The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-07
FAMINE STRICKEN india
DR.. Louis Klopsch Describes Con-
ditiOns in the Empire.
Editor of the "Christian Herald"
TELLS of the British Governments
Efforts to Relieve the Distress
Shocking Sights in the HOspit-
aIs-I.uw Caste Natives Neglected.

NEW YORK, July 6.-Dr. Louis Klopsch,
proprietor of the Christian Herald who
has been In India experimenting the dis
tribution of the supplies and food pur-
chased for the relief Of the people in the
famine districts with the money of the
Christian Herald" relief fund. arrived in
this city last night on the Hamburg Amer
lean steamship Pennsylvania. In speaking
of some of his visits to India he was par
ticularly impressed with the efforts OF the
Government to relieve distress and how
these efforts were often futile.
Poorhouses, hospitals, and relief camps
under native management were frequently
found In state OF criminal neglect, but
as soon as cases OF this kind were re-
ported to the Government efforts were
made at once to relieve the conditions.
Dr. Klopsch described one of these hos
pitfalls at Dohad. He said:
''At Dohad the state OF affairs was GER
tainly the worst l have ever experienced
in my life. The scenes in the poorhouse
we're distressing. One woman had gone
stark mad and sat there vacantly staring
at the scene about her. Out of S3i pa
tients admitted in two weeks all but thirty
died Sick people lay on the cots and food
brought to them was actually dumped be-
side them.
1.-The air was microbe-laden. Clothing
was impregnated with the smells in the
place, and il was two days before l could
get the odor out of my nostrils. outside
in the sun. lying on the ground. was
nude woman in the last throes of cholera.
Next to her was another woman, groan-
ing and writhing in agony, while native
attendants looked stoically on without
making the least effort to assist these peo-
ple. / had the women carried in and
placed under shelter.
1.-THE explanation OF the apparent care
lessness of the attendant was that the FOR
things were low-caste women, the infer
ence being that they were not worth caring
for. They were treated as If the officials
had a grudge against them, because they
did not die fast enough. The manner in
which these poor people were regarded by
the native attendants was indicated by one
instance Regarding man who was in the
,.uaia throes. asked how long 1t would be
before he died. oh, said the attendant,
he should be dead in ten minutes, but he
may live half day..
ITO make matters worse, there was 4
plague OF flies Nobody made any attempt
to drive these pests away.
II visited relief camp at VaIsar near
Khaira, where there were I,0G0 people en-
gagged. Everything there was well ordered.
the only Drawback being that there was no
shelter for day or night. The country
around was depopulated. and the trees were
Topped of their branches for fuel. The re-
lief camp at Viramguam also found to be
in good condition. l visited this place on
a Sunday, and the people gathering around
the carriage, l took the opportunity OF ad-
dressing them through the medium OF an
interpreter. l told them that they ought
to be thankful for what the Government
was doing for them.
81 mentioned that American sympathy