The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-03-10
CONDITIONS IN HAVANA
Described at Length by
General Ludlow.
His APPEAL FOR HELP

| For the Cuban Charfles-The Pitiable
Condition of Many Of the Citizens.
Ladies OF the United states Asked 70
Render Assistance TO the Inmates OF
the Widows Home - RatiOns still
Issued-Arduous Duties of the Amerf-
| can Oficials
New York, March S.-Brigadier Cen
| eral William Ludlow, Governor of
| Havana, has written lengthy letter to
| the Evening Post, describing minutely
| the conditions in the Cuban Capital,
| and appealing for assistance for Cuban
| charities. General Ludlow refers to
| the local administration of Havana as
serious and laborious task" Touch
ing especially upon the matter of keep
| ing Havana clean, General Ludlow
| writes that cleaning and sanitation are
| carried on under every difficulty of a
century old accumulation of evils, de-
| uncertainty as to funds, which for the
| present are derived from weekly and
monthly acquisitions on the variable
custom house collections, thus multi
plying the uncertainties and vexations
of the task"
The destitute he says, are found in
;v no
other provinces.
I'm this department" writes the gov
ernor, which includes the city of
Havana and it's suburban region west,
south and east between the rivers AL
mendares and Colimar-the destitute
drawing rations approximate 10000
who must for the present be fed Or
permitted to starve. Employment of
the able bodied men on street cleaning,
collection of garbage, repairs to
streets and road cleaning, disinfection
of large buildings and military struc-
tuces and the like work, have cnnsti-
tuted an immense assistance in this
respect by enabling the 1000 or 5000
| employees to feed themselves and those
| Immediately dependent upon them, but
there is still very large residuum
for whom at present, occupation can
not be furnished. 1t is one of the dis
tressing features that general pro-
portion of the destitute are women and
children, whose men have died or been
killed in the waste Of war, while 10000
or 10000 are aggregated as an army
practically idle and dependent upon the
country for their maintenance instead
of of hoir
and supporting their families. 1t is
almost impossible, in the average case
of the women, to find anything for
them to do, and this helpless class
make special appeal to sympathy"
The charitable institutions of Hava-
ma, General Ludlow declares to be quite
inadequate to meet the emergency. He
cites as an instance, the ''casa de las
vidas" (home of the widows) struc-
ture in the capital occupied by the
widows of Spanish officers. Of this
institution General Ludlow says: "On
assuming direction of affairs it was
found that the pensions of these women
had not been paid for over year and
that they had been left behind when
the Spanish forces abandoned the
island, absolutely without the means
of obtaining food. There are at pres
ent in the home total of over 200 Of
all ages-70 women, 80 girls, and SO
boys-who are almost all entirely des-
titute, and, from a prolonged course Of
semi-starvation and the absence of
medical or other supplies, are deplora-
bly, reduced and have much sickness
among them. 1t can be imagined how
l. of ,snf q
suffering, and almost silent class ap-
peals to the sympathies. Many of
them are we'll born accomplished and
educated, totally unable to do anything
for themselves, and with the ignorance
of children as to means of support.
They profess themselves, and in many
cases doubtless with sincerity, willing
to do work, even the toughest; but,
without any qualifications; they would
be practically useless to an employee.
They could teach, perhaps, but the
schools are not open to them. They
are alien to the community in which
they are compelled to- live, with COM
paratively few friends, and those few
unable to aid them"
To meet the needs of these women
General Ludlow suggests that an as
sociation of women in the United States
might take account of the matter and
perfect arrangements by which the in
stitutions should be otherwise main
tanned than as a temporary military
exigency."
The governor concludes by saying
that Mrs Ludlow, who has taken a
strong interest in the matter, would be
very glad to receive any communica-
tions on the subject or such contribu-
tons of food, clothing or money as
might be forwarded.
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