The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-10-12
ANOTHER
WAR HORROR
Colonel Gibson's Story Will Startle
- the Country.
SAD PLANT OF A VOLUNTEER.


Properly Cared For, ,'But That volun-
teers Were Brutally Neglected-The
OLDHAM Brings "a Sensational Report.
New York. Oct i2.-The United States
transport Obdam, which sailed from
Ponce Sept. 2s, via Santiago Oct 5,
arrived at quarantine shortly after
O'Clock yesterday afternoon. The
transport brought $50 sick and con-
valescent soldiers and $50 passengers,
all well on board The OLDHAM sailed
from Santiago for this port on oct. 2.
but when two days at sea fire was dis
covered in her coal bunkers and she
was compelled to return to Santiago,
where the fire was extinguished. The
transport sailed again on Oct. s, and
experienced fairly good weather. The
fire was still smouldering when the
Obdam reached quarantine. Among
the sick and convalescent soldiers
brought by the Obdam are 20 men Of
| the Sixteenth Pennsylvania and nine
from the Fourth Pennsylvania volun-
teers.
On board the Obdam as a passenger
from Santiago is Colonel Charles II.
Gibson, field commissioner of the Ma
tional Relief association, who brought
dispatches for the president. Colonel
Gibson went to Washington last night.
Among the other passengers is Lieu
tenant Evan A. Johnson, of the Nine
teenth infantry, and Major 7. o. sum-
mers surgeon of the staff at Santiago.
Speaking to Governor Hastings, Of
Pennsylvania, who went down to the
OLDHAM last night on the steamer
Fletcher, Colonel Gibson said that he
l., h. ,f inc a N
| soldiers from starving.
Governor" he said after an eX-
change Of greetings, Il have a story
to tell that will startle the country"
AS a result of this remark there was
a conference between the commissioner
and Governor Hastings, after which
the governor decided to take off the
Pennsylvania soldiers and have them
sent to a hotel for the night
| To a reporter Colonel Gibson said:
| "The newspapers will have to walt for
my reports to ascertain the exact con-
| dition of affairs at Santiago, where I
have been. They have been stirring
things up here so much that II dared
to open my mouth l would use con-
siderable cuss words to back up their
mild language. l have been in San
tiago three months and In that time 1
have learned many things. 1 cannot
tell you what Is In my report at present,
but you may be sure that 1t is very
strong. My duty In Cuba was to look
after the sick and wounded"
Did you report % the government
as TO what the men needed"'
"I fed them. But for the relief as
ISOLATION many of them would have
| starved"
Ralph Harwick, of Dubois, Pa, a
member of the Sixteenth Pennsylvania
| volunteers, told a narrowing story OF
the treatment he and his companions
had received while in Porto Rico. I'VE
got there on July 2s." he said, "and
were landed from the transport Mobile.
; Many of US had contracted fever in the
, military camps in the south. The trop-
ical climate developed the disease, but
Notwithstanding our weakened con-
dition the Sixteenth made a good fight
when II encountered the Spaniards.
The regiment was under fire for over
an hour, and at the close of the en-
gagement 13 Spaniards had been killed
and 65 wounded. We deserved better
treatment than we got when Porto
Rico had been taken. The regulars
were we'll looked after, but the volun-
teers We're starved. When finally the
men were forced to succumb to the
/, fever, and We're sent to the hospitals,
they We're treated shamefully, AL
though delipious, we We're forced to get
G out of our cots to watch some poor
brave fellow dying Some OF the men
went mad under this strain Only think
of 1t, delirlous men nursing the dying
z Harwick's story was but a sample o.
: the complaints which were recited by
the men to Governor Hastings afte
i they had been transferred from tht
OLDHAM to the Fletcher
Besides the members of the Fourth
and Sixteenth Pennsylvania volunteers
the Fletcher brought to this city two
= lieutenants and about a dozen prlvates
: of the Third immune regi tent, 16 OF
the Thirteenth United States infantry
on furlough, and four members OF the
Fourth Ohio regiment.
Governor Hastings was reluctant to
I make public his Views regarding the
Q treatment the soldiers from his state
a claimed to have received But there
was some significance in his farewell
remark as the Fletcher cast loose from
: the OLDHAM. one of the soldiers aboard
= the transport shouted: For Gods
= sake, governor, don't leave us"
q 81 am sorry 10 do So my brave rel
:, low, but If I had my way l would taxi
} all Of you with me-"