The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-05-18
THE FAMINE
IN INDIA.
Description of Awful COndi.
tiOn In That Country.
MANY PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING
While In Some Localities Rulers Prevent
Facts From Reaching the Outside
world-An Appeal
For Aid.

faCts from heacning the Outsiue
world-An Appeal
For Aid.
The following letter descriptive Of
scenes and conditions in famine strick-
en- India, has been addressed to friends
of Indian missions in this city. 1t is
dated at American Mission, Sialkot,
North India, April /, 1900, and in an au-
thentic account, based on personal OBJ
servations, of the actual effects of one
Of the most frightful calamities Of the
| worlds history. 1t shows what is hap
pening to Englands subjects while
England Is snuffing out the indepen-
dence Of the Beers.
Dear Friends: / have just returned
from trip to some Of the famine
stricken districts, and 1 feel that the
information I have gathered must not
remain long with me- You will have
heard that the rains failed in so many
parts Of India last year, consequently
little or no harvest was reaped in the
autumn, and suffering at once began,
for in this land millions Of these peo-
pie live from hand to mouth, so that
when the crops fail they have nothing
to fall back upon. Hope was entertain
ed that there might be abundant winter
rain. but in most places affected by
famine they failed completely, and we
are now facing one Of the most wide
spread famines ever experienced in
India. In fact, doubt II in the history
of the world, except 1t be the famine in
the days Of Joseph in Egypt can we
find anything to equal it.
THE facts that I shall try to place
before you will be Of the things I saw
myself or learned directly from eye
witnesses, whose testimony can be re-
lied upon, but no pen, however ready,
can possibly picture to you the awful
condition and suffering Of these starv-
ing millions. -
Miss Mccullough, who was anxious
to see something Of the famine before
leaving India, and I left our mission
field on tn 10th of March, and the next
afternoon was with the missionaries of
the American Methodist Episcopal mis-
sion at Aligarh, not many miles from
Agra.
Leaving on Monday afternoon we
crossed Rajputana. At Jujpure, a ma
tive state, we saw hundreds Of native
people lying by a stream Of water out
side the city limits-the raja, or king,
does not allow any to come into the city
to beg-and we passed on over hundreds
Of miles of dry, parched land, very lit
tie greenness to be seen except at the
railway stations, where an attempt is
made to have a few plants. BY 8 o'clock
the next day we had reached Ajmere
and were brought face to face with
famine. Miss Marks Of the Methodist
Episcopal mission showed us through
the rescue home-a long, low building,
where all women and children who come
or are found by the workers are taken
in, fed and clothed, and when strong
enough to travel, passed on to homes in
other places. Miss Marks pointed out
little child that had lain sick and
naked by the roadside for eight days
without morsel of food. She looked
more like an animal than like a human
being A few days, before that a little
boy nearly four years old was found
sitting by the railroad, was taken up
and cared for. Another just reached
the veranda as he breathed his last, and
a few minutes afterward two other
boys who had come to the mission ut
tered most heartrending wall and ex-
claimed Have we found you only to
look into your dead face?" The father
and mother, 1t seems, had succumbed
to hunger and the three brothers had
trid to keep together, but in the quest
for food they had got separated.
FAMINE BEING CONCEALED.
Ajmere is the principal city Of Raj
putana, in all Of which are sixteen
states, with population Of 10000, 900.
This is one Of the most stricken places.
/ had an interview with missionary
who had just returned from a fort
nights visit in one Of the states about
100 miles from Ajmere, point was
anxious to visit, but was told 1t would
be no use for me to go; said the raja
would treat me kindly; Iwould be oblig-
ed to be his guest; but would get to see
nothing of the famine, as it was being
concealed.
This missionary had a friend there,
so was independent. He started for a
walk and soon met boy trying to drag
the body of a man, which had been
partly eaten by dogs-a little further
on dog was carrying Off the body Of a
bodies were lying every
where over the country-skulls with
rows Of grining teeth a very common
sight; people ever dropping dead by the
wayside. He took a walk through the
city, but nothing was to be seen there.
A guard was stationed to keep the peo-
pie out, as no one was allowed to beg.
Thousands out on the plains, and these
three words heard everywhere, dying
of hunger!" There was pretense Of a
poor house, but only about 200 could be
received, and none Of them ever came
out alive, because they were not taken
In until they were in dying condition.
Forty or fifty died daily, then as many
more would be taken. The feeding of
the multitude was done in an old tenn
pie and the people quarreled over the
food like wild beasts. The missionary
watched for two hours-2,000 people
were inside the enclosure and hundreds
outside waiting to get in. Coarse mush
was piled up around a tree, upon the
branches Of which hundreds Of pigeons