The times., 1898-09-05
STARVED AND NEGLECTED.
Pitiable Homecoming of a
District Soldier!
STORY OF RICHARD QUINN
On the Transport Hudson En- Route
From Santiago the Bread supply
Ran Out and the Sick Were offered
MagEoty Hardtack - Men Bought
FOOd-NO Medicine but Quinine.

Richard ]. Quinn, a member of Compa-
ny I, First Regiment District Volunteers,
arrived in this city from Camp Wikoff
on Friday night in a terrible condition.
His sad plight can best be told in the
simple statement, which is literally true,
that when he arrived at the Sixth Street
station his mother, who was there TO
meet him, did not recognize him.
During the short while that her boy
had been away a great transformation
had taken place The handsome, stall
wart young man who marched down the
Avenue las1 May on his way to the war
was a mere shadow of his former self.
when he stepped or rather fell from the
platform of the car a few nights ago.
wan and feeble-the result of starvation
and fever.
His Mind Affected.
Richard ]. Quinn is the only son of Mrs.
Jane Quinn and is but nie:een years
old. When he enlisted in the First Dis
trict Regiment last May he was a gro
Gerry clerk and could handle a two-hun-
dred-pound sack with ease. but yesterday,
on account of the lack of food while
making the voyage from Santiago TO
Montauk Point aboard the transport Hud-
son he was not able to raise a glass of
milk TO his lips.
His emaciated form Is a pitiable sight.
There is nothing about it to remind one
of the proud boy who only a little over
three months ago marched down the Ave
nue. en- route to a foreign land to fight
the battles of his country. His bright
blue eyes have lost their Iuster and the
face is now haggard and wan; his cheeks,
once flushed with the glow of youth and
strength, are now sunken and pale and
his lips parched with fever.
But there is something sadder than
this. His mind has been affected by the
terrible trea tment he has received. and 1t
is possible that he will never be himself
again even if he escapes death.
Tells of His Suffering.
When Quinn was seen at his mother s
home yesterday he was in a very weak
condition, and was hardly able to tell
the story of his sufferfngs while aboard
the transport Hudson. He had been sick
with the fever for four or five days before
Point, but the hope of returning home
kept him from complaining or going to
the hospital As result, when he board
ed the transport he was in a very feeble
condition.
He expected, he said, that when the
troops got aboard of the transport that
they would have all the medical attention
they needed, in addition TO suitable food.
In this he was disappointed. AS a mat
ter of fact, he says, the men Jared worse
aboard the troopship than they had on
land During the first TIVE days out loaf
bread was given to the men for rations.
but those who were sick could not eat
it. On the third day all were given hard
tack, the sick and the well alike. The
hard-tack, Quinn says, was moldy and
wormy and not fit for anyone to eat,
much less sick man.
Another great disappointment to the
men aboard the transport was that in
stead of receiving the medical attention
their condition demanded, and which
they had every reason to expect, they
were given nothing but quinine -pills.
These were served to them regularly, hut
nothing else. The officers of the COM
pany. he says, visited the sick men, but
they were unable TO give them any relief
The physician also went the rounds,
and every day duplicated the prescription
of quinine. Whether this was due to the
fact that they had no other medicine or
TO negligence he could not say. He only
kpew that the only medicine given to the
men was quinine.
Bought Food En- Route.
On the third day out, when the mag
goty bareback was rationed 20 the men
Quinn was unable to eat even a mouthfu
of the stuff, although he had not eaten
anything since he left Santiago. OF the
$3.50 which he had been paid by the Gov
ernment since he enlisted Quinn sent a
To his mother and had only o. CENTS left