The age-herald., 1898-11-15

the part Of the purveyor not lo give out what there
 Dr. Huidekoper said that with few un- | important exceptions, the medical supplies l for the Porto Rican expedition had been
 | ample. At Newport News he had given orders that the sick men be eliminated | from the command, but he found that the order had been evaded This was es- pccialy true of the Third Illinois, whose | surgeon, Dr. Hudekoper said, had per- sisted from the start in breaking the spirit of the latter law. The regiment had left sick in every town 1t had visited
 He said that when the command started | to Porto Rico General Brooke had exer- csed his prerogative to demand the filling of requisition which had been refused by the deputy surgeon-general, but in response l to question he said he did not know why | the general had not exercised this pre- rogative in securing supplies at Chicka- mauga.
 l Responding to a request from Governor Beaver, Dr. Huidekoper detailed the par | ticulars of his education a physician, | giving some of his military experience. Replying to another question from Gov ernor Beaver, the witness said the Deputy Surgeon General Hartsuff, had refused to
 l supply dsinfectants for the camp at l Chickamauga saying that to do so was l contrary to army regulations.
 Difficulties Encountered Colonel Huidekoper returned frequently
 during his testimony to his difficulties in securing nurses He said he had once se- cured an approach to the necessary number by an order from General Brooke.
 | The witness asserted that the sick n
 Porto Rico had had good attention, contra. dieting the assertion of Colonel Hartsuff | that there had been negligence.
 Major Thomas Knox, inspector-general, who participated in the early part of the l Santiago campaign in the early part of the
 regular cavalry, was before the commission
 at its afternoon session. He was wounded
 at La Guasima on the second day after
 | landing, when he was the only officer of his regiment present. Engaged in looking af- | ter his men. he was struck In the back and
 was shot through the body, the ball passing | through the kidneys, liver and lungs. He had remained with his men for some time after being shot through the body, and when he at last sought a surgeon he had | lost great deal of blood, the doctors say | ing he must necessarily die. He walked 150 yards to find a surgeon, but previous to this there were surgeons attending the wounded on the firing line. He said that l his wounds had never received or required attention, that he had been able to sit up In about three weeks time. He came north l on the Olivette and after arrival. was taken care of at Fort Wadsworth hospital He
 | had found that this institution was well conducted Major Knox said he had re- mained with his troops about ten minutes af fter receiving his wound and that he had | for that time forgotten himself in giving attention to his command. His position l had been a central one, and he had felt that l break might make an opening for the enemy
 Transport Was Crowded
 Major Knox said the transport on which 1 his men went to Santiago from Tampa was crowded and in poor condition, and that I his men on arrival were unfit for service. | He said that the medical corps had done as well as could have been expected with the means at command. He thought 1t would have been better if there could have been anibulances and more filters, but the expe- l dtion had been hastily organized and he | had no criticism to make. Furthermore, l the transports were so crowded with men 1 that there was little room for more men | or for amublances All efforts had been | directed towards getting as many soldiers over as possible and not towards furnish | ing such convenences for the men as might be considered desirable under other cir cumstances.
 Breckinridge Testifics General Breckinridge next testified. General Breckinridge expressed the opin- | ion that Chickamauga was suitable as camp site, but the want of portable water was a defect. He was of the opinion that | the water could have been vastly improved had there been a willingness to go off the reservation. General Breckinridge said that the con- | dition.of all the hospitals at Camp Thomas, except Sternberg was bad. They were | crowded and there was lack of skill on l the part of attendants He also thought | the quartermasters department had been | remiss in some of it's duties. but he attrib- uted all trouble to the want of experience. | There had been a lack of tentage at the hospitals. He was informed that the tents were in the quartermaster's depot. MT. Conner made an effort to get General Breckinridge to say where the responsi- bility rested for the poor conditions, but | the latter said that he had never attempted | to locate the responsibility, devoting him. self particularly to remedying the evil | eve all recognized that the condition was abnormal" he said. "and the question was how to meet 1t.
 The chief trouble seems to have been | that the hospital attendants were not fa- miliar with their duties.
 l He said that apparently up to the time of his arrival the first duty had been con- l ceiyed to be to prepare for war. He had | changed this by turning the attention of | all to taking care of the sick and if he de- served any consideration in his administra- | ton 1t was for this change.
 eff you could do what you did, could not ! General Brooke have done the same thing | two months beforef" Dr. Conner asked. .I don't think he had the sick" the wit ness responded.
 Brooke Was Negligent l Later General Wilson asked the same
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