Evening journal., 1898-01-12
PLEADS FOR CUBA.
Charles w. Russell Speaks In
Behalf of Sufferers.
HAS JUST TRAVERSED THE ISLAND.
In an Interview He Depicts the Intense
Distress Prevalent and Says That
Private Charity Cannot Accom-
pIIsh the Desired Result.

pIIsh the Desired Result.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12.-Hon. Charles
W. Russell, assistant United States at
torney in the department OF justice. has
Just returned from Cuba, where he has
spent two weeks investigating the con-
ditions prevailing on the island. Mr..
Russell In an interview said:
Il am very glad 20 be interviewed on
the subject OF Cuba, because / feel IL q
solemn duty TO humanity 70 endeavor
20 make the American people realize the
terrible distress which exists there.
Much has been written on the subject;
but, judging others by myself. l feel
quite sure that because we do not COM
NIT and have not In our history COM
mitted such atrocities as Spain is COM
mitting on that island the American
reading public regards the reports as
biased by the preconceived opinions OF
newspapers or grossly exaggerated.
II spent just two weeks in Cuba, vis-
tied Havana, went south TO Jpruco,
southeast TO Guines, northeast 10 Ma
tanzas and eastwardly about 200 miles
through the middle Of the country 70
santo Domingo Santa Clara and Sagua
la Grande. l visited Marianao, a short
distance west Of Havana, and saw
along the railroads 30 or 40 towns or
stations. In Havana 1 visited the
Fossos, the hospital prison Aidecoa,
where talked with the father of Evan
gelina Cosio y Cisneros. and a place
called the Jacoba. I found reconcen-
trados at all three places and begging
everywhere about the streets of Ha-
vana.
"The spectacle at the Fossos and ia
coba houses OF women and children
emaclated TO skeletons and suffering
from diseases produced by starvation
was sickening. In Sagua / saw some
sick and emaclated little girls in a
children's hospital started three days
before by charitable Cubans and saw
crowd Of miserable looking recon-
centrados with tin buckets and other
receptacles getting small allowances OF
food doled out 10 them in a yard.
I'm the same city In n sugar ware
house I saw stationed around the inside
walls the remnants of 20 or 30 Cuban
families. In one case the remnant con-
sisted OF two little children OF OF 8
years. In another case. where / talked
10 the people In broken Spanish, there
were four Individuals mother girl
of IA and two quite small girls. The
smallest was then suffering from ma
larial fever. The next had the signs on
her hands, with which had become IA
miliar, OF having had the bert beri
These four were all that the order OF
concentration had left alive Of H.
'At every one Of the numerous stop.
ping places along the road a similar ool.
lection OF huts could be seen. and al
most OF them beggars. often nice look.
ing women and beautiful children. In.
vaded the cars. Between the stations
although / travelled always by daylight
as the trains do not run at night, ant
was observing as carefully as possible
saw no signs OF the reconoentradoi
going away from the forts. If they ha,
gone II takes seeds, instruments. land
and three or four months to raise tn
vegetables which could be soonest pro
duced, and nowhere away from tn
biockhouses was there any sign OF veg
etables growing
Il wish merely to state in such wa,
as TO be convincing that In consequenc
OF the concentration OF the people som
100000 Cubans are daily suffering ant
dying from diseases produced by lacl
of nourishment In the midst Of what
think must be the most fertile countr,
in the world and that something mus
be done for them on a large scale an
at once, or a few months will see thei
determination
$50 far as / could see they are a pa
tient, amiable and intelligent set O
people, some OF them I saw beggin
having faces like Madonnas. They ar
Americans. probably the oldest Amer
a st.tI
intercourse with the United States ha
made them sympathize with and ar
preciate us. who are but six hours b
boat from them, II we DO not sympa
thize with or care for them.
mo order or permission from Genera
Blanco can save the lives Of many {
them. Indeed many are too far gon
70 be saved by the best care and treaI
ment. There was no indication OF
cessation Of hostilities by the insui
gents. II they do not voluntarily ceas
their tactics are such that Spain cann'
conquer them, II at all, before the RI
concentrates viii have had the hnisl
ing stroke. but even the speedy term
nation of the war would not save man
Of them. What they need is instai
peouniary assistance TO the extent
$40 900 a day distributed by our consul
Private charity viii hardly. Il seem
produce that amount. Twenty thousar
dollars would be but 10 cents apiece e
medicine clothes and food. When
p left Havana. l was informed that CO..
sui General Lee had received $1,000 al
some hundreds OF cans of condens
milk. AS there are about $4,000 suffe
ers In Havana alone. the inadequacy
such contributions is manifest Whet
er congress should make an appropri
ton. as in the case of the San Domi
go refugees and other cases. is not (
me to say. but 1 beg the charitable
believe the statements of fact whi
] have made and TO try to realize VIII
they mean"
No. to oon.e.. Gambler. wm.