aid was
promptly given, and the committee was supplied with provisions enough to
support the Cuban refugees in Tampa until the middle of June.

Upon her arrival at Key West Miss Barton found a similar, but even
worse, state of affairs, inasmuch as the number of destitute refugees
and reconcentrados there exceeded fifteen hundred. A local Cuban relief
society had established a soup-kitchen in which they were feeding about
three hundred, and Mr. G. W. Hyatt, chairman of the Key West Red Cross
Committee, was trying to take care of the rest; but both organizations
were nearly at the end of their resources, and the local committee had
nothing left in the shape of food-stuffs except corn-meal. Miss Barton
at once telegraphed the Central Red Cross Committee in New York to
forward thirty tons of assorted stores by first steamer, and pending the
arrival of these stores she fed the Key West refugees from the _State of
Texas_ and from such local sources of food-supply as were available.

But Cuban refugees and reconcentrados were not the only hungry and
destitute victims of the war to be found in Key West. On May 9 Miss
Barton received the following letter from the United States marshal for
the southern district of Florida:

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, OFFICE OF U. S. MARSHAL,
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA,
KEY WEST, FLORIDA, May 9, 1898.

_Miss Clara Barton, President American National Red Cross._

DEAR MISS BARTON: On board the captured vessels we find quite a
number of aliens among the crews, mostly Cubans, and some American
citizens, and their detention here and inability to get away for
want of funds has exhausted their supply of food, and some of them
will soon be entirely out. As there is no appropriation available
from which food could be purchased, would you kindly provide for
them until I can get definite instructions from the department at
Washington?

Very respectfully yours,
[Signed] JOHN F. HORR,
U. S. Marshal.

Appended to the above letter was a list of fifteen Spanish vessels whose
crews were believed by the marshal to be in need of food.

In less than three hours after the receipt of this communication two
large ships' boats, loaded with provisions for the sailors on the
Spanish prizes, left the _State o