The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-11-21
THRILLING STORY OF
Of STARVING Tines
Seyenth-Day Adventist Missionary
Tells of Peoples Struggle For
Life In Mexico.
MANY DIED FROM HUNGER
Long Rrcad Line- On Every Hand.
Waiting Sufferers Fall In Their
Tracks--Devsstated Country Needs
Largo sum For Reconstruction.

81 president OF the Virginia Conference
OF Seventh Day Adyept;sts, has sent
an unusually interesting story from
y Iona Linda, Cal, where he is at
n tending the joint convention OF the
u General Conference and North Amer
lean Division Coufersnce Committees
Of Advenusts. on the horrible condi-
tions that now exist IN Mexico Tho
n story IS ir the form Of ar interview
= with Professor C. ". Cayiness, who
for many years has been supertntru-
dent OF the mission work now pefuE
conducted BY the Seventh ~Daf Ad-
vsntists in Mexico. aud IS as foilo8s
Seeing women and children IN the
throes OF starvation, only 10 die A
few hours afterwards. and unable 70
help them because OF the scarcity Of
foodstuns, Professor G. X Caviness,
who has been : missionary 70 Mex
1co FOR many years gave some start
Ing staten ents n The Iona Linda
ssuitariaYn concerning conditions now
existing tn tnat country, Professor
Cavinees has come 10 Iona Linda to
attend the convention Of the General
and North American Division Confer
Arces # SeVeutn-Dav Adventlsts and
said TIE conditions IN Mexico, when
re Jeff 10 come to the convention,
were worse than frightful.
Dealt Out Soup Daily.
Tie said that for several months
past his mission in Tacubaya, q
suburb OF Mexico City, dealt 2.ooe
quarts Of soup daily 20 the people.
Some Of those waiting in line AT diff
4erent places fer help, were 80 weak
On account nf q lack OF food that they
teil in their tracks Several re-
liable people in Mexico City agreed
that nearly 100 persons were dying
daily from starvation IN that city
alone / visited a blacksmith with
eigh. children. one OF whom, boy
furnished him food, died in spite OF
this relief because of the long time
ne has gone without food previous to
this help.
TT was distressing 10 see q wor7a r
almost dAad fren starvation with a
dying child in hef arms The people
would become so faint that they could
make no effort TO search for 1000. SO
number would remain in their
rooms, resigned TO their ultimate fate.
where they were found dead. Large
crowds would form In lire at certain
places. where they had been told
they could get food, only TO be turned
away without receiving any relief,
after standing In line for hours al a
tiYns.
Some would search out dead ami
30 anxious to get relief. would visit
the sbbatoirs. where they would be
supplied with blood from animals
that had been slaughtered. On nor
ma, occasions this blood would be run
off with the other waste.
Professor Caviness said that not
only In Mexico City were the people
starving. but In many other parts
Of the country a. we'll. especially ir
the cities. Prices are still SO pro-
hibitive on foodetuffs that they are
beyond the purchase OF the poor peo-
! pie.
CANE 1--we On Earnings.
The two principal commodities
corn and beans, cannot be bought by
tho Ordinary working people because
OF tho high price. working man
he said, Is paid from a dollar TO twf
dollars a day IN Mexican money anc
therefore, finds 1t impossible to bu,
a euf7icient amount to sustain his
family measure of corn holding
two quarts was sold at 81 and 50
A measure OF beans holding two and
a half pounds was sold at the same
price Rice brought more than a
dollar a pound The pair Of shoes
am now wearing. II l bought In
Mexico q short time ago, would have
cost 92be, he said. When corn IL
shipped TO the capital, the COM
rnander Of the army levtea a tax on IT.
and 30 does the governor OF the STATE
from which II comes, and before II
finally reaches It's destination several
others have placed n fee on IT. thus
making It an almost impossible price
ny the time II reaches the consumer
professor Cavtness declares that
there will be need for great amount
of foreign capital to reconstruct Mex
leo and pay the damages done by
the revolution. He said the railroads
are IN poor shape. and when he lef'
there only two trains . week were
runntng between Mexico City and
yra Cruz One man wanted to 60
north and after purchasing his ticket
had to wait In the train a whole week
before /, left the station, thus show-
ing that there was very little com nu.
n!cation with the country north oil
Mexico city. The schedule between
Mexico City and Vera Cruz was very
Irregular. the train he took takinE
eighteen hours to make the trip, while
the one just before II took thirty
hours.
.He said that the peope became SO
de~re-ate TO- charcoal with which vc
build fires for cooking purposes. that
they removed the ties from a rail-
road leading out OF Mexico city Tor
n number OF miles beyond. He de-
clared that the general comma nding
III earrny issued a decree taht any one
caught taking any more ties would
be shot, but the professor smtlingiy
SAID that there were no more ties 10
take.
He also spoke of the small value az
/ the money now in circulation there
During the year the exchange on
American money varied from six to AZ
high as twenty-five dollars for one.
The financial problem II the big
ge.t one that the Carranza govern
snent must face, he said Millions
~ cardboard strips and other paper
designating the different values in
money have been circulated through
out the country, and considerable Of
! II has already been declared worth
less on the claim that II was counter
felt Not long ago II was announced
through the newspapers that there
were sixteen kinds OF counterfeit
money in circulation. ard some bust
ness houses. upon examination Of
their funds on hand. found according
20 the published descriptions Of the
good money that all Of theirs WAS
salse A panic ensued. with the result
that business was pra ctically paralyzed
for 4 few days.
Professor caviness was accompa
oi~A ~, th~ vasfre.a.s t,efu@gu Meyieo