The Winslow mail., 1899-04-08
STARVING IN CUBA.
Awful Suffering in the Inland Parts
of the Island.
Over 100000 Persons Are in the Last
Stages of DestifEtiOn and Despair
Through Spanish
Cruelty.

Tt IS difficult to describe the awful
condition Of misery and starvation Of
the people in the interior of Cuba. They
lie by scores every day either from hun
--er OF from the effects of long-endured
orivations. Those who remain, espe-
.lallv in Matanzas and Santa Clara
,royinces, are so weak, as the result Of
svers and need, that they are entirely
unable 10 work. 1t is to be borne in
mind that the poor country people now
remaining in Cuba are only the rem
pant Of the reconcentrados, murdered
by thousands by Gen. Weyler. After
over 100000 of them were killed by
fanane OF by the dreadful machete of
the Spanish guerrillero, the SURVIVOR.
. penned up in the cities and towns. were
released by Gen. Blanco. They had suf-
! fered over two years from insufficient
nourishment 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 vege-
tables. They soon gathered again
arc Il the cities, towns and railroad
stations to implore public charity.
. They are now the very images of sor-
row and death.
It is wonderful that they still live.
I When the Inter Ocean correspondent
went to Matanzas and saw at the sta
tions hundreds of these starving, dying
people, the majority Of whom are I'M
able to stand, the horrors of the Cubon
war were before his eyes in all their
ghastIy 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
had seen the dire sutferings Of people
thrown into Spanish dungeons. But 70
misery or pain is equal, no crime com
nitted by man can be superior, to the
pangs of starvation and it's ravages over
a country. Cne poor girl, about Il
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
less terrible Il had six children and
my husband"
"When did you begin to suffer such
hardships?"
"It was in April, 1885," 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,-
coo 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
borers for the sugar and tobacco plan
tations, is also starving on the western
end Of the island. The soldiers do NOT
disband, because while keeping their
organization they receive some relief
from the committees of sympathizels
organized to help them in the principal
cities But with the exception of the
negroes, who are few Oh this side OF the
island and whose greater bodily
strength enables them to resist priva-
tions more successfully than the whites
can do, the Cuban soldiers, on account
of famine, viii be very poor laborers.
In Pinar del Rio many of them are
actually perishing of hunger. Here is,
therefore 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 Go here is to raise
crops. But where are the laborers?
The press censorship continues as
strict as ever. By order of Gen. Blanco
The censor docs not allow to pass by Gi-
rect cable single word about the star
vation of the poor nor anything i'll
praise of the American people CT gov
ernmcnt The Spanish officials bciie7e
that the red pencil of the press censor
has not only power to stop the publica-
ton Of truth, but to destroy the facts
themselves. The red pencil passes over
the pages of the correspondent and
then the Spaniard feels that Cuba is the
most happy land on earth, where every
one has plenty, while the Americans arc
only a cruel nation of conquerors.-
j Chicago Inter Ocean.
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