The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-11-24
ROOSEVELT WAS A WITNESS.
Got what Was Needed Most OF Time by
Acting Independently and Using OF His
Private Means Practical Training In
ETime of Peace Recommended.

you were not accepted because you
would not agree to maintain secrecy
should you find any dereliction of duty.
We wish to know VINO exaCted such a
promise from you"
she said she made the offer to an
officer of the auxiliary of the Red Gross
society. He was an officer in the army,
but she did not know what authority
he had in camp. She refused to tell
who it was.
Miss Mary g. Lowell said she found
one man with temperature OF LOG and
reported to Dr. Thomas.
DR.. Thomas said he would see to it,
but when she visited the man "a hours
later the doctor had not seen him.
Miss Lowell mentioned other doctors
who. she SAID, had neglected their duty,
and said great suffering resulted from
the ill.management of the ambulance
service.
Rev. Henry B. Bryan of the Garden
City cathedral testified as to burials at
Camp Wikoff. He replied to Major
Browns statement that bodies were de-
Gently buried, according to his orders
He said in part:
al believe Major Brown gave those
his orders were not carried out. l know
personally of 20 bodies that were not
buried as Major Brown says they were
and l wonder what became of the
clothing and of the money paid for the
embalmlng."
81 do not question Major Brown in
any way. He had not time to see that
his orders were carried out. Coughlin
and kohler, who wore Bellevue hospi.
tai badges, were in charge of the burial
of the dead.
"My duties led me by the morgue
every day and | stopped in to see who
had died during the night. | saw the
naked bodies of soldiers placed in bare
pine coffins and the name of the man
and his regiment written on the lid of
the coffin. OF course the damp earth
quickly obliterated these marks and no
further records were kept. Sometimes
the body was buried i'll night shirt,
but they never took the trouble to but
ton the shirt.
"It was grossly indecent. At the
morgue the attendants sat on the cOf.
fins, with the bodies in them, and
Chewed and smoked and told indecent
stories. | rebuked them once, but they
were Bowery tOughs and it is useless to
| talk to them"
"Do you know who was responsible
for the conditions you found?"
"No. / understand that Mrs. Roeb-
ling paid COughhn and Kohler to go
to the camp and take charge of the
morgue there. An autopsy was made
ON the body of Barney Trio, and organs
| removed were lett lying about until the
attendants tied them up in towel and
threw them away"
George Wallace of Freeport, L. l.,
said his sou returned from Cuba on the
| Berkshire. He was put aboard ia a pre-
carious condition and a stateroom on
the ship was assigned to him. The
| doctor ordered HIM special diet, but he
| was unable to get the food without pay
| ing 10 cents for each meal. He had no
money, but friend OF Mr. Wallace s
who was aboard advanced it to him.
Colonel Roosevelt took the stand and
| in reply to request from General Will
son told of the equipment and muster
| ing in of the First volunteer cavalry
known as the rough riders.
"When we reached Tampa" Colonel
| Roosevelt said, there was a condition
| of utter confusion. We were dumped
| outside. a mile away from our camp
| No one knew where the camp was
| There was no one to tell us where to 90
or what to do. After waiting "a hours
l took the law into my own hands and
| bought food for the men and horses.
| Later, when we found our camp, we
were all right"
"Were you reimbursed for your
outlay"
Il never asked it. 1t was a personal
matter entirely"
His own regiment was assigned to the
| Yucatan. incidentally, he heard that
the Second infantry and Seventy first
| New y Ork volunteers We're also assigned
to the Yucatan. AS soon as he heard
that he hurried on the rough riders and
| took possession of the ship, and held it
against other regiments. His men had
decided to get to Cuba, and they got
there.
Captain Shaw, who was associated
with Colonel Roosevelt in the navy de-
partment, sent Cuban pilot on board
the 4ucatan and he took the transport
mile and half nearer shore than any
OF the other transports.
There was a great scarcity of mate.
rial for landing men, horses and sup
plies.
Colonel Roosevelt still replying to
his regiment to its first camping place.
Later he told of the march on the Span.
ish pOsitiU d ut Las Quasimas. Further
along, he said:
"W hen tue Spamards began firing l
did not know what was up. 1t was my
first experience. They were using
smokelCss powder and | could not see
where they were.
"When | located the Spaniards with
my glasses | did not know what to do,
but | knew 1t was good rule if in
doubt to go ahead, and so we went
ahead"
Colonel Roosevelt CLOSED over the
further details OF the lighting. lie
paid warm tribute to the gallantry of
Assistant Surgeon James W. Churcn, q
former Princeton football player, who,
he said, more than once ran to the firing
line and carried wounded men on his
back to the division hospital,
Asked about the ratious, he said:
"We had the regulation rations of
salt pork, hard tack, coffee and sugar.
nut the men wanted vegetables and |
wanted to get sDme for them, | took
40 men with the officers horses tc
SibOuey ana tried to buy them. The
department refused TO sell me beans and
tomatoes, unless | could certify that
they were for officers consumption, ]
stretched my conscience as far as /
could aud then boarded transport and
purchased about 500 pounds of beans.
The change did the men good, 1t was
too hot to eat nothing but the regular
rations."
Colonel Roosevelt went on to tell of
fhn n1yanpa On Sanfiuon and nf tho