The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1898-10-26
BRYAN PREFERRED NOT 70 TESTIFY.
HIS WISH GRANTED.
His Lieutenant Colonel Speaks Concerning the
Poor Clothing and Wormy Pork Furnish
ed the Third Nebraska Regiment.

Colonel William j. Bryan. of the
Third Nebraska regiment. was called
before the war investigating commits
siCn at Jacksonville. Fla, a few days
ago. He asked to be excused from tes-
ttifying, requesting that his lieutenant
colonel be examined in his stead.
You will. have no doubt, under
stand my reasons for the request" he
said.
Il think the request very proper and
reasonable responded Governor
Beaver. and the entire commission as
sented to the concession. Colonel Bry-
an was excused with the request to
send up his lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel Nifquain, of the
Third Nebraska. a veteran of the civil
war, and graduate of the military
school of Brussels, said the regiment
was excellently equipped, except that
the tenage was poor. He also said that
quality of the clothing was bad. The
pork had been wormy at times and the
beef tainted. but these had been ex-
changed. He thought the clothing bet
ter than in the civil war, but the RAJ
tions were not so good. He thought
the camp entirely too much crowded.
Lieutenant Morrow, acting commits
sary of the Third Nebraska, mention
ed one or two instances when poor ba-
con had been received and said there
were oCfdSlolldl cOl1pldlntS 1TOUl tut
men. DR.. Alex. Kent, pastor Of the Peo-
rle's Church at Washington, and field
agent at Jacksonville for the Red
Cross, had noticed the absence of
sheets and pillow-cases at the Second
division hospital in its early history.
Many men lay uncovered on account
of the short supply of blankets. He
supplied the deficiency. There was
also at that time shortage of tents
and food suitable to typhoid fever pa
tients.
1T seemed" he said, "as If the hos
pital was arranged upon a smaller
scale than was demanded and as a
consequence there was a constant de-
mand upon the Red Cross to supply
the deficiency"
DIR. Kent said he had heard many
complaints concerning misconduct at
the hospitals, but they had not gener-
ally proved well founded. He thought
1t had been difficult to get medical men
of sufficient administrative ability to
manage such institutions as the divis-
ion hospitals. Men of the hospital
corps were not capable. They did not,
for instance, seem TO regard It as of
consequence II flies were crawling i'm
and out of sick mans mouth, and he
had seen as many as six cases of this
kind at one time.
The witness said the principal reason
fer the failure of the physicians to
make acquisitions on the government
for supplies was found in the fear of
their making demands that would not
be sanctioned.
The commission heard several of the
professional female nurses. Miss Cope
land. chief nurse at the Third division
hospital. said that when the nurses
first came to the camp there was only
one nurse to each 40 or so patients, but
this condition had haan ctaa1ii,- i,,,
proved There was also in the begin
ming some scarcity of appliances for
the sick. She spoke of some nurses
who had made complaints, but these
were of the kind of persons who are
never satisfied with any situation.