The herald., 1898-03-18

walking about with arms and limbs terri
bly, emaciated, eyes swollen and abdomen
bloated to three times the natural size.
The physicians say these cases age hope
less.
Deaths in the street have not been un-
common I was told by one of our consuis
that they have been found dead about the
markets in the morning, where they had
crawled, hoping to get some stray bits OF
food from the early hucksters, and that
there had been cases where they had
dropped dead inside the market, surround
ed by food. These people were independent
and self-supporting before Weyler's or
der. They are not beggars even now.
There are plenty of professional beggars
in every town among the regular residents.
but these country people. the reconcentra-
dos have not learned the art. Rarely is
hand held out to YOU for aims when go
ing among their huts, but the sight of them
makes an appeal stronger than words.
IN THE HOSPITALS
| "Of the hospitals need not speak. 9th
| ers have described their condition far bet
| ter than can. 1t is not within the narrow
limits of my vocabulary to portray it.
went to Cuba with strong conviction that
the picture had been overdrawn, that few
cases of starvation and suffering had in
spired and stimulated the press corre-
| spondents and that they had given free
play to a strong, natural and highly culti-
waited imagination. Before starting I re-
ceived through the mail leafiet published
by the Christian Herald, with cuts of some
of the sick and starving reconcentrados
and took it with me- thinking these were
rare specimens got up to make the worst
possible showing. / saw plenty as bad and
worse; many that should not be photo
! graphed and shown. / could not believe
that out of a population of 100000, 100000
had died within the Spanish forts, practi-
| cally prison walls, within a few months
| past from actual starvation and diseases
caused by insuf1icien. and improper food.
My inquiries were entirely outside of sem
| sational sources. They were made of our
medical officers, of our consuls, of city
mayors, of relief committees, of leading
merchants and bankers, physicians and
lawyers. Several of my informants were
Spanish born. but every time the answer
was that the case had not been overStated.
1T MUST BE SEEN
"All I saw I cannot tell so that others
can see it: it must be seen with ones
own eyes to be realized. The Los Pasos
hospital in Havana has been recently de-
| scribed by one of my colleagues, Senator
Gallinger and 1 cannot say that his pic
| ture is overdrawn, for even his fertile pen
could not do that. He visited it after DR..
| LASER, one of Miss Barton's valuable and
| efficient assistants, had renovated it and
put in cots. 1 saw it when four hundred
women and children were lying on the
stone floor in an indescribable state of
emaciation and disease many with the
scantiest coverings of rags-and such rags!
and sick children naked as they came
into the world. The conditions in other
cities are even worse.
MISS BARTONS WORK
Miss Barton needs no Endorsement from
me. l had known and esteemed her for
many years, but had not half appreciated
her capability and devotion to her work
[ especially looked into her business meth
DDS, fearing there would be the greatest
danger of mstakes-that there might be
want of system and waste and extraya-
gance-but found she could teach me on
those points. 1 visited the warehouses
where the supplies are received and dis
tributed; saw the methods of checking
visited the hospitals established or organ
lied and supplied by her; saw the food
distributed in several cities and towns.
and everything seems to be conducted in
the best manner possible. The ample fire
proof warehouse in Havana owned by a
Cuban firm, with a gang of laborers, free
of charge, to unload and reship supplies.
The children's hospital in Havana. a very
large, fine private residence, is hired at
l cost of less than s100 per month. not
fifth of what it would cost in this city. 1t
is under the admirable management of
Mrs. DIR. Lassar of New York, a German
lady and trained nurse. I saw the rapid
improvement of the first children taken
there. All Miss Bartons assistants are
excelently fitted for their duties. In short,
saw nothing to criticise, but everything
to commend. The American people may be
assured that their bounty will reach the
sufferers with the least possible cost and
in the best manner in every respect
BLANCO'S ORDER
"Gen. Blanco's order of November 18th
last somewhat modiies the Weyler order.
but is of little or no practical benefit. Its
application is limited to farms properly
defended and the owners are obliged to
is completely at the discretion of the local
military authorities. and they know the
terrible military efficiency of Weyler's or
der in stripping the country of all possible
shelter, food or source of informatio for
an insurgent, and will be slow to surrender
this advantage. In fact. though the order
was issued four months ago, I saw no
benefcent results from it worth mention
ing. l do not impugn Gen. Blancos mo-
tives, and believe him to be an estimable
relieve the condition of the reconcentrados
If he could do so without loss of any mill
tary advantage, but he knows that all
Cubans are insurgents at heart, and none
now under military control will be allowed
to go from 1t.
THE SPANISH FORCE
"It is said there are about 60 900 Spanish
soldiers now in Cuba fit for duty, out of
over 200, 900 that have been sent there
The rest have died, been sent home sick
or are in the hospitals. and some have been
killed, notwithstanding the official reports.
They are conscripts many of them very
young, and generally small men. One
hundred and thirty pounds is a fair av-
erage. They are quiet and obidient, and
if we'll drilled and led belive would fight
fairly well. but not at all equal to our
men. Much more would depend on the
leadership than with us. The officer must
lead well and be one in whom they have