Evening star., 1898-12-16
COMMISSARY STORES
Gen. Weston Says They Were Issued
Promptly.
CAPT. HOWELL MAKES A STATEMENT
Chaplain McCook Tells of His
Work in Cuba.
GRAVES SHOULD BE MARKED

| examined by the war investigation COM
| mission today. He was in charge Of the
ccmmissarY department at the front at
Santiago and declared that ne fed the VoI-
unteers without delaying his work by per-
| mitting red-tape methods to prevail
| He stated that he had never heard 4
complaint involving the integrity or ef-
| fciency of the commissary work and sup
plies at the 'front.'. Everything had been
done for the men that could hc done, and
| special efforts were made for those volun-
| teer regiments whose ofliC rs were not
| familiar with army methods OF procuring
| supplies. Surgeons were permitted To draw
| articles and give memorandum receipts
which were paid for later out of FUNDS at
! Washington. H. allowed this in order 20
| prevent delays and unnecessary formalities.
As an instance. he stated that Col. Roose-
| welt came to him at Santiago and desired
/ to purchase ertain extras for his men.
| Ihis he refused to permit payment for. be-
| cause there Was no need.
| Got Some Money Left.
| Il took $1,000 with me when / went to
| Florida" said the witness, ''and I've got a
| lot of ii left
| We'll" interjected Captain Howell, you
J are the only man who went to Florida and
/ ever came back with any of his money"
| Then you did not require money from
| anybody before giving them stores asked
general Beaver
| No. sir
so that if officers or surgeons wanted
stores, but had no money to pay for them
| they still could get them?'
Yes, sir; and pay for them later on
| Looking back over your experience YOU
| think you were fairly we'll treated in the
| administration of the commissary DEPART
| ment at Santiago
| Il believe / can say So
The witness did not favor the plan
establishing a reserve corps Of COM
missary sergeants and sergeant majors
| to be. in time of war, detailed to
volunteer regiments for the purpose OF in
structing and caring for them n the mat
| ter of suppues. he objected to having the
subsistence department depend on the quar-
IermaSterS : department for transportation
| Of supplies. he declared that The commits
| sary should be given all { Etrol of food,
the dishes 1t Is coo-ed in and the means OF
getting il into the soldiers mouths" He
| declared .hat the foo, was good. and said
| lhat, so far as war is concerned, the Sam
JaSO compaign was mere bagatelle.
| Capt. HoweIIs Statement
At this point Capt Howell. rose, and. ad-
| dressing the commission, stated:
| 1t appears that some regiments got sup
plies that other regiments did not. | be-
| lieve that great deal of the trouble in this
| war was due to the fact that inefficient men
! good men, perhaps, bat inexperienced
| were placed commissary serSeants and
quartermaSters who had no idea Of the ma
es here who stated that they did not know
| they could get canned salmon. and yet Wa
know that this article was dispensed to
| other regiments in the same brigade. So
! far as / am able to observe. the men We're
not posted To how to draw rations They
| thought the depot quartermaS, r would
| send them anything he had without watt
| ing for them to go there find out what he
had and then make requisitiOn for IL"
| Capt Howell insisted that the United
| States government should take some steps
| to provide men properly inst ucted to be de-
| tailed to volunteer regiments ia time Of war
whose duty it would be to draw and dis
| tribute the rations to which every regiment
| is entitled under the regulations.
| Chaplain McCook's Testimony.
| Rev. Henry c. McCook, chaplain Of the
| ID Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, with
| the rank Of captain, and who also a
member of the national relief commission.
next took the stand. He first detailed tho
| work done by him as the representative of
| the commission. He stated that the organ
| ization had passed resolutions that he
| should not testify; instead. the secretary
| was ordered to submit his rcnort TO the war
commission at a later period. This action,
| the witness said, he regarded as mil" Re
| turning first from Santiago on August q,
| he called on the President.
IF there was anything did know, and
| he did not get 1t out of me. am not aware
| of it. He has wonderful powers of cross
examination"
| The witness stated that he mentioned 10
| the President the need of some permanent
and substantial marking of the graves of
| the soldier dead at Santiago.
Things were pretty blue there said the
witness. yellow fever had broken out and
| men We're dying fast. l offered TO go back
! to Santiago, and, tuning 10 his desk, tho
! President wrote out order giving me the
/ special assignment of finding and marking
| gl aves."
Dr. McCook stated that within several
weeks after his arrival he had found and
marked 400 graves, Many men wounded I'm
battle wandered away. and dying. their
bodies We're never recovered. He said that
as general rule the men who died around
Santiago were buried in graves that were
marked. There were exceptions, however.
The men who died in action were buried by
their comrades in graves decorated with
flowers, stones, cartridge shells and other
articles, showing the feeling OF comrade-
ship and tender regard for the dead. This
was not the case with those who died i'm
the hospitals. Their isolation from their
comrades destroyed the comTadely regard
ioeable in the burial of the dead in ac-
ton. In the burying ground around one
hospital of thirty-four graves only ten
were marked. AT Ell Caney, in what is
called the American cemetery, there were
forty-three graves. but only two, those of
two officers, were marked.
No Record at the Department..
There may be some record in the War
Department, but i am not aware of H."
said the witness ''Of all the bodies buried
dfouhd StDohey peslSNe every one was
properly marked and identified"
The witness spoke in com plimentary way
of the promptness uI the President and Of
the War Department in acting an this mat
ter He said that the many letters he had
received from fathers and mothers inquir-
ing if il was known where their boys
were buried proved the need of the service
he performed. Their letters full of heart
felt gratitude when given the desired in
formation were eloquent tributes for the
administration recQmmenO-
ed that If the United States had a national
cemetery in Cuba San Juan Hin should be
selected. He called attention 10 the fact
that the famous block house the hill
and the old fort at El Caney have been de-
stroyed in order to secure the wood I'm
them.
He said that a naval cemetery should be
located on Guantanamo HILL where the ma
ripes landed and had their memorable en-
counter. He urged some satisfactory sys-
tenn for marking soldiers graves, and he