The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-02-02

NXS2K0R20a
"A correspondent Of the New FORK Tribune
writing from Walkers camp in Nicaragua
gives the following thrilling account Of the sick
ness and suffering there:
viii now give You an account of the condition
and treatment Of the sick and wounded IN Nicara.
qua. In company with friend visited, while 9,
Vireio Bay, the hospitals In that town. We firs
visited the Transit Company's building, situated
Immediately upon the ahore of Lake Nicaragua =
The lower part OF the building. which was former
Z oevoseo % passengers, baggage, was filed with
the door, and - We passed through this wretched
crowd, lying unattended and apparently uncared-
for, we were strongly appealed to for water
They begged us to tell the sergeant to bring them
water. P:ssine up the main stairway to the up
per part OF the building, entered the back room
formerly ocenpied by the agent, Judge Cortland
Gushing, who . few months ago fell q victim ia
the fever. Three young looking men, officers OF
walkers army, were lying on the floor without
blankets or pillows, sick with choera and fever
One OF them recognized as Capt Walters, of
New York city, who said 30 me: 81 am most dead:
L have eaten nothing for six days; know Ican't
live. but II you should ever reach New York, see
my brother rin-lsw, Alderman Purser, and tel. him
70 warn the young men Of New York not to come
10 THIS country, for two months since came down
with one hundred young men, and then are al
sead" My friend and attended to his wants as
lar as our limited means would allow, but next
morning We harmed that he was no more.
Anotnert corner OF the apartment lay Capt
S,Ammies, OF 9ne rifles, survivor Of the expedi>
ton to Costa Rica under Col ScaIessiueer last
Msrcn, only four of whom were now left. We
found him in the same condition, suffering from
starvation and fever. The natives of St. George
9s0 au osen prevented ey the pickets Of the enemy
from bringing food to him at the town Of Virgin
ana the females were subjected to IS lashes on the
bare back on their return when detectad In 10 rrn
Ing food to Walkers soldiers.
Entering one of the adjoining rooms formerlv
occupied by the clerks of the old Transit Comm.
ny, we saw lying on high bed one Of Wslksr's
soldiers, almost In q nude state, with an ampu,a.
TED leg From neglect and want of material tn
make pcnltce, modification had ensued and
the poor fellow was constantly crying for water
MspIoIiseu MIN an the assistance in our power,
and left him knowing that his troubles wouid soon
end In another room we found young man whe
had been wounded by musket ball throueb his
side. He was sitting upon the bare floor with his
back propped against the wall He was in the
same neglected state, without blanket or any.
thing but the bare tioor to rest upon. We visited
several other rooms, and found men in the same
wreched condition, surrounded with filth. Alive
with maggots, the stencil OF which was intohrs.
bis.
Passing into the front tice, we found Eve or six
young men stretched upon the bare floor. One of
them had received a ball through the cheek. and
in answer to oar inquiries, he stated that he had
got nothing TO eat for three days except a banana
a native woman gave him; that he could not eat
beef, rs the muscles Of hia face were badly torn.
He said bis face needed dressing, and on eIamina.
tion we found the wound highly infamed; it had
not been dressed for several days, no material for
poultce being obtainable. With q promise of a.
sistance we left the poor fellows in their misery.
We next passed across the street to what was
formerly the California Hotel. In the front room,
formerly the bar.room, we found the floor strewn
with the sick and wounded and in corner we OBJ.
served mat apparently covering q BODY. Upon
inquring of . soldier who stood near the entrance
what was under it, he answered sick man
Gently raising it. we found tha. the sick man had
been dead several hours. Upon the counter cf the
covered as usual with fifth, who said he could NOT
lie on such hard place, his back was 80 sore -
On carefully raising him, we discovered that his
entire back WAS raw with sores, upon which the
masgots wers feeding. Death soon put an end to
his sufferings.
In the upper part of the building were some 50
or TO young men in thu same neglected condition
rs have before described. Immediately opposite
were the quarters of Company a, of the Infantry
At the parade on the day previous it had mustered
hve men, all that remained OF the original sixty
that composed it. Upon the floor of this building,
the east side of which was open to the lake breeze
we found five or six young men, the heads of two
or three of whom were propped up by sticks of
wood to catch the breeze; not q blanket among
the whole; they were all in the last stages of cho-
uks ~
company's wagons, we found the sergeant in nearly
= dying condition, who stated that he had been
taken sick four dsys before, and that he could get
no one to bring him cup of water We carefully
removed him into the building where death put an
end to his sHffarings
We then visited the adjoining building, which
was devoted to the Commissary's Departm ent, un.
der Major Baker There we found MIR. Curry,
formerly Of Walkers army, who had by bis inde-
fatigable exertens in spite of the enemy, visited
$h~ snHh hArfn nnh<
prostrated by fever. He stated to US that but for
him the whole population of the town would have
been in q starving condition but now when sick
not one OF his comrades would bring him cup OF
water, and he had lain TWO days without food We
administered to his necessities, and q day or two
afterw learned that he was convalescent.
The next building we visited was occupied by .
company of infantry, under command of Lieutenant
Griffin, who though suffering from lever as still
on duty and the officer of the Gay, being compell-
ed. in consequences ofthe desperate state of affairs
to remain Al his post. This building was formerly
occupied as store by Mr.. Wood, OF Grey .own -
In the upper part we found two young men, ths
last Of seven recruits that came down two weeks
before from California, one French soldier from
Algiers, and the other one of Jack Hays Texas
Rangers, both suffering from fever, having been
exposed on the Isthmus under Gen Hornsby's
command. in his attack on the barricades. II was
mainly owing to fading way to the barracks in
the rear of the enemy that Hornsby made bis bril-
liant hank movement, and drove the Costa Ricsps
before him. In few hours only one of tn hese young
men, the French soldier, was left
We next passed over to the building formerly
called the United States Hotel, which was now the
general apothecary department of the army. We
found IN the front room two assistants dealing out
medicine. In front OF the counter lay two dead
men, and on our asking why they were not buried
(their bodies having been there several hours)were
told that Il was owing TO the neglect of the officer
In chargeof that department. The benches and
pavement were fiied with the sick. Said . youpr
man. whose hand had been shattered by musket
ball, - he removed the baudase, What shall do
with thn r. On examination. We found the wound
alive with maggota and myrisds of flies were hov.
ering over It. There was nothing, ~ usual, with
which tomake ponltice. Another stepped up to
us and exhibited his forearm, which had been
wounded By Minnie ball passing through t. On
removing the covering. we found that mortIfica.
ton had set in. Death soon relieved both these
poor fellows from their suffering.
The bsek room formerly the dini nssoon) Va,
strewn with The SICK and dying some Of whom were
almost In nude state, deiirioas with fsver or in
collapsed state Of sholers. In the corner lay tarse
dssd men. whose bodies, We were told thsy could
not get buried Neax the back door lay an Inn wo-
man upon the bare pavement with buadle Of RAGS
undsr her head, surrounded BY three children from
two 10 eight years of age smi2yants to Nicaragua
Two of the enildrsn were nsksd their clothes prob
ably having been reroved By the mother while able,
ing Eom sholsrs We sndssyored to rouse the mo-
thsr bat found her deirioas and inssusible. u On
opposite sornsr lay m American woman With two
children, the mother suffering from fever and the
children from choisra. In Nh hoafs thereafter, with
the exception Of seA OF tbs lEish woman, nsthsrs