The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-20
REFUTED.
Hurls Lie In
Their Teeth
iJqTeNl f0eg4
A. M. DUNKt RTON
Says Implied Charges False
And Bodies All Recovered.

And Bodies All Recovered.
It is an old saying, that one tale is
good till another is told, and this seems
to be the attitude that A. f. Dunkerton
and George w. Hubbard wish to inn
press on the minds of Worcester people.
Messrsl Dunkerton and Hubbard are
now in Cuba trying to recover the
bodies of seven of the soldiers of this
city who died in the United States SER
vice in that place. While they have been
absent from the city there has been
another scheme set on foot for the re-
covery, at public expense, of those
bodies that the first party have not the
contracts for removing.
There has been considerable talk cir
culated to the effect that Dunkerton
were not fit to be trusted with this
sacred charge. 1t was said that they
did not have the facilities TOR locating
the graves that those engaged by tle
city, who had secured the services Of
one of the returned soldiers, who
claimed to know all about the matter.
had. Charges We're openly made that
Dunkerton and Hubbard would be an
successful in their mission if they did
not actually bring home bodies of any
person they happened to run across fer
The purpose of fulfilling the contract.
Tlc following letter that has been re-
ceVed from Mr.. Dunkerr1n should set
at rest the fears Of the relatives of the
dead soldiers whose bodies they were
sent to recover. If any have eX; 5tcd. as
they claim to have been entirely sue
cessful in their quest The letter is
written as the result of ,he reading nv
Mr. Dunker.on of certain newspap, :
c'.rpinge which We're senr him. giving
the charges Which the opposition party
mad brought against him and his col
league.
Santiago de Cuba. Oct. 10. 1898.
To the Editor of The Spy
Clippings from Worcester papers have
just reached me, and to save those who
have interested Mr.. Hubbard and nv
self with the exhumation of their dead
| Will make few plain statements of
facts known to us before leaving Wor-
cester and verified since our arrival.
First, it is an outrage upon these
parents, wives and friends, to create
the doubts left by false statements
made by some parties. We were una
Bile to secure any authentic informa-
ton in Worcester as to identification
marks of these dead CWhat the rea-
son was, l leave for those interested
to discovery, so we decided to depend
solely upon facts obtained on the
grounds. This proved to be a fortu-
nate decision, for records are on file
of every man who died here, and the
great United States government has
plainly marked every grave All the
old marks are defaced or destroyed. No
man can locate a grave by marks he
made, but anybody can, if he knows
how, find any one or any number of
the graves, We have located the seven
I'd Massachusetts men beyond the posi-
bility of doubt, and stand ready to
prove it. All this rot about expense
is for purpose, evident upon the face
of it.
Transportation is freely furnished by
the war department, and the food costs
81 per day. Our collins cost but a
small figure, and our living here is as
cheap as in Worcester. We have four
natives hired by the day at $1l50 EACH
Saddle horses and army wagons are
furnished by the quartermaster free
ever keep up crying out, "They can't
do it for, $5O,'' are simply wasting their
breath which I assure them they will
need when they get here.
Corp AmeS' sister has ordered" us
to let his body alone. We do so will
lingly, as he died of yellow fever and
no one can exhume his remains for
some time, not even professional I'M
dertaker Ask those who were ION the
grounds" how The" expects to locate
Corp. Anes when he died and was bu-
ried long after "he" left the island
Could The" do it better than we? It's
all rot
Every possible favor has been shown
us, and we have proof that some of
the statements made by some of the
returned soldiers relative to the mark
ing of the graves was wrong to say
the least.
We not only have found all those we
came after, but are taking up and
bringing home the bodies of one list
New York man, one from the 5th in
fantry "a captain) and one from Trav-
ers City, Mich. We have a paper from
the chief surgeon here which will set
all doubts at rest when we arrive. We
have the government headboards, and
some few other identification marks
which concern only those whom we rep
resent.
We will return to Worcester with our
mission fully carried out, and no thanks
to those who claimed to be the only
ones who knew where these poor fell
lows We're buried.
Isn't it strange that the war depart
ment should let one private soldier be
the only person to know so much?
Suppose he should have died! Let the
loyal people of Worcester rest assured
that the seven bodies we are after will
be sealed in legal collins, each one prop
erly identified, and a clean bill from
those in power furnished, so any cap
tain or transport must carry them
home.
Let the relatives of those whom we
are not after, send whom they choose
after their dead, but be warned against
any exorbitant charges, for the figures
we charge amply covers all expenses
and more would be for luxuries, or per-
haps. finer caskets.
1t is to be regretted that the bodies
are so far decomposed that personal
identification is impossible. Nothing
but green mould and bones remain.
] can throw a stone to s. ]. Mayo's
grave from where | am writing (gener-
al hospital). Private Tafts grave was
found without the slightest trouble.
Corporal Ames is buried in the yellow
fever cemetery. near the yellow fever