The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-22
SOLDIERS GUILTY OF THEFT.
CHAPLAIN NAVE TELLS OF THEW
ING AT FORT MCPHERSON.

Patients often Arrived With No
Clothing But the Night Shirts
They Wore Chaplain Nave Pro-
cured Through Private Help over
One Hundred Suits of Clothes.
Mai. Taylor Experienced Difficulty
In Getting Regulations HOnOred.
Commissioners Go to Admission.
Atlanta, Ca, Oct. 21.-The war investi-
eating commission arrived here over the
Southern Railroad at 10 O'Clock to-day,
and after calling upon Gen. Pennington,
in command of the department, proceeded
TO Fort Mcpherson. The only work to be
done here is in connection with the hos
pHal at the fort. The members separated
into parties of two each for the purpose
Of visiting the various divisions of the
institution. They found the barracks at
the post had been transformed into hospi-
tai wards. and, Notwithstanding the day
was wet, the wards were all found to be
comfortable and warm, made so in each
case by large stove in the center of the
room There are now S22 patients in the
institution, and many of them are conva-
lescent.
The commissioners examined only two
witnesses here. They were Mai. Blair B.
Taylor, surgeon in charge of the general
military hospital here, and Rev Orville J.
Nave, chaplain of that institution Both
appeared at the afternoon session of the
commission
Maj. Taylor related the history of the
hospital from its inception. He said that
an 1Nr Ig bod l.. I'm.
ing supplies, as he had been given carte
blanche to purchase them. This authority
had not, however, been given until Aug.
!, whereas il had been asked as early as
June 20. He had, in the beginning of the
camps history had considerable difficult
~ in getting acquisitions filed although
ne has had no difficulty In getting them
approved by the authorities at Washing
ton. One requisiton made on May Is and
another on June "a had not been entirely
filled until very recently. These requisi-
lions had been made upon the New York
supply depot, while all that were made
on the St Louis depot had been promptly
filed One hundred and sixteen cots or
dered in the beginning of the season had
only arrived a day or two since, and they
were not now needed DR.. Taylor had,
on account of the delay in filing these re-
QUESTIONS, been compelled to call upon the
surgeon general for a portion of his spe-
cial fund and had thus prevented any
suffering among patients. Among the ar
tces in which there was delay was bed
linen.
DR.. Taylor said he had found the 60
cents a day Communication more than suf-
ficient to furnish food for the sick men
and he expressed the opinion that 40 cents
per day would be sufficient for the pur-
pose of supplying food. DR.. Taylor stat
ed in reply to a question that he consd-
cred Atlanta an excellent place for win
ter hospital, because of the convenience
i'm reaching the place from the seaportS
! of the Southwest; because the climate was
mild and yet cold enough to prevent in
lection, and also because of the excellent
water supply. He said that a large pro
portion of his patients had been received
from Tampa, but that some had come
from Jacksonville. Chickamauga and
other points He also said that many had
| been sent there who were not in condition
| to be moved, as many of them were ty-
| phod fever patients, and In such cases
| repose was prime necessity. Many pa
| tients had died soon after arrival
Rev. Orville j. Nave, post chaplain at
| Fort Mcpherson, said he had visited every
| patient who had been in the hospital, and
| that he had never heard single COM
plant from a man who was possessed of
his reason, while on the contrary, he had
| heard many expressions of gratitude and
| commentator for the excellent conduct
| of the hospital
Mr.. Nave expressed the opinion that In
the conduct of military hospitals gener-
| ally there was too little care of the clothes
| and other property of patients. The GUS
! tom is to put a sick mans clothing under
| his pillow when he enters hospital, and
Mr. Nave said the man often never again
| sees either his clothing or articles that
may be left i'm the pockets. He had known
| of many instances in which men were
brought here with no clothes except their
night shirts, and he himself had secured
| through private help no fewer than 100
| suits for such men as had lost their
| clothes,
I'm a word" he said 1.-THE thieving
| which has been going on and the petty
peculation which has been practiced upon
soldiers, oftimes by their comrades, has
| been one of the saddest features of the
war" While the bodies of patients were
carefully guarded, their property was not
| Yet these articles We're often, the chaplain
said very sacred to the patient in case
of his recovery, and to his friends and rel
| atives in case of his death"
| Replying to a question from Gen. Will
son, Chaplain Nave said he had seen some
of the surgeons a the hospital under the
| influence of liquor, but not to a sufficient
extent to interfere with the proper per-
! Torrance of their duties.
The commission left at II O'Clock to-
| night for Admission, Ala.
| The commissioners talked with sur
geons, nurses and patients. They encoun-
| tered no complaint from the sick men,
/ and the nurses stated that the work was
constantly growing less and less irksome,
| owing to the decrease in the number Of
| patients. They also visited the mess hall
| of the convalescents while they We're at
| dinner, and the diet kitchen while dinner
/ was being prepared. They found the men
! i'm the mess room abundantly supplied
with food, and all partaking of it with
a relish known only to men who have just
| recovered from typhoid fever