Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-09-09
VISITS N|KOFF.
CHEERS THE MANY SICK SOLDIERS
BY HIS PRESENCE.
He IS GIVEN A ROYAL WELCOME.
Goes Through the Hospitals and After
ward Addresses Heroes OF the
Santiago Campaign.

urday, bareheaded most Of the time,
visiting the sick in the hospitals and
inspecting the we'll in their canton
ments. He made speech to the as
sembled infantrymen, reviewed tho
cavalrymen, expressed his opinion Of
the camp to the reporters and issued
an order directing the regulars to re-
turn to their stations east of the Mis-
sissippi.
With the president were Vice Presi.
dent Hobart, Secretary OF War Alger,
Attorney General Griggs, Senator
Redfeld Proctor, OF Vermont; Driga-
der General Regan, commjssary Of the
army; Brigadier General Ludington,
quartermaster Of the army; Colonel
Henry Hecker and Secretaries TO the
President Porter and Cortelyou. The
ladies Of the party were Mrs. Alger
and Miss Hecker, daughter Of Colonel
Hecker.
General Wheeler, his staff and near
ly every officer Of prominence in the
camp met the president at the station
except General Shafter, who was still
in detention, and General Young, who
fell and broke his arm Friday night
After greetings and introductions on
the railway platform, the president
took General Wheeler's arm and went
to carriage.
Mr.. Mckinley drove to General
Skaters tent in the detention camp.
The general, who was flushed and
weak from mild case OF malarial
fever, was in full uniform, sitting in
chair at the door OF the tent. He
tried to rise, but Mr.. Mckinley said:
Stay where you are, general. You
are entitled to rest"
The president congratulated General
Shafter on the Santiago campaign and
after few minutes rest proceeded to
the general hospital. The soldiers
recently arrived on transports and de-
tanned in the detention section OF the
camp lined up irregularly on each side
OF the road and cheered. Mr.. Nc
Kinley took off his straw hat then, and
scarcely put II on for more than
minute or two at time during the
remainder of his progress through the
camp. Miss Wheeler, daughter of
the general, happened to be in the
hrst row Of the hospital tents and
she showed the president through her
division.
General Wheeler announced in each
ward:
Boys, the president has come to
see YOU" or Soldiers, the president
OF the United States"
Some Of the soldiers slept uncon-
scious, some listlessly raised upon
their elbows, others feebly clapped
their hands. Mr.. Mckinley gently
shook hands with many, and at every
cot he paused an instant, and II he
saw the sick man looking at him he
bowed In direct and personal way.
From here the president proceeded
to the infantry plain, as IL is called.
The men Of the Ninth Massachusetts,,
the First Illinois, the Eighth Ohio,
the Thirteenth, Twenty-frst, Twenty
second and Tenth regular infantry
were assembled without arms. About
go men stood in close order. Gen.
eral Wheeler said:
1.-THE president Of our great country
mas come here to greet the soldiers
that mnrched so CALAMITY up San
Juan hill on July LIST. He comes
here to express the nations thanks to
these brave men,"
The president then addressed the
men in q touching manner, eliciting
cheers at frequent intervals.
The part Of the field where the
Eighth Ohio stood, the regiment which
is sometimes called "The Presidents
Own. was particularly noisy. The
party then went to the detention hos
pital The graveyard, in which sixty
TO seventy plain new wooden crosses
stood, was near the road on tho left.
The president solemnly raised his hat.
Mr.. Mckinley went through all the
wards Of the detention hospital in the
same careful way in which he had gone
through those OF the general hospital.
The president and those with him
took lunch with General Wheeler and
his staff. After lunch the president,
General Alger, General Wheeler and
Colonel Hard, Of the Eighth Ohio,
were photographed in a group.
The president Issued On order direct
ing that the regular troops at Camp
Wikoff whose posts are east OF the
Mississippi should return with the
least possible delay TO their posts.
When the president reached Long
Island City he took the government
ferry boat, General Meigs. and was
taken around the lower end Of Man
haitian island to the Jersey shore on
his way to the vice presidents, at Pat
terson, N. j., where he spent Sunday.