The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1898-09-24
DIR. J.k. TACKETT
Writes an Exceedingly Interesting
Letter From Santiago.
He Draws Dark, Sad Picture of the Con.
ditiOn of Our Soldiers There.


my hospital service at Santiago, has
written long, but extremely inter-
esting letter to Hon. J. H. Neveille,
who is one of the best and most favor
ably known men in this State. Dr..
/ rackett is himself Mississippian, u
physician Of high standing and gen.
tleman without a blemish. What he
says, therefore, bears the imprint Of
authority, and it may be relied upon
that the picture he draws is an accu-
rate one. The letter appeared in full in
a recent issue of the Biloxi Daily Her
aid, and 1t confirms the most dreadful
stories OF misery, neglect aud incompe-
tency published concerning the con-
dition of American soldiers. We re-
produce below the chief text of the
letter; written at a hospital on ten
acre island in the harbor of San.
tiago:
The city is on the harbor, surround
ed by tall mountains which arc G~ist-
ling with Spanish forts, block houses
and rifle pits. Nature has made San
tiago impregnable and if it had been
us instead of the Spaniards who occu-
pied the place, the combined forces OF
the universe could not have taken it.
The city is dirty, old and truly Spanish.
The streets are narrow and filled with
half.starved Cuoans, dogs, donkeys and
buzzards. Everything bears the tooth
of time. That there is ''nothiug new
under the SUM- holds good here. Lit
orally. Santiago is drunk with the
blood OF the saints" for many brave
American has given up his life here.
The sickness and suffering and death
Of our men is something appalling.
They are pale, weak and emaciated
from malaria, fighting and hunger.
They are broken in spirit and are hut
the ghosts Of their former selves. The
old soldiers are being sent back to the
States, in fact, nearly all have gone
and fresh, so-called immune regi-
ments' are taking their place to gar
rison the town.
There has been criminal negligence
all down the line, and after all is over
and a general reckoning comes, there
will be disclosures made which will
startle the universe. There is no sense
or excuse for the suffering. There is
food and medicine here and we cannot
get them. have seen men die here
simply because we could not get the
proper facilities for treating them.
On this island we have quite q number
Of cases OF yellow fever and also some
who were sent as suspects. but who
have pernicious and henorrhage mala-
ria. They are dying.
1t is sad to see the brave defenders of
San Juan hill-who have fought like
devils and staked their lives while |
guarding the trenches-'tis hard and |
sad to see them die away down here.
when know some Of them could be |
saved If we had the means of treating |
them. We have our ''private grave
yard down here under the mango
trees and every night, with the assist
ance of an old Cuban, Il hoe, two
machettes and wash basin, we dig
grave by the waters edge and wrap
ping his blanket about his yellow
form-we have no coflins-we lay to
rest somebody's SON.
The fever here differs in no partic-
ular from our epidemic OF last summer,
except that all, or nearly all, of these
cases here are mixed with malaria
mixed infection-and the fever runs
longer course. Another thing differ.
ent here in this fever is the conspicu.
Gus absence OF chattering fools
'excuse plain Spanish who hang around
street corners and air their shallow
brains by claiming It's only a'form OF
bilious fever
Santiago and the scenery about here
are gorgeous, at a distance, but the
place is sickly and veritablc death
trap. The death reports sent out from
here are joke. and there is no truth
to be placed in them. have seen
enough sickness and suffering here to
turn Il mans hair white | am doiu"
good, gaining knowledge and am
satisfied.
The last American paper we have
had was the 31st Of July. We are cut
off from Santiago. and even news cur
rent there is denied is. \ Cuban
comes over daily in a launch and brings
ne yn1lo favor -,atioptS or6 ,,;o,o ~