Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-10-18
What new England woman Did.

rom AhN NNch IVlh independent.
WASHINGTON, Oct. l0.-An interesting case
has come to my knowledge within a day or
two, where New England woman, alone and
friendless, achieved great reform in one of
our hospitals. The surgeon having charge of
this particular hospital was Il brute, treating
the men in his charge, visitors, and indeed the
surgeons beneath him, with contemptuous
cruelty. Having political influence, it was
not an easy matter to remove him, though
there were hundred acts of his, any one of
, which would or should be considered suffi cient
cause for his instant dismissal from the SER
vice. Bat every one beneath him was afraid
to take the first step, for fear the brutal man
would turn upon the person. beginning the
complaint and with his superior posi-
ton and influence crush the complain
ant One day New England woman
came to the hospital to see her sick
son. She soon met the chief surgeon, and
was treated with coarse violence. If he could
have his way, he said, he would not permit
woman to come near the hospital. 1t was in
vain that she urged that she had not seen her
boy for long months, and that he was now very
i'll, and perhaps dying The monster CON
tinued to revile her, but dared not refuse her
admittance to see her son. She soon found
the surgeon in immediate attendance upon
ACl bpJs anu lplu MN VI illt treatment Sle
had received from the chief surgeon. He re-
piled that he was not at all surprsed-the
chief surgeon treated everybody brutallv
''Why then do you submit to such cruel
Outrage?" was the spirited woman's question
81 suppose, we are all of us afraid to make
the complaint against him." was the reply.
The woman found that her son was incura-
bly, i'll, and was the proper subject of a
discharge The assistant surgeon so in
formed her. She then sought the chief
surgeon and asked him to make report to
the surgeon general upon the condition of her
son. He refused with a dreadful oath. The
New England grit in the woman's heart took
fire. ''You stand there" said she, ''and jeer
at my sorrow. You use language toward me
that beast would be ashamed of. But let
me tell you, that, poor and friendess as | am,
l am more powerful than you, and | will not
leave Washington until | have exposed your
brutality" She was as good as her word. She
went at once to see secretary Stanton. He
referred her at once to the surgeon general,
with request that he would look carefully
into the case, and, if the facts would warrant
her assertions, that he would mete out rigid
justice to the hospital surgeon. The first act
of the surgeon general was to order the sur
geon in charge to make a report upon the
case of the wOman's son. The report was
returned the very next day, and its Ian
guagc was insolent in the extreme. The sur
geon was angry at the woman's interference
This is enough" said the surgeon general
ga man who will send me such a report is ca
pabe of all you charge against him. l will
not take the trouble to examine the case He
shall be dismissed from the service!" That
very night, as the chief surgeon of Blank Hos.
pital sat with his assistants around him, in
dulging in his usual buster, a pleasant-faced
gentleman appeared at the door and inquired
for surgeon -, in charge of the hospital.
That person was speedily pointed out to him.
81 am directed to hand this to you from the
surgeon general, said the stranger. The sur
geon opened it and found that it ordered him
to hand over the hospital and supplies to the
bearer, who would take charge of them, and,
to conclude, dismissed the brutal surgeon
from the service. The New England woman
had triumphed at last