Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1898-08-16
SURGEON DUNCAN'S COURT
MARTIAL.

MARTIAL.
TIE evidence brought out in the
rial at Thoroughfare Gap yesterday
OF DR.. Duncan tends strongly to show
that an act of dissertation was commit
ted by the troops.
One Of the sergeants OF Company II,
Third New York, testified that he had
seen a number of men digging in q
mound of earth, and identified DR..
Duncan as one of them. Soldiers
were present from New York, Mis-.
souri, and Kansas regiments.
Sergeant J. NJ. Southern, OF the
twenty. second Kansas. told of hearing
that a crowd Of Kansas men were dig
ging up graves. He said: II went out
and saw crowd Of men digging in
graves. | protested against the dig
ging, and told them they would surely
yet in trouble, but they paid no atten-
ton 10 what | said. saw some com
missioned officers standing there, and
concluded that il they countenanced it,
/; was none OF my business. l saw the
lower jaw Of the occupant brought up
to the top. | saw buttons and the in-
ner part of epaulets Men were there
from every organization iu the camp"
The grave TO which Southern refer
red was that of Humphrey. He could
not say that Duncan was present.
Prince a. Wise, of the Twenty-second
Kansas, had given him a button sup
posed to have been taken from the
grave. He saw Wise standing in the
grave.
Captain George E Ross, Company I,
Twenty second Kansas, said "On Au-
gust one Of my oorporals came into
my tent with what l took to be about
an eightpenny nail, with piece OF de.
cayed wood clinging to it, which ne
SAID came from the box in which
corpse had been inclosed. He said
there were graves near there, and they
were being dug into. l Strengthened
up my tent and started down there
Before going heard rumor outside
my tent that q sergeant in charge of q
squad of the l59:h Indiana men had been
sent down there to dig sink. I went
down in the timber with man OF my
company named Adolph Dougal, expect
ing to find squad Of men in charge OF
Sergeant detailed to dig sink. step
p.d upon an open grave and man held
up skull and showed it to me, l told
him | did not want to see it, 10 put it
down and cover it up. | said, Is an
officer here p After few seconds he
said: Yes, DOCTOR said | wanted to
see him, and DR.. Duncan stepped out
a1d said something about conducting g
medical res earch. He said he wanted
to see what these men died with. But
just before that said What are you
men doing?' They said. Digging up
rebels
II told them if they didn't stop was
going to make kick Immediately.
went to one of the officers and he told
me to go to the officer of the day. l
went to him, and told him about 1t but
he was about to be relieved, and seem
ed more anxious about being relieved
than about stopping the digging, and
was so slow and took so little interest
that / went to Gen. Shiafes headqunr-
ters. l was very much in earnest, and
when found that the digging would
be stopped, started back. While
was there the first time the
second grave was about two feet deep.
When | went back the second time
carried ramrod with me, and it was |
as deep as the ramrod, it went clear
down. 1t was fully opened; 1 saw the |
bones. These two graves are located |
among several hundred graves among |
a patch of timber that has grown up |
since the war, / believe" The second |
one he identified as the Humphrey |
grave. An attempt was made by the
defense to show that bad feeling ex.
sted between Duncan and Capt. Ross.
At the conclusion OF Ross's testimony
The court adjourned till to-day.
New evidence was discovered yester-
day, and from the mass of testimony to
be read, and number of witnesses to be
examined, it is very improbable that
he trial will be concluded before the
end of the week.
4 dispatch from Dorval, Que, SAYS the