The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-04
soRRowFuL PIcTuREFRoM CUBA

town, 20 miles from Havana, waiting
for the steamer that Is to take me t.
Santiago, I find something's that have {
sad and painful interest. Cienfuego
had not part in the war; it was not at
tackled from the land nor bombardet
, from the sea. but suffered in another
way more cruel and fiendish. Ont
morning the captain of the port, Il
visit, called to take me for a drive
about the town. There was no greal
beauty in the landscape, as the spring
time had not fully come, nor could ne
point out the scene of any battle, sucf
as I shall find at Santiago; but looking
out over the open fields I spied some
thing near t. ground creeping along
like a serpent, and we got out to see
what this poison-ivy or deadly night
shade might be, when suddenly the
horrid truth burst upon me that this
was the barbed wire, that was strung
over hill and valley, that it might keep
within it the wretched concentrates!
Here the poor creatures were herded
than their Spanish masters, should put
an end to their suffering. How many
persisted l know not, but the cruelty at
least accomplished one result, to stir
up a feeling of horror not only in our
own country, but throughout the civil
lied world, that would not be content
till these modern savages should be ex-
PEELED from the western hemisphere.
But If the fathers were destroyed by
Wholesale, what became of the wives
and children? The government UNDER
took some relief by taking a large ware
house. where hundreds were hudded
together and kept from starvation by
rations such as are served out to SOL
diers. Now / hear that these may be
discontinued because in a few cases
some have asked for charity who are
not entitled to it. But it would seem
as if the eyes of our government Off
/ Gals should be sharp enough to dis
| tinguish between the worthy and the
| unworthy, so that the starving may
not be left to die because others are
not in the same extreme restitution. To
| me it was enough to walk through the
! large building; the pale faces and the
hungry eyes made an appeal that could
not be resisted.
But whatever criticism may be made
on this government bounty, there is a
charity to which no one can object, as
1t is for children only, who are more
helpless than the mothers Many of
these little ones have been deprived of
both parents and were left in deserted
homes with no mothers ear to hear
their cries for those who bore them.
Gould we have but creDt into those
wretched homes we might have found
them lying in backyards like so many
kittens or pet dogs left to die of hun
ger, and it might have been. to be
snatched away by the vuItures that are
always sailing aloft in that tropical air
That any of these little waits have
been saved is due to physician, Span
lsh by birth. but who has a passion for
relieving human suffering, and seizes a
dying child with a maternal tenderness
as IL 1t were his own, and with an
eagerness to save it before it is too
late. Taking a large room in an old
Spanish house, he has fitted it up with
small cots, where he laid the little
waits and found his daily joy in seeing
life come back again into the pale faces
and the emaciated frames have
looked upon many hard scene in NV
life, but | must confess that have sell
dom been so unnamed, as by the sight
of these poor little creatures who had
no father but the Father in heaven. NV
eyes were full of tears and | poked in
my pocket for every dollar that I had
with me; and if among the readers of
this letter, any man or woman would
count it a privilege to be brother or
uncle to these children of poverty, born
to sorrow and to pain, let him give as his
heart dictates and will gladly send IT
on it's errand of mercy.
1t is sharp change from sorrow to
crime; from the hospital to the prison;
but friend who seemed to know all the
byways of this old Spanish town took
me from one to the other. time of
civil war is one that let's loose all the
passions Of men. Nothing is sacred No
mans property is safe, nor is there much
more sanctity given to human life. In
the late war there were a good many
who, driven to the wall by the oppres-
sion and cruelty of their Spanish mas
tiers, took up arms and fought as brave
soldiers But there were others who
hiding behind the pretense of war, were
nothing less than robbers and murder
ers One day as I was taking luncheon
in the hall Of the Union hotel, my atten-
ton vase attracted by company of gay
jewellers who were making themselves
very merry at the next table, who were
apparently quite satisfied with them
selves and felt that they were objects of |
to all behoders. They did |
indeed attract all eyes, the reason for
which was revealed when an acquaint- |
ance whispered to me that the man who
made himself most conspicuous, who |
talked and laughed the loudest was no.
torious IS a shedder of blood, though he |
tried to hide his crimes under the right
full power Of war One day stalking
through the woods, he came upon a
''pacifico," or nom combatant who had |
refused to take up arms and was there
fore his rightful captive, whom he
marched into camp. But
his captain was not overpleased with
mis- new prize, for he had half dozen
already, and prisoners bothered him.
and as the easiest way of relief, he or
Tered the captor to take his man and the
'est into the woods and shoot them all!
No sooner said than done. A few cracks
If the rifle and the bodies were left to
he hlIZZardS that were soaring above |