute cGn1ntrymen. But
that is comparatively little. Captain
General Blanco is also using his sen
der facilities to the utmost in relieving
distress. But that is very little also.
In signed interview General Blanco
recently said: II expect to save three
quarters of the reconcentrados now
alive. Allowing for the number exist
ing at that time, the other quarter
would amount to about quarter of
million persons"
FAMINE HORRORS IN HAVANA.
Havana has fewer reconcentrados, in
comparison in it's population, than al
most any other city or town in Cuba.
Yet, within five minutes walk from
the beautiful square are sights to make
one weep. In a big, bare house, called
"Los Fossos," there are hourly scenes
which beggar description. On the
bare floor in corner lay two women's
forms, each with a baby upon its
breast. One mother and one baby died
while l was there. The dead baby still
lay upon it's living mothers breast.
She did not know it had died. She
was too weak. And the dead mothers
bony arms clasped a living baby.
Strong men who saw that scene broke
down and cried. In the same place
have seen twelve uncofiined bodies ly-
ing unregarded on the floor in differ
ent parts of the building, surrounded
by closely packed women and children,
scarcely less motionless than they.
For over two hundred persons there |
were seventy five small biscuits, and |
for each, once a day, an unsavory |
painful of Goldfish, beans, and oil, all
cooked together. The sufferers could
not eat it.
To the Bishops palace, thousands of
babes in their mothers arms come for
succor from the society which the good
old man has organized. There are over
5, 900 children registered, but only three
or four hundred can be helped day.
1t would break ones heart to see the
throngs of sad women who turn hope
lessly away without the bottle of thin
milk and the handful of corn meal
which the few secure for their little
ones.
THE STARVING BABES.
And such babies They skeletons,
with the skin stretched tightly over
the poor little protruding bones, or
hanging in folks over them where the
child flesh has shrunken away. They
seem all dead but their eyes-their big,
sad, beseeching eyes. There is not
man in the United States who could
look once into poor, little, starving
baby's eyes Without
turning away. There are thousands
Of such babies to be saved. The Gov
ernor of the province of Pinar del Rio
states that there are six thousand or
ohans there alone No one asks help
'or rthem.-Christian Herald.
There are many accidents to live stock
which cause delay and loss to the farmer /