Evening star., 1898-07-26
CONDITIONS AT SIBONEY.
II n
Pitiful Spectacle Of Some of the
Cubans There.
Special From Staff Correspondent.
GIpnNEv


SIBONEY, July 13, 1898
Coming in from the front this morning l
found this little Cuban village in flames.
There is yellow fever, or something else
very much like 1t, here and the burning
was done as a preventive of the spread of
the dread disease. The doctors as usual,
differ in their diagnosis OF the cases sup
posed to be yellow jack. There are about
thirty-five cases of fever out at the quar-
antine camp in the hills and as yet there
have been no fatalities; in fact, If it is
yellow fever at all. it must be of an un-
usually mild type, or else modern methods
OF treatment have curtailed much of its
old-time virulence and deadliness.
Gen. Miles arrived here Tuesday and
when he learned the conditions prevailing
he was far from being pleased. The camp
ashore had been allowed to run itself
pretty much. No attempt had been made
at systematic policing this point, where
nearly the whole Of our army has passed
and been encamped a one time or another
If yellow fever really exists here a good
part of the army has already been exposed
to 1t. Gen. Miles went on the principle
that even If the horse be stolen it might
yet be good plan to put a lock on the
door for future emergencies. So he or
dered that the village be policed at once,
and as one of the essentials the old, dis
ease-breeding ramshackle' huts of the Gu
bans be burned. This all seems very easy
and like the natural and proper thing to
do In the mere telling and ordering 1t is
the well-established rule that the few
must be put to inconvenience, or even suf-
fer in order that the many might receive
benefit therefrom
Rough on the Cubans.
But to the poor devils of Cubans, for
whom these huts fulfilled the purpose of q
habltation, even If they were not regarded
as homes in the AngIo-Saxon meaning Of
that term, the loss was keenly felt. 1t was
truly pit1ful sight to see them, feeble old
women. wan-faced, half starved children
and totterinS old men forced to gather up
thelr Few belongings and start for the
ElHs, homeless wanderers while their re-
Gently vacated huts went up in flames It
seemed strange and curious combination
OF events that political freedom should
come to these attended by the loss of their
personal all. Indeed, it would seem as If 1t
would not have been too much to ask of a
great government like the United States
to provide these helpless ones with tents
at least to protect them from the elements
This whole Cuban element of the poorer
class present sorry appearance, and seem
10 be about as worthless and shiftess
lot OF people as could be gathered UP under
the sun. They are willing to beg, but are
100 proud to work. Ask a boy to carry
your satchel or do some trivial labor for
you Tor money and he will draw himself
up with an air of naughty disdain. Yet
this same beggar on horseback will fawn
like hungry DOG and beg for cigarettes
OF something to eat. 1t is q curious COM
hination OF human nature that they pre-
sent. o. u
found several Washington boys here at
Siboney, all of them connected with the
army In some capacity and all heartily sick
OF Cuba and anxious for the time TO come
when they would either be ordered home or
to the front
1t is the opinion of many of the Ameri-
cans here who have made study Of the sit
uation that the matter of guaranteeing a
stable government to the Cubans will prove
more difficult task than whipping out the
Spaniards.
Refugees From Santiago.
All along the road to the front one sees
the refugees from Santiago who were
forced to fee in expectation of lombard
ment and they. too are animated speci-
mems or misery. Scantily clad, wan and
hunsry-looking, they just seem to wander
about in the rain and mud in the hope that
death might come to relieve them of an
existence that must be we'll intoler-
able to them who are so tolerant of all shat
which to the American seems insufferable.
There are number of warships and a
meet OF transports here in the harbor of
siboney, II the little cove in the coastline
can be dignified by the title Of harbor. The
water Is SO deep that ships cannot anchor