The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-18
GOVERNOR MOUNT ANGRY
SEVERELY CRITICIsEs THE RE-
MARKS OF CHAPLAIN CHRISTENSEN.
Two Regiments at Camp Mount Fur
Laughed Last Night-Death of
Private Wiley.

the head of the medical department of the
First Army Corps. 1t has been for
warded to Washington through the proper
channels. All those who know any,
thing of the explanation refuse to say
what it contained, but it is understood to
have admitted that the Sentinel interview
was correct in the main, with some slight
'coloring." 1t will be three or four days,
1t is understood, before anything further is
heard, and the army officers here do not
know just where the matter will be heard
from again. 1t is considered not at all I'M
likely that the War Department will next
be heard from through headquarters of the
Department of the Lakes, located in Chi
cago Until official information is received
1T will not be known definitely whether
court-martial is to be ordered. There were
intimations yesterday that a libel suit might
grow out of the interview, whether there
is court-martial or not. 1t is said the
statements. if untrue, would be injurious to
DR.. Huidekoper's business, and therefore ac-
tionabe.
In an interview in an afternoon paper yes
terday the chaplain was quoted as denying
that he had ever said Colonel Huidekoper is
not medical practitioner, thus partially re-
pudiating the Sentinel. When asked wheth-
err Colonel Huidekoper is now a medical
practitioner, Chaplain Christensen is quoted
as replying:
II have never denied that he was. be-
cause | do not know, but I have never
heard that he was a medical practitioner.
A veterinarian, however, is quoted in the
News as authority for the statement that
he has practiced medicine The Sentinel at
tributed to me some infelicitous English for
which l am not chargeable and there were
seem to have been the means of conveying
a wrong impression
The point the Sentinel dwelt on was that
Chaplain Christensen not only said that Col.
Huidekoper was veterinary surgeon, but
that he also asserted that the colonel had
never practiced among human beings In
the Sentinel Interview of Thursday the
words attributed to Chaplain Christensen
with regard to conditions at Chickamauga
Park were: 1--WE found that our corps
surgeon, the man who was general-in-chief
of the medical service of $1,000 men, the
man who was charged with the immense re-
sponsbility of caring for the health and
fighting off disease from that many men,
was veterinary surgeon, who had devoted
his life to doctoring horses and mules, and
had never practiced among human beings"
The above words appeared not only in
the local columns of the paper, but were
also played up on the editorial page In
the entire interview the name of the horse
doctor was not given. The day following
the chaplain. in another alleged interview
in the Sentinel, under the caption, Name
of the Horse Doctor" was quoted as saw
ing that 1.-THE veterinary surgeon who was
chief medical director of the First Army
Corps was Rush S. Huidekoper" The chap
lain was also quoted as saying that his
ability in that direction was not questioned,
put tnat II was "a great surprise to us.
our corps. In the interview in the after
noon paper yesterday, quoted above, the
him chief surgeon, admitted that he did not
know whether Colonel Huidekoper was a
medical practitioner, although, he added,
that he had never heard that he was Yes
terday morning the Sentinel said the war
Department was trying to intimidate the
chaplain, but that 1.-The doctor did not take
to be apprehensive of consequences The
paper also said: "He refuses to back down
and stands by his interview in the Sentinel
That was before the afternoon paper APP
peared.
WATERMAN WILL NOT TALK.
Everybody in any wise connected with
the steps that have been taken by the War
Department is keeping his own counsel with
regard to what has been and will be done.
1t has been learned, however, that the COM
munications on the subject were addressed
to Lieutenant Waterman, who referred
them to proper quarters for such remarks
as were necessary, and then forwarded them
to headquarters when they were returned
to him. Lieutenant Waterman yesterday
afternoon absolutely refused to say word
with reference to the Christensen incident
Lieutenant Waterman is the mastering Of
fcer here and the source through which the
War Department acts in its relations with
the volunteer army.
While still refusing to be interviewed, the
officers of the Observation-Disclosures ty-eighth
Regiment are discussing other points of the
chaplain's interview, which they say were
grossly inaccurate; to say the least. In the
Sentinel of Thursday he was quoted as saw
ing, for instance, that there We're not
enough surgical instruments on hand to
ments of the National Guard We're called
out, Governor Mount directed the purcha SO
Of three surgical chests They cost about
81 500. They were supplied with very ex
cellent up-to-date instruments. one ofthese
chests was turned over to the One-hundred
and ffty-eighth Regiment, was taken to
Chickamauga and has been with the regi-
ment all the time. so that there certainly
were plenty of instruments on hand To
open boil" the officers say. Further
along the chaplain was quoted as saving
that there was no quinine. none of the the
ordinary everyday remedies such as are
in demand IN the most common cases of
stSAiesS. 1hS teSHuent look with 1t
supply Of remedies. AT all times the emer-
gency chest was available officers saw. as
well as the surgical chest
In discussing the chaplain's language
with reference to the neglect of patients
the officers say that his daily trips to the
hospital were mythical although he NAV
have visited the hospital once a week In
this connection an incident is recalled. After
the division began moving to Knoxville the
division hospital was transferred there
There was no field hospital. The Sternberg
Hospital was available to the regiment
Under ordinary circumstances. Sometimes
It was crowded. Then there were
One evening DR.. Charlton went through
the regiment and found eight fever
patients that needed attention. They were
taken 10 headquarters, as they could not
be properly cared for in their own tents
Colonel Smith. Lieutenant Colonel Thayer
gave up their tents for the use of the sick
They remained up and helped nurse them
and look after their comfort until midnight.
The next day the sick were sent to the
Sternberg hospital. 1t is charged that
Chaplain Christensen did not give up his
that occasion. With the exception of the
surgeons tent, which was filled with the
medicines and sick supplies. the other head
quarters tents were all placed at the dis
posal of the physicians in this temporary
emergency. The chaplain charged that he
with flies filling their mouth because there
was no one to brush them away. As mat
ter of fact the other officers of the regi-
ment say every cot protected with
1ynets. There were over a hundred extra
nets that were not needed at any time. A
stan oihcer said yesterday that the only
thing they ever run short OF was night shirts