The evening times., 1898-08-29
SCENES MISSED BY ALGER
How a Brave Soldier Died at
Camp WikOff.
STARVED AND NEGLECTED.
PitfRble Case Of Private Parrett. Of
the Eighth Isfantry-His COM
Corpse-''The Regulars Have No
Friends''-Awful stories of Agony.

New York. Aug. @.-when Secretary
Alger left Camp wikons, on Friday he
said. In effect: 81
Now the sick soldiers will be we'll
sheltered: now thereaw be cots in the
hospitals for Them! now there will oe
surgeons enough and doctors enough !;
now there will be Strengthening food for
them. food easily digesrible: food that
sick men can eat and that will help to
make them we'll"
Mr.. Alger has gonei TO Washington. and
doubtless hoped what he had said here
would prove true But careful o5serva-
ton at Camp wikoff yesterday proved
that the improvement In the horrible
state Of affairs there Is not visible to the
naked eye. The sick soldiers were not
well sheltered: they did not receive the
care grateful country owed them.
The stories of how some Of the men In
camp suffered and died Is almost with
out parallel in the history of hospital
negligence and mismanagement.
One case in particular that Is exciting
the Indignation Of the men is that OF
Private Parrett. Of the Eighth Infantry
IL this man had been seen by Secretary
Aiger on Saturday perhaps the unofficial
report of the Cabinet minister would
have been In q different vein. Parrett
came with his comrades from Santiago
on the Mobile. He was buring with fever
and weak with dysentery. He struggled
against this seige of disease until he be-
came helpless In his tent
The condition of this man was not
essentially different from that of hun
dreds Of others who have suffered by
reason OF causes now well known.
This private was taken to a tent of the
regulation size. about seven feet by seven
in dimensions. Two men can live in 1t
comfortably with regard to room. II Is
uncomfortable for three and crowded
with four. Four men were in it. includ-
ing Parrett. The others were Privates
Somers Cox and Schumer. There were
four straw-filled mattresses laid over
ponchos and supplied with blankets.
Three blankets lay side by side, and the
fourth lay at the foot Of the three. Aside
from this bedding there was nothing else
in the tent save a few tin dishes. which
We're used by the men when food was
carried to them by their comrades.
All four men were i'll. Parrett was the
worst of. though apparently the seri-
BUSINESS of his condition was not discov-
cred by those whose business 1t is to look
after the sick.
Day and night they lay moaning upon
their mattresses with their clothes and
shoes on. No nurses came to them and
they were unable to retain such food as
was served to them.
So there they were-these four brave
fellows-on Friday afternoon when DR..
Tabor. the regimentai surgeon, walked up
the street. Parrett crawled- upon his
hands and knees from his bunk to the lit
tie plot of worn grass in front OF the
tent The subsequent conversation is
told from the lips of several men.
Parre;t. it appears. was lying In the
street. ciutching the grass, when DR..
Tabor appeared
Doctor" he said in a weak voice.
We'll said the surgeon.
..For Gods sake send me 10 the hos
pltal If you don't l am dead man"
Parrett moaned. 90.
The hospital is for sick men," said
the surgeon, as he moved along up the
street. -
There is a dispute between the surgeon
and the men as to the accuracy Of this
report of the conversation. but there Is
no dispute as TO the events following.
Parrett lay in the sun for few minutes
and then crawled back TO his bunk. He
drank from a cup Of water held 10 his
lips by a comrade. but could eat no food.
Private Soners lay at one side, close 20
the edge of the tent. Cox was on the
other side. with Schumer on the bunk
al the foot OF the Others.
During the early evening Parrett lay
with his face down and his hands cling
ing to the straw mattress. At O'Clock
Saturday morning he moaned to his COM
rades that he wished TO be taken out
side
Two of the men. weak and Iii, struS-
glei to their feet and carried their COM
rade from his tent. When outside they
placed their arms round his body and
helped him along. They were too weak
to carry even this shriveled and worn
form They went but a short distance
and yet were nearly an hour on the
route.
They returned at O'Clock and placed
Parrett back in his old place on the
bunk Somers turned his face toward the
edge of the tent and sought sleep. The
other men did the same. Parrett's groans
grew a bit fainter, but in a few minutes
the tent was silent, save for the weak
breathing of the men,
1t was an hour, perhaps more. when
Somers awoke from his restless, fevered
sleep and turned his head. movement
that necessarily brought his face within
lines of the gray dawn shooting across
the sea and over the low stretch Of
tented ground brought an awful sight
to this young fellow. He saw two wide
open, staring eyes. fixed and glazed. and
a face white as the foam on the beach.
Boys" said Somers, wildly and feebly,
"hes dead"
And so Hugh Parrett. private soldier.
died-died with his boots on" by the
side OF three comrades who were Ill: died
unnursed. lying on a straw tick In a
attendance for hours: died at a camp
"for recuperation" within three hours
time of the greatest and richest city on
the Western Hemisphere.
The anger of Parrett's comrades was
impressive. Sergt. Rich broke loose be-
fore his superiors and was arrested. The
others when seen Individually. swore
that the responsible parties would be
punished If they ever lived to leave the
camp.
The eyes of one poor fellow who could
not lift his eyes from his bunk glistened
my God" he moaned, ''can 1t be that
we are to be left here to die like poor
Parrett!'
A detailed written statement Of the
case was sent to Gen. Wheeler.
DR.. Tabor who is a contract surgeon
went into a storm of passion when told
of the conversation Of Parrett as repeated
by the soldiers.
"It is a He," he said. "You can't believe
a soldier They are all liars. would give
a good deal to know the man who told
you that story. would have him court
martiaied and driven from the service" !"
Referring to the case. Of Parrett, he
said: II visited the. man Friday after
noon. He begged to be sent to the hos