The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-01

fling from the women. Then the chaplain's
voice sounded low but distinctly: "An
flesh Is not the same flesh" and continu-
ed through that beautiful 18th chapter of
! Corinthians. ending with the words:
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be We
steadfast, unmovable, always Astounding
In the work of the Lord. forasmuch as We
know that your labor is not In vain in the
Lord"
The shovel gang composed of day labor
ers from New York. a contractors men,
not soldiers) listened In strained attitudes
intended to be respectful; some folded their
arms hard, some worked their cheeks and
tried bravely not 10 spit. / don't think the
mother was shocked by anything; she did
not notice what was about her; she did not
get that Whit from a rafting dead-wagon
which came up just as the chaplain threw
down handful or dirt upon the coffin, and
she did not see the mule driver smoking
his cigar, She was thinking of her boy
the corporal, aged 90.
A blessing by the priest concluded the
ceremony, which lasted about 10 minutes
and was meant to include ala the bodies
put down that day, as well as the occupant
of grave 3d. 1t was 10 minutes of reverence
against 10 hours of irrevereuce. 1t was
good as far as II went but priest and chap
lain would be the first to maintain that 1t
goes not far enough. Scarcely were our
backs turned when the shoVef-gang We're
az ID as before on the newly-brought bod
les; these would get their blessing "A hours
later ! believe there are many people in
this country who will cry out "Shamep'
when they learn that a hundred of our
dead soldiers, more than a hundred, have
been mauled about and dumped into the
ground by cursing splitting, acid-squirt-
ing shovel-gang.
| believe there are many people I'm this
country who would have demanded better
tro for In,
fantrymen; ] believe there are thankful
mothers and sisters and wives who would
have plucked flowers from their gardens
and sent them here with blessings New
York is only four hours away / believe
there, are rich men who would have fur
nished decent collins for these boys in
blue, not painted packing boxes Yes and
clean hearses with springs to bear them,
instead of jolting army wagons; and solid
stones to mark their graves, instead Of
boards And singers would have journeyed
TO this camp with JOY, and asked no pay,
for the privilege of chanting abide With
Me" and Lead, Kindly Light where
the boys lay. / am sure that gentlemen
would have come and organized this bury
ing business properly, and ladies would
have come and done what they could, and
the whole thing would have been better,
so much better If they had only known,
If they had only knownl
But those who did know, or should have
known, what have they been
doing these days? How comes
1t that the officers and gener-
ais whose triumph was aided by these
dead soldiers have left the handling of this
honored clay to hirelings from a city's
slums? Was it not right that soTdiers
should be buried by soldiers?
Where was the keen-eyed, quick think
ing Col. Roosevelt while one of his rough
ridarG W. bafnp shovel 10
Where were the officers OF the gallant
Seventy-frst, which has more than one
man buried on that hill? Where were all
the benevolent women? Why did not Pres
ident Mckinley visit the dead of Camp
Wikof well as the living? What has
been the matter with all these highly pFac-
ed people: Were they too busy? Then they
might have called for help. Did they over
look il? Then perhaps the country will not
overlook IT.