The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-03-18

SENATOR REDFIELD PROCTOR.
on his own responsibility, and to see
for himself. He denied that he had
expressed the opinion that the Maine
was blown up from the outside, saying
he had carefully avoided forming an
opinion, and urged patient waiting for
the report of the court of inquiry. He
spoke of Havana as he had seen the
city on former visit, and of the
changes war has made. After a de-
scription of the trocha he spoke of
Weyers order compelling the recon-
centrados to gather in the fortified
towns, and proceeded:
MANY doubtless did not learn ot
this order. Others failed to grasp it's
terrible meaning. It's execution was
left largely to the guerillas to drive in
all that had not obeyed, and / was sat
isfied that in many cases a torch was
applied to their homes with no notice,
and the inmates fled with such cloth
ing as they might have on, their stock
and other belongings being approprl-
ated by the guerillas. When they
reached the town they were allowed to
build huts of palm leaves in the sub
urbs and vacant places within the
Their huts are about 10 by Is feet in
size, and for want of space are usually
crowed together very closely. They
have no floor but the ground and no
furniture, and, after 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 COM
ca tar Nicip
sible. Conditions are unmentionable 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. Little chill
dren are still walking about with arms
and chest terribly emaciated, eyes swol-
len and abdomen bloated to three times
the natural size. The physicians say
these cases are hopeless.
Deaths in the street have not been
uncommon. 1 was told by one of our
consuls that they have been found
dead about the markets in the morn
ing, where they had crawled hoping
to get some stray bits of food from the
early hucksters, and that there had
dead inside the market surrounded by
food. These people were independent
and self supporting before Weyler's
order. They are not beggars even now
| There are plenty of professional beg,
gars in every town among the regular
residents, but these country people
the reconcentrados, have not learned
the art. Rarely is hand held out t.
you for aims when going among theil
huts, but the sight of them makes al
appeal stronger than Words
Speaking of the hospitals he said:
81 went to Cuba with a strong con
viction that the picture had been over
drawn, that a few cases of starvation
and suffering had inspired and stimu
lated the press correspondents anC
they had given free play to strong
natural and highly cultivated imagina
ton. Before starting l received through
the mail a leaflet published by Tn
Christian Herald, with cuts of some o
the sick and starving reconcentrados
and took it with me, thinking thes
We're rare specimens got up to max
the worst possible showing. / say
plenty as bad and worse, many tina
should not be photographed an
shown. l could not believe that out o
a population of 1,60O, 900 200, 900 had die
within these Spanish forts, PRACTICAL
prison walls, within a few months pas
from actual starvation and disease
caused by insufficient and imprope
food. My inquiries were entirely out
side of sensational sources, and ever
time the answer was that the case ba
not been overstated.
What / saw / cannot tell so tht
others can see it. 1t must be see
with ones own eyes to be realize
The Los Pasos hospital in Havana hi
been recently described by one of N
colleagues, Senator Gallinger, and
cannot say that his picture was owe
drawn, for even his fertile pen cou
not do that. He visited 1t after ID
Lesser, one of Miss Barton's very alb
and efficient associates, had removals
ii and put In cots. l saw 1t when 4
women and children were lying on Il
stone floors in an indescribable sta
of emaciation and disease, many wi
the scantiest covering of rags, al
such rags. and sick children, naked