The evening times., 1898-08-20
A p1r1ruL STORY.
A Told by One of the sanerers be-
fore Santiago.

fOfe santiago.
Perhaps the Englishman's surprise al
the queer things about Americans would
be increased IL he should note with what
literary talent a private soldier in Mas
sachusetts regiment describes the pains
the heroes had to endure in and after the
battle Of Santiago. 1t has been noted
that in any regiment of American volun-
teers can be men who can do anything
an occasion may demand. from the fixing
and running of a locomotive to the Storm
ing of a port and writing of an account
of it. Private James B. Connolly writes
as follows to the Boston Globe. under a
date now lcng past:
For days we ninth Massachusetts)
have gone with nothing but a few hard
tack between ourselves and starvation;
for many nights We have slept with
nothing bktween our bodies and this
rain-soaked. fever-breeding land but the
blouses and trousers We wore, or perhaps
with a rubber blanket.
Drinking water that cattle in a hap
pier country would refuse to touch, eat
ing an insufficient quantity of food, wet
and dirty at that, such as would not be
offered to criminals in the States under
pain of a protest from philanthropic men
and women-with the haunting thought
of possible death before sunrise to dis
turb our feverish dreams-the wonder Is
that the men Of the Ninth were not taken
down before.
''And in camp where the proper per-
sons are unable to cope with the in
creasing disease. what a pleasant pros
pee, for a man thus afflicted!
+ '-The busiest officer in or about San
tfago lately Is our old friend. General
Incompetence. While sick soldiers have
been growing weaker for want Of
strengthening food, transports have come
to this port sunk in the water up TO the
danger line by the weight OF the pro-
visions that would have saved many lives.
Ye: these same transports, after the fash
ion of the King of France and his 1o.0oO
men, have sailed back again 10 Tampa.
still weighed down TO the danger line
by the self-same articles of food. which
nobody touched because, forsooth. no.
body had orders.
They let men die because nobody had
orders to save their lives
How long since has it become neces-
sary to get somebody's permission be-
fore grasping the life saver that is tossed
to drowning men?
"Other transports that have been IN
loaded were ancnOred along tne Deach
for days before anything was done. A
cargo of ice was landed at Siboney. where
in a few hours the suns powerful rays
melted 1t. while dying soldiers breathed
their last between lips that well nigh
cracked for lack of a cooling draft. These
days are not the days of Ben Butler.
''ft seems a pity that such conditions
should be allowed 10 exist, simply that
men bearing honored names. but noted
for nothing in particular, may be en-
abled to wear uniforms that are almost
hidden beneath a profusion of gorgeous
braid.
There was a time when this fncompe-
tence and the neglect of sick soldiers
were denied. The truth is gradually COM
ing to the surface. and even here at
Santiago we hear rumors of charges and
counter charges. The major general
blames the surgeon general. the surgeon
general blames the major general, while
the calm, judicial mind of the Secretary
of War declares that nobody is at fault.
Thus everything is lovely and men die
daily.
This is the story that begins to reach
our ears. The merry three-cornered fight
continues. and our commanding officer
is fast coming to the conclusion that TAX
ing a city is nothing in comparison to
the muddle that follows"