The Portland daily press., 1898-09-05
VISITS SICK SOLDIERS.
President Makes Inspection Of
Camp Mentauk.
ALL THE HOSPITALS WERE
VISITED BY HIM.
WERE

He Makes Speech to the Troops IN
Which He Praises Them for Their
| Braverv-His Party Speak Well of
! Camp.
| Camp Wikoff, Montauk Point, N. Y,
September 3.-President Mckinley spent
five hours in the camp today, bareheaded
most of the time, visiting the sick in the
hospital and inspecting the we'll. He
made a speech to the assembled infantry
men, reviewed the cavalrymen, expressed
his opinion Of the camp to the reporters
and issued an order directing the soldiers
to return to their stations east of the
Mississippi.
| With the President were Vice President
Hobart, Secretary of War Alger. Attorney
General Griggs, Senator Proctor of Yer
mont, Brigadier General Eagan, commits
sary of the army; Brigadier General Lud-
dington. quartermaster of the army;
Colonel Henry Hecker and secretaries to
the President, Porter and Cortelyo1.
The ladies of the party were: Mrs. Alger
and Miss Heoker, daughter of Colonel
Hecker
General Wheeler, his staff and nearly
every officer of prominence in the camp,
met the President at the station, except
General Shafter who is still in detention,
and General Young, who fell and broke
an arm last night. After greetings and
introduct1ons on the railway platform,
the President took General Wheeler's arm
and went to carriage Colonel Theodore
Roosevelt of the rough riders was
among group of horsemen nearby.
| Mr.. Mckinley saw him and got out of
the carriage to speak to him. Colonel
Roosevelt hastily dismounted and tussied
with gauntlet for fifteen seconds, SO
that ungloved be might shake hands.
The column of carriages wound up hill
escorted by the third cavalry regiment
and the mounted band of the sixth cav
airy. The party paused moment on
the hill and the President looked out on
the wide undulating cape, water-bound
on either side and whitened on the levels
and hill tops by the tents Of $4,000 men
laid out in geometrio lines.
Mr.. Mckinley drove to General Shat
ter's tent in the detention camp. The
General, who was flushed and weak from
a mild case of malarial fever, was in full
uniform sitting in a chair, at the door of
the tent. He tried to rise but Mr.. Nc
Kinley said: "Stay where you are, GEN
real, 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 detained on the deten-
ton section of the camp lined up irreg-
ularly on each side of the road and
cheered. Mr.. Mo Kinley took off his
straw hat then and scarcely put it on
for more than minute or two at time
during the remainder of his rogress
through the camp
Miss Wheeler, daughter of the general,
happened to be in the first row of the
hospital tents and she showed the Presi-
dent through the division. General
Wheeler announced in each ward
"Boys. the President has come to see
you.'' Some of them slept on, uncon-
scious some listlessly raised upon their
! elbows, others feebly olapped their hands.
! Mr.. Mckinley gently shook hands with
many and at every cot he paused an In
!, slant and, If he saw the sick man look
J ing at him, he bowed in direct and
PERSONAL way. In the second ward The
J President entered, Sergeant John A.
Alexander, Co. NJ, First Illinois, who has
fever, was rather startled by hearing
} General Wheeler announce the President.
The sergeant half raised up on his cot
Mr.. Mckinley, attracted by the move
ment, took Alexander's hand and said /:
ST am sorry to see you SO sick, hope
that you are getting better
"Do you wish for anything?" inquired
General Wheeler.
"No, have everything good for me,
guess" Alexander replied YEARLY, "but
I wish 1 were home.''
s"I hope that we may soon get you
there" said Mr.. Mckinley. He had
many such bits of talk with the men and
:.
outwore the patience Of all his party by
his slow going through ward after ward.
When seemingly all the wards of the gen.
erel hospital had been through and the
President was about to get into carriage
Attorney General Griggs detained him.
"Miss Wheeler has told me-" said he,
"of Lieut.. Prado, who is in a tent back
here by himself and he is in q dying con-
dition. He has asked about your coming
and Miss Wheeler has promised that you
shall see him.
"Certainly, let us go to him." said the
. President.
The others of the party discreetly re-
NAMED outside the tent. The President
ra.anpeared with the nurse minute or
: two later. His eyes were moist and down.
cast AS it was inconvenient to go back
n the doors OF the long tents, MI. Mo-
Kinley would go through the frame work
at the ends of the tents and Jump down.
nh oaneral hosDital is on q 6lOp3 and