Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-08-19
RETURN or THE SICK.
LETTER FROM A STATEN ISLAND
HOSPITAL.

HOSPITAL.
superintendent AI'ce !. Twiichell of the
smith inhrmarv Writes of Her Expert
ences The lick soldiers Very grateful
Condemn Treatment in Field Hospitals.
Miss Alice |. Twitchell of Middlebury,
daughter of L. ID. Twitchell, is superin-
|tendent of the Smith Infrmary on
Staten Island, y. Y, and she writes as
follows to friend:
You may have noticed by the papers
that although | have not gone to the
front vet am doing what can for my
|country.
The trustees of this hospital were
among the first in New York to offer to
help care for the soldiers. We offered
to care for 80 in the house and 200 in
tents. We have 81 now, but may have
more any day, as several more transports
are on the way here.
| can assure you that we are more
|forcibly impressed with the fact that
there has been a war than before they
came Our patients have been largely
medical. and it is pitful to see the poor
Fellows when they first arrive, many of
them convalescent from yellow fever
(though of course all haYe been disin-
|fected and freed from all cOntagion) ,
many so weak from dysentery as to be
hardly able to stand others lame from
and others with gun-shot
wounds that had not been dressed for
six or eight days. We had y who came
up on the COncho and arrived here at 10
O'Clock at night, weak, tired and hungry,
few with any underclothes on, many
with no stockings-one lieutenant among
them, others with only apologies for
shoes. The field uniforms for hot
weather are a harsh twilled cotton goods,
ANYTHING but comfortable to wear next
ones skin. Many with stomachs so
weak that they could not tolerate milk,
unless it was first peptonized, and so
hungry that they could hardly contain
themselves when others in the same
ward, who were a little stronger. had
trays served to them with real victuals.
They tell some pretty hard stories of
their treatment in camp, hospitals and
on the boats. Many of the boats had
|neither doctors, nurses nor food fit for
sick people We lost one poor boy of
% years, who was very Ill when in Cuba,
came here on the Rio Grande. and had no
treatment or food such as he should have
had till he reached here, and then moth
ing could save him He died on the
ninth day from utter exhaustion His
mother. who is a widow. came Oh from
Boston a few days before he died. One
of the sickest men whom we have now
left the yellow fever hospital in pretty
good condition. but there was some delay
in their transportation and he laid out of
doors all night with but one blanket, and
it rained most of the night and the ex-
posure was too much for one in his con
dition and he is making a very slow re-
cOvery. ! have looked over the list
carefully when entering newcomers
thinking we might get some Vermont
boys, but have had none yet. They ap
preciate comforts, ] imagine, as they
never did before. NV nurses often re-
mark that it is pleasure to do for them
as they are so grateful for everything
done for them, and now they are able tC
eat quite hearty food
We have been deluged with fruit an(
delcacies, but they have wanted PIE
and today one of our doctors sent in Il
of them, so they could have one apiece
Not New England pies, but smalle
ones. Staten Island people are the mos
generous imaginable, and | have dona
tions enough to fit out every man viii
good shoes. stockings and underclothing
aside from what the government will do
and 500 to purchase extras with. Mis-
Helen Gould made us a call and Offered
to send fruit every week. There is
certain amount of hero-wOrship and ad
miration for brass buttons mixed with i
all. and have had offers from any mum
Der of society girls to come and hell
care for the "pOor dear boys" but whel
there is more than my % trained nurse
can do prefer to call on my graduates
As they become cOnvalescent the.
enjoy talking over their experiences an
showing souvenirs. Most of them hav
gone from 40 to 30 hours without food
and fighting or marching or sleeping i
pouring rains during that time. The
are all very bitter against the Cuban
and many are anxious to get able t
return there and shoot them. As we ar
doing this work in addition to caring fo
the 10000 people of Richmond borough
we are kept very busy.
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