The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-15
DR.. HUIDEKoPER A WITNESS.
MS TESTIMONY DIFFERS FROM
THAT OF DIR. HARTsUFF.


and Declared That No Patient Had
to Lie Ont without COvering-Had
Never Turned Down But One
Reouisition-He COlltradicts Dr..
HartsuR as to Conditions in Porto
Rico.
washington, Nov. 14.-Gen. Breckenridge,
DR. Huidekoper and Maj. Knox were be-
fore the war investigating commission to-
day. Gov. Woodbury. has returned from
Vermont and sat with the commission to-
day.
Dr. R. S. Huidekoper, lieutenant colonel
of volunteers, was the first witness. He
eald that he had occupied the position of
chief medical officer of the First Army
Corps at Camp Thomas, Chickamauga
Park, until July %. when he had gone to
Porto Rico with Gen. Brooke.
Speaking of the supply depot, he said
there were large quantities of some ar
ticles and a superabundance of others at
the beginning of the history Of Camp
Thomas, but that this condition of affairs
did not long continue. AT one time he had
10 appeal to Gen. Brooke to get the sup
plies necessary, the depot surgeon general
insisting upon being guided by the supplies
on the table, which was not fair test.
do you not know" asked Dr. Connor
"that there was a fun supply of medical
stores at the depot at Lytle?"
Il know that many articles were lack
ing the doctor replied, and added, lit is
not true, as has been stated, that there was
a fun supply"
He continued by saying that he had made
constant representations to the surgeon
general of the shortage of supplies. He
had never turned down any requlstion
from the division hospitals except on one
occasion when he knew that the articles
were not on hand. Also he had refused his
sanction for d requisition for flooring for
hospital tents when Gen. Brooke had ex-
pected to move He contended that there
had been a suflciency of tentage, saying
that no patients had been compelled to lie
out without covering for any length of
time. II was true, however, that there
were occasions on which the sick men had
been kept for several days al a time under
tho tent flies
THE Second and Third division hospi-
tails were, he said, in reply to a question,
always clean and well ordered both in
sututions were well built but they had
suffered throughout for proper attendance.
There were never a sufficient number of
hospital corps men. On the other hand
the First Division Hospital was not so
well conducted, for lack of discipline, due
TO the prospect of removal
Reverting to the question of tentage, Dr.
Huidekoper said he knew Of his own
knowledge that the surplus rentage at the
reserve hospital was turned over to the
division hospitals, and that tents had not
been held there to the detriment of other
hospitals However, he stated that there
were always unoccupied tents at the re-
serve hospital
Speaking of the condition of the camp
in general, he said that some of the
sinks we're excessively filthy. Some of
them were never in proper condition. He
said the officers of the regiments were
responsible for their condition.
Did not the commanding general have
duty to perform in this Connection the
questioner continued.
The reply to this question was not salts
factory, and Dr. Connot insisted upon
knowing whether anything had ever been
done by the commanding general 20 secure
the punishment of regimental officers who
had refused to obey orders for the proper
policing of the camps, but DR.. Hudekoper
declared that he knew no instance of the
prosecution of any offense of this kind
Col. Huidekoper said he had succeeded
in getting supplies only by being the first
on hand as the medical depot was run in
very parsimonious manner.
DR.. Huidekoper said that, with few
exceptions, the medical supplies 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 and sick men taken
aboard. This was especially true of the
Third Illinois Regiment whose surgeon,
DR.. Huidekoper said, had persisted from
the start in breaking the spirit, if not the
letter, of the law. The regiment had left
sick at every town that 1t had visited.
He said that when the command started
Tor Porto Rico, Gen. Brooke had exercised
MS prerogatiVe TO demand the filling of a
Iequisiton which had been refused by the
deputy surgeon general but in response to
a question he said he did not know why
the general had not exercised this prerog-
alive in securing supplies at Chickamau-
ga.
responding to a request from eX-Gov.
Beaver DIT. Huidekoper detailed the par
uculars of his education as a physician,
giving also his experience in sanitary
work. He said he had graduated as ply
sician from the University of Pennsylvania
IN 1874 and afterward had studied much in
Farls, Berlin and other European capitals
and had had considerable experience in
hospitals and in general practice. He went
10 Europe a second time on the recommen-
dauon Of DR.. Hayes Agnew, who desired
TO establish a veterinary hospital After
returning to this country he went TO New
York and was largely la the manufacture
OF toxines, only practicing medicine for
charity. He had been a surgeon in the
pennsylvania National Guard from 1874 to
IS95 being brigade surgeon most of the
time, covering the Homestead strikes and
the Jamestown flood.
Repiying 10 another question from Gen.
Beaver, the witness. said that Deputy Sur
geon General Hartsuf had refused to sup
ply disnfectants for the camp at Chicka-
manga, saying that TO do so was contrary
10 army regulations.
Col. Huidekoper returned frequently dur
ing his testimony to his difficulties in Sc
curing nurses. He said he had once secur-
60 an approach to the necessary number
through an arbitrary order from Gen