Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-24
STARVING CUBANs IN NEW York.
A Poor Mother Who Escaped with
Her Children.

A Poor Mother Who Escaped With
Her Children.
Rosa Cabrera, with her four children,
has arrived in New York from Cuba, es-
Gaping from death in a reconcentrado
camp at Cienfuegos. Mrs. Cabrera is
twenty-five years old. The suffering that
she has endured has made her an old wo.
man. says the New York Journal The
bones Of her neck and shoulders almost
stick out through the parchmentl.fke skim!
Under her eyes are deep black circles The
face is pinched and drawn. and her dark
eyes burn as with fever. Yet she says that:
she and her children were the best cared
for of the reconcentrados and are stronger
than those they have left behind The
children are skeletons. Margarita, the ED.
est, has shrunken limbs and gaunt hands
like talons. The two youngest have suf-i
Iered the least. but their appearance is
pitiful. The most pitiful of all is little
Diego. 1t is doubtful IL he Will live His.
arms are mere bones covered with brown
skin, on which are sores and marks of
disease. HIS legs seem too thin to support
even his fraii weight. The Joints of the
little fellows Legs and arms seem out of
proportion. Mrs. Cabrera tells the story OF
her frightfu' struggle for life from day to
DAY with sharp cries of remembered pain,
ana shudders at horrors recalled. She was
at Cienfuegos. Weyler sent orders for those
who lived on the fs rms to come into the
cities or be Shot. Mrs. Cabrera lived with
ner huspand, Llanes. on his plantation at
Tamarindo. fifteen miles from Cienfueeos
They had eight days to obey the orders
Their houses were burned by Spanish SOL
diers at Weyler's command. The plantation,
was plundered; They had been people OF
some means. Nothing was left them. The
family entered Cienfuegcs with one small
trunk of children's clothes. They had
friends in the city and for several weeks
Mrs. Cabrera lodged with them. When they
IN hnr fr,. -
paid a months rent for a little room and
the family went there. On a bed of rags
the children slept, while the mother slept
in chair and the father on the floor The
room was bare. 4
There were 5000 or more reconcentrados
huddled in the city. More than half of
these have died. Mrs. Cabrera begged from
door to door for bread for her children
Sometimes she would walk all day through
the town end return at night empty hand
ed. Spaniards in the city laughed at first
az the miserable plight of Weyler's victims
Toward the last even they pitied but did
not aid. The man who owned the room
where the little family was gathered was a
Spaniard. He tried the second month to-
collect rent, and seeing it was smpossible'
iEsulted the starving woman. Her husband
attacked him. and in the fight his arm was
broken ana his injury added to their dis
comforts. 4
Mrs. Cabrera saw her children waste
g adually away. At first she used to cry as
she saw death claiming them; then she
grew to hope that the end would come
speedily. Hur ger nearly maddened her un-
til she became used to privation. Then the
phase of starvation changed. Lethargy
seized her and she was unwilling even to
save her babies. Her husband begged what
he could and brought 1t to them. =
1t was he who wrote the letter of appeal
to her father in Brooklyn, telling him that
unless relief came they would die and beg
ging the father to save his daughter and
her children. The father was poor. He I,
showed the pitiful letter to friends, who
gave him money enough to bring her away.
They were sent for. Before they could
come smallpox seized the children. They
would have died but for q Cuban doctor
who gave his skill In charity. When they
were well the family had to wait until
quarantine laws were complied with. III
While they were sick It was ordered that |
SO cents day be given to the family for
81 pport. since they could not beg. Only 10
cents was given each day. Spanish soldiers
kept the resi- 1t was 80 In every case. II
The mother and children are gradually
recovering from their terrible months of |
hunger and sickness. They are poor, und |
depend upon friends Tor their support here.s