The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-03-18

half have died, and that One-quarter of
the living are so diseased that they. can
not be saved 4 form of drOpSy is
common disorder resulting from these
conditions. Little children are still walk
ing about with arms and chest terribly
emaciated, eyes swollen and abdomen
blOated to three times the natural size.
The physicians say these cases are hope
less.
deaths in the streets have not been
uncommon. / was told by one of our
consuls that they have been found dead
about the markets in the morning where
they had crawled hoping to get some
stray bits of fOOu from the early hucks-
ters and that there had been cases where
they had dropped Oead inside the mar
ket surrounded ny food. These people
were independent and self-suppOrtlng
before Weyler's order. They are not
beggars even now.
"Of the hospitals i need not speak.
Others have described their condition
far better than | can. 1t is not within
the narrow limits of my vocabulary TO
portray it. l went to Cuba with a
strong conviction that the picture HAD
been Overdrawn; that few cases of
starvation and suffering had inspired
and stimulated the press correspondents
and they had given free play to n strong,
natural and highly cultivated imaginA-
tion. Before starting, l received through
the mail leafet published by the Chris
tian Herald, with cuts of some OF the
sick and starving recOpcentradOs 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
photographed and shown. / could not
believe that out of n population of L
| 600 900. two hundred thousand had
died within these Spanish forts, prac
tically prison walls, within few months
past from actual starvation and dis
eases caused by insufficient and improper
food My inquiries were entirely outside
of sensational sources. They were made
of our medical officers. of our cOnsuls,
| of city alcaldes (mayOrs), of relief com"
mttees, of leading merchants and bank
ers. physicians and lawyers. Several Of
my inf0rmants were Spanish born, hut
every time the answer was that the case
had not been overstated.
General BIanco's order of November
| 18th last somewhat mOdities the Weylcr
order, but is of little or no practical
| benefit. Its application is limited to
farms properly defended and the own
els are obliged TO build centres of de-
| fense' Its execution is completely in
| the discretion of the local military au-
| th0rities, and they know the terrible
military efficiency of Weyler's order in
stripping the country of all possible
| shelter, food or source Of Information
for an insurgent, and will be slow TO
surrender this advantage. In fact,
| though the order was issued four months
| ago. / saw no bencfcent results from it
worth mentioning
Speaking of the Cuban the Senator
said:
There are, or were before the war,
| about 100000 Cubans on the island,
100000 Spaniards, (which means those
born in SPAIN, and less than half
million of negroes and mixed blood. The
percentage of cOlOred TO white has been
steadily diminishing for more than fifty
years, and is not now over % per cent
| of the total. In fact, the number OF
c0lored people has been actually dimin-
ishing for nearly that time.
One thing that was new to me was
TO learn the superiority of the well-to-dO
Cuban over the Spaniard in the matter
of education. Among those in good cir
| cumstances there can be no doubt that
spect.
1T is said that there are about sixty
thousand Spanish soldiers now in Cuba
fit for duty out of over 100000 that
have been sent there. The rest have
died, been sent home sick, are in the
hospitals and some have been killed,
Notwithstanding the official reports.
Having called on Governor and Cap
tain General BlancO and received his
courteous call in return, l could not with
prOpriety seek communication with in
surgents / had plenty of offers of safe
conduct TO GOmez's camp and was told
if | would write him, an answer would
be returned safely within ten days Mt
most | saw several who had visited the
insurgent camps, and was sought out
by an insurgent field officer who gave me
the best information received as to the
insurgent force. His statements were
moderate, and l was credibly informed
that he was entirely reliable. He claim
ed that the Cubans had about 10000
now in the field, some in every province
but mostly in the two western provinces
and eastern Santa Clara, and this state
ment was cOrrObOrated from other good
sources.
They have a force all the time IN
Havana province itself organized as four
small brigades, and operating in small
bands. Ruiz was taken, tried and shot
within about mile and a half of the
railroad and about fifteen miles out of
Havana on the road to Matanzas, road
more travelled than any other.
"Arranguren was killed about three
miles the other side of the road and
about the same distance, fifteen or TWEEN
ty miles from Havana. The insurgents
are well armed but very poorly suppli-
ed with ammunition. They are not al
lowed to carry many cartridges; some
times not more than one or two. The
infantry especially are poorly clad
Senator Proctor said the army and
Spanish citizens do not want autonomy
for that means government by the Cu-
han people. AS for the Cubans they say
that the offer of il comes too late. If
it succeeds it can only be by armed
force
II could not hut conclude" said the
Senator. "that you do not have 10 scratch
an autonomist very deep to find Gu