The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-02
Cannibalism Results From Suf.
fering of Quake Victims.
Starving Under Ruins Eat Their
Own Flesh and Others.
RESORT TO SUICIDE.
Many Desperate Survivors Take
Their Own Lives.
Number of Dead at Messina
Alone Placed at $4,000.


Messina. Jan. 2.-The town now is
| thoroughly occupied by troops. Each
quarter has it's body of them divided
| so that no point in the town is without
| protection. A Gordon of soldiers also
surrounds the entire town which is al
most deserted. Only soldiers and sailors
| are to be seen there. The sufferings of
persons still buried in the ruins of
| fallen buildings here who are slowly
dying from hunger is awful to contem-
plate, nude bodies have been found
which bear mute testimony Of their
sufferings. Several of these persons
have died gnawing at their arms and
hands, evidently delirious from pain
and hunger Other bodies brought from
the ruins had portions of shawIs and
particles of clothing in their mouths
and one woman had her teeth firmly
fixed in the leg of a dead baby
The archbishop of Messina has been
found still living in the ruins of his
palace.
Plans for Relief Work.
Rome. Jan. 2.-Financial- contribu-
| tions for the relief of the sufferers have
come in so generously from the United
States that Ambassador Griscom. who
has been notified of these donations. is
today taking a prominent part in the
relief work being organized in Rome.
L
to give his opinion regarding the best
He said:
THE work of relief isi difficult owing
to geographical conditions. There is
only one railway line running from
Naples to southern Italy. This is neces-.
sarily choked by the troops in the gov
ernment service and the handling of
state relief supplies Consequently
most of the outside relief must be sent
to the stricken area by sea. This Is
why the king, telegraphing from the
scene of the disaster to Premier Gio-
| lotti, said that ships were needed more
| than anything else. A practical means
of getting in the relief offered by the
I United States would be to charter one
Or more steamships in Genoa or Mar
seilles. place aboard them doctors and
| trained nurses and dispatch them at
once for the Strait Of Messina. Here
| the workers would put themselves at
the disposition Of the authorities. . 3, 8
'The poverty of the country where
| the disaster occurred makes ii impera-
tive to remove the survivors at once to
| such distant points as Naples, Leghorn.
Genoa or ports even further up the
coast, and L am safe in saying that
there is not at present any, limit to the
amount of sea. transportation needed
"a committee could be formed OF
Americans in Rome, which could CO.
operate with central. national com
mittee in New York for the prompt
expedition of the relief the people of
the United States are so anxious to
give. This need not in any way inter
fere with the contributions of Ameri-
cans to the relief, committee appointed
by King Victor Emmanuel
Immediate action, however, Is i'm
perative, and II such a suggestion as
this is to be of value it should be put
rangements could be completed by
cable in a few hours. The steamers
thus dispatched from Genoa, Mar
seilles, etc, could be loaded with food
c11Y Of al Ixindq q pva1I a fanfn
blankets, clothing and surgical and
medical supplies. All these things are
greatly needed in the afflicted region.
and the amount that could be sent in
is limited only by the means placed at
the disposal of the committee"
Exact statistics of the dead and the
tain. because all the dead bodies
buried under the ruins have not yet.
been excavated. It is equally impos-
sible to make any accurate account OF
tered from one end of the country to.
the other. The only figures that can
be reached is by calculating the total
populations before the disaster and
subtractin therefrom the numbers
that are supposed to have survived.
The result is of course approximate.
that about $4,000 people have left
Messina and the Messina commune.
AS the total population of the city and
commune was about $4,000 and as
the district, the dead probably number
to $1,000. The victims are increasing
daily. not only through the dying OF
the injured, but also by the many
suicides committed by desperate sur
vivors.
Wounded Eaten by Dogs and Hogs.
Paris, Jan. 2.-The Figaro today
publishes the following dispatch from
Rome:
GAS each day goes by the disaster
appears more horrible, terrifying and
immense It is without precedent in
the history of the world. In my ear
lier dispatches I spoke of over 1907
600 dead. This number doubtless will
lively estimated that 200, 900 persons
perished mfserably in this staggering
catastrophe and the worst is not yet
known. The scourge has not yet done
it's final work
''The tren1blings of the earth con-
tinue with sinister rumblings and at
times jets of boiling water surge from
the crevasses TIE sources of the
ter. In spite of herculean efforts the
succor still is insufficient. In the re-
gions the unhappy injured are dying
for want of food and medical treat
hunger, spring upon the wounded and
aevour- ITEM Unsuitable fire and un-
controlled famine will inexorably
claim their victims.
Queen Helena Is Hurt.
Rome. Jan. Queen Helena has
been slightly injured at Messina. A
dispatch received hero today from
Minister of Justic Orlando who is with
their majesties at Messina says that
slight shock was experienced at Mes
sina yesterday and the patients in one
Of the improvised hospitals were
CcoDtinued on Page six)