The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-18
SOME SHARP WORDS
He Thinks Most of Com
plants Were Unfounded.

the attention of the board to report at
that point
He stated that letters had been re-
ceived from about hundred persons,
in the vicinity of New York, but he said
he did not know whether all Of these
would appear as witnesses.
After concluding the work in New
| York, the commission will proceed TO
Boston, and, returning, stop a6 Phila-
| delphia to make certain inquiries there.
| 1t is also expected that a number of
witnesses will be called after the re-
turn to Washington, and if the COM
mission does not go to Cuba, some per-
sons there will be asked to come here.
! General DENLY will remain in Washing
ton, while the other members of the
| commission are absent, and will take
the testimony of such persons as may
ask to be heard
DR.. Forwood, chief army surgeon at
Camp Wikoff. continued his testimony
before the board today.
! He said that from the beginning to
the end of the history Of the general
| hospital at Camp Wikoh there was
never a time when there were not from
| so to 500 vacant beds. Many patients
soon after arriving were sent away to
|
in response to public clamor. The pa
| tients taken away were largely typhoid
cases. and were selected chiefly because
| TT was deemed wise not to allow typhoid
cases to accumulate at Montauk.
! During the first thirty days of the
history of the camp, 5000 patients were
treated. and it would have been out Of
the question to care for all of them in
the camp hospitals Speaking of the
nurses, he said there was considerable
number of hospital corps men who had
| been trained in the post hospitals be-
fore the women nurses arrived. This
| was limited training. but it rendered
the men much more efficient.
Dr. Forwood said he had expected
| typhoid fever would break out in the
hospital. but he never had expected
! that troops would remain there long
enough to cause an epidemic of this
| disease. AS it was, he did not believe
there was a case originating in Camp
Wikof. He declared there had been a
| sufficieney of medicines and medical
| supplies at all times, a wasteful abund-
ance in fact. From first to last during
the history of -he camp 81 carloads
We're received.
Notwithstanding this fact there was
complaint of the scarcity of medical
supplies and medicines due largely to
the fact that doctors often required
proprietary medicines, which were not
| kept in hand No acquisitions were re-
quired in getting medicines.
| DR.. Conner read letter from Maj.
H. w Wood, a regular army surgeon,
dated Montauk, in August, complaining
that there was pressing want of med
| ical supplies, and that the camp was in a
| deplorable condition. Col. Forwood
said that Dr. Wood was disappointed
| because he did not get a leave of alb
! senee after arriving from Cuba, which
| ne had asked for. notwithstanding his
services were needed.
A dispatch was read from General
Wheeler, saying that Dr. Wood had
i failed to secure medicines only be-
cause he had not sent for them. DR..
Forwood declared that the complaints
concerning the purity of the water at
! Montauk had originated with men
who had filters and diStilling apparatus
! for sale The water was pure and
plentiful. He said the transportation
facilities of the camp were poor, and
| that often the vehicles received were
not complete in their equipment
Major General S. B. NJ. Young was
before the commission at its afternoon
session, relating in detail his expe-
rience at Santiago and afterward at
Montauk. He said he had landed at Bal
quiri on the 21st of June, and that by the
morning of the 2Sd his entire brigade
| had been put ashore.
| He had notified Gen. Wheeler and had
received orders to move on four or five
miles and secure a good camp. He had
accordingly pushed on to Siboney. He
had asked Gen. Wheeler where the gov
eminent camping ground was, and he
replied that the Spaniards occupied It.
| then, said Gen Young, asked permits
sion to go out to see the ground, say
ing ! should like to get it for our own
troops, to which Gen. Wheeler assent
ed.
In accordance with this arrangement,
he moved out at O'clock next morning
to fight the battle of Guisama, sending
the volunteers and the rough riders by
one road the regulars going by an
| other. He declared that there was no
surprise in this fight and no ambus-
cade, as had been reported. He re-
lconnoitered the Spanish camp with a
glass for half an hour before the fight
began, and he had attacked the Span
| lrds, and not the Spaniards him
Speaking of the rough riders, he said
| there had been no greater percentage
! Of casualties among them than among
the regulars, and that they We're not led
into any situation not to be expected in
war. The report that they were al
lowed to be ambuscaded was due. he
| said entirely to the demoralized re-
| porter and the demoralized adiutant of
the regiment, who had left the ssrvice
soon afterwards
Gen. Young said he had occupied the
enemy's camp that day, and it was a
4 good camp, he added, naively
In reply to a question as to what aid
he had secured from the Cubans in this
fight, he replied none whatever. The
Cuban guides had deserted him upon
the first fire. Gen. Castillo on the night
before had told him that he would
send 500 Cubans with him, but when
the next morning he sent word to Cas-
tillo that he was prepared to proceed
his messenger had found a card on the
Cuban commanders door. saying that
he must not be disturbed He had
therefore proceeded without the Gu
bans.
After the fight was over, however
some of the Cubans had come up under
the command Of aF'renchman, who sal
uted him very trsgically with his sabre
saying that he had been ordered by
Gen. Castillo to follow the enemy anC
fight him wherever he could find him.
Gen. Young said he simply ordered
the Cubans to the rear, and the only
service they performed was to gather
up the baggage that the American sol
. diers had discarded.
Gen. Young said that Immediately
. after the Guasima fight he had looked
, the ground over toward Caney, and hat
fl -