The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-11-01
FORCED TO RETRACT.
DR.. Martin Tells How the Truth Was
SUPPRESSED at Chickamauga-


Camp Poland, Knoxville, Tenn, Nov.
1.-The war investigating commission
concluded the work Of its southern tour
here and at o'clock last night left for
Washington, expecting to arrive there
about o'clock this afternoon. It is the
present intention that the commission
shall go to Camp Meade soon after ar
rival at Washington and Ex-Governor
Woodbury. will proceed directly to Yer
mont as a subcommittee to take testi-
mony there.
The commission devoted the forenoon
to inspecting the camps and the after
noon to taking testimony. They found
a division of troops here under the COM
mand of Col KurtZ, of the Second Ohio,
and while they had no personal critic
ism to express against him, some of the
commissioners expressed the opinion
that the command was too large to be
entrusted to an officer below the rank
of brigadier- The transfer of Col. Kurtz
to the command of the division, leaves
the brigade OF which his regiment IS
part in command of Col Young, the
colOred colonel Of the Third North Car
DINA.
The first witness before the commits
sion was DR.. John Q. F. Martin, a con-
tract surgeon from Ohio who was at
Chickamauga- He repeated his ex-
preston of the opinion that the water
in the pipe line system at Chickamauga
was contemplated by the water from
Cave Spring creek. He said that after
he had first expressed this opinion, say
ing at the same time that the facts in
regard to the existence of typhoid were
being suppressed. he had been summon
ed by Gen Sheridan and told that he
must retract Immediately or submit to
a court martial He had then written a
letter of retraction. but he declared that
he had done this to promote discipline
and not because he had changed his
opinion as to the pollution of the wa
ter.
He read a statement from the pump
ing station engineer to the effect that
the new channel of the Cave Spring
creek was not completed until August
6, and that previous to this the creek
emptied into Chickamauga river just
above the mouth of the intake pipe of
the pipe line system. He also expressed
the opinion that the Jay Mill spring at
Chickamauga, Ga. was contaminated
from the surrounding sinks.
DR.. Parks L TryerS, a contract sur
geou from Ohio. who was engaged in
the First corps at Chickamauga differ
ed from most of the physicians in his
estimate of typhoid He said that While
many believed 80 per cent Of the sick
ness at the camp to be typhoid, he did
not believe that to exceed 20 per cent
was of that character. He also took
issue with those who charged typhoid
to the agency of flies, attributng 1t to
the water He thought most of the dis
eases at Chickamauga park were MAS
matte
casiOns it had been necessary to have
patients at this hospital lie on the
ground for as much as ten hours at
time until provision could be made for
them.
Colonel G. K. Hughes, division super
inteudent of the Southern railroad, gave
the commission information as to trou-
bic encountered IN moving troops he
said as rule the soldiers cO-Operated in
the work of the railway company, but
that there had been some disorder at
times He mentioned one instance in
which company F, of the Fifth PeunsyI-
vania had broken up all the furniture
of two cars near Lexington, Ky, on the
plea that the coach was not f1t for SOL
diers to travel in
other witnesses g examined vver Col
Brown of the Fourth Tennessee and
Lieutenant Colonel Schubet, Of the
Thirty-first Michigan, and Lieutenant
Colonel Croxton. of the Sixth Virginia
and Chaplain White, of the Thirty-drst
Michigan.