The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1899-01-05
STARVING IN CUBA.
Awful Suffering in the Inland Parts
Of the Island.
Over 1OO,OOO Persons Are In the Last
Stages of Destitution md Despair
Through spanish
Cruelty.

1t is difficult to describe the awful
| the people in the interior of Cuba. They
die by scores every day either from hun
| ger or from the effects of long-endurcG
priya.ions. Those who remain, espe
cally in Matanzas and Santa Clara
| provinces. are so weak, as the result Of
| !evers and need, that they are entirely
unable TO work IL is to be borne in
| mind that the poor country people now
remaining in Cuba are only the rem.
nant of the reconcentrados, murdered
by thousands by Gen. Weyler. After
over 100000 of them were killed by
fanAne or by the dreadful machete Of
| the Spanish guerrillero, the survivor.
penned up in the critics and towns. were
| released by Gen. Blanco. They had suf-
| fered over two years from insufficient
| nourishmcnt and all the sickness which
accompanies privation and squaIor.
They returned to their devastated lands
without means for tilling the ground
and they fed on roots and wild veg.-
| tables. They soon gathered again
arould the cities, towns and railroad
| stations to implore public charity
They are now the very images of sor-
row and death.
1t is wonderful that they still live.
When the Inter Ocean correspondent
went to Matanzas and saw at the 81 4
tons hundreds of these starving. dying
people. the majority of whom are ui,-
able to stand. the horrors of the Cuban
war were before his eyes in all their
CHASTITY truth. He had seen Santiago
sacked by Spanish soldiers. He knew
of the many instances of robbery and
murder which during the three years
of struggle between Cubans and Span
iards shocked the civilized world. He
lad seen the dire sufferings of people
thrown into Spanish dungeons. But 20
| misery on pain is equal, no crime com
uittcd 10y man can be superior, TO the
paugs of starvation and its ravacCs over
country. One poor girl, about II
years old. was literally skin and bones
Her eyes almost hung from their
sockets She was living skeleton
"she is the only one left to me- said
the mother, whose appearance was no
my husband
when did you begin to suffer such
| hardships?"
at was in April, 1896" she replied.
that my house was burned and and
my family reconcentrada."
How they could live until now was
the unanswerable question suggested
by these last words.
In the same condition are over 100,
600 people who in normal times form
the working country population. What
is worse still is that the Cuban army,
which could have afforded many la
borcrs for the sugar and tobacco plan
tations, is also starving on the western
end of the island. The soldiers do no.
disband, because while keeping their
organization they receive some relief
from the committees of sympathizerS
organized to help them in the principal
cities. But with the exception of the
negroes. who are few on this side of the
island and whose greater bodily
strength enables them TO resist priva-
tons more successfully than the whites
can do. the Cuban soldiers. on accoun:
of famine. will be very poor laborers.
In Pinar del Rio many of them are
actually perishing Of hunger. Here is,
therefore a grave problem that will con
front the Americans during their mil
itary occupation of Cuba when they
start upon the work of reconstruction.
The first thing to do here is to raise
crops. But where are the laborers?