The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1901-1901, 1901-04-30
Contrast Of Two Important Railroad Journeys
Under Protection Of this Administration.
STARVING SERFS FROM PORTO RICO
hhunan1y Treated by Agents Of McKnley--Save Herdng
Made Known to the World Through an Administration
Trick Being Exposed by the Hand Of God

them to the states and whirled them
across the continent in a special train
en- route to the sugar plantations of
Hawaii. Here is the story told in a
special dispatch to the Cincinnati En-
quirer from Los Angeles, Cal, under
date of April 13:
"As slaves only can be treated must
the wretched method of handling the
1000 Porto Ricans that were rushed
| through this city this morning be de.
| nominated. In their wake at Indo
and in Los Angeles death has follow
ed. Today, lying on slabs in local
undertaking establishments, are the
emaciated forms of two Porto Ricans
who starved to death on the Southern
Pacific train which arrived last night
on it's way to Port Los Angeles, from
whence these unfortunates were to be
shipped to the Hawaiian islands.
THE railroad company had intend
ed to rush the train load of wretched
natives through the city while the in
abitants were sleeping, put them on
board the steamer Zealandia, which
was waiting at Port Los Angeles, and
by the time the city would awaken
| they would be we'll out to sea and no
one would know that the constitution
of the United States had been violat-
ed.
"As though with the hand of God
the life lights of two of the unfortu-
nate natives were blown out as the
train was speeding through this city
at o'clock this morning, and the re-
porting of the deaths made the fact
of the slaveherding known to the
world.
About five days ago a train of
| twenty-five cars, ten of which were
reserved for the medical staff, bag
gage and kitchen, started from New
| Orleans.
I'm the remaining cars 800 almost
naked Porto Ricans were packed, with
less mercy than is shown train of
cattle. Mothers with their babes
in their arms and children tugging at
their skirts were thrown into the cars
like lot of baggage. Even the COM
mon dictates of decency were not OBJ
served.
Last night the train stopped on a
siding till midnight. The run to Port
Los Angeles was then undertaken.
Just as the train started through Los
Angeles, Manuel Ruize, 9 years old,
and Ramon Caballero, aged %, breath
ed their last. Their bodies were car
ried into the baggage car but no stop
was made until the ocean was reached.
THE 800 slaves were rushed aboard
the Zealandia. and at o'clock they
were at sea. The mother of Manuel
Ruize begged to be allowed to kiss her
dead child's face once more before she
left him forever, but the railroad men
and slave drivers knew no such mercy.
That dead child was worth so much
money; the mother also had her coin
value, and they could not afford to
lose both, if they lost one.
;. "As the vessel steamed to sea the
mother of the boy stood at the rail,
and. with tear stained eye, gazed back
to the shore where the body of her
boy lay in baggage car, to be buried
in place that will probably ever re.
? main unknown to her. After the
Zealandia was well to sea Coroner
:. Holland was notified that the two Por
to Ricans had died.
AT 10:30 o'clock the train carrying
} the two bodies rolled into the railroad
!, depot. DR.. ]. E. Jennings, of New
: York, who had accompanied the ma
tives from Porto Rico, presented Dep
: uty Cornoer Strubel with the death
certificates. Both showed that the
5 cause of death was 'pernicious an
Y aemia.' The medical dictionary de
: fines this disease as a lack of bloot
Y and decreased amount of red corpus
3 cles, want Of nourishment.'
: "Dr. Holland says that the two ma
: tives died Of starvation, but he can d.
nothing, as the death certificates hav,