The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-14
Camp Merritt Indignant Over a
Contemporaries Vile Story.
YELLOWEST OF FAKES
STORIES OF IMMORTALITY IN
CAMP ARE FALSE.
Utah Men Are Well Behaved and
There Has Not Been Single Case
Of Intoxication Among the Cav
alry-The Evils Paraded Do Not
Exist.
Especial to The Herald.)

Camp Merritt, San Francisco, June 10
Ridicule and Indignation followed the
reading by Utah soldiers in Camp Merritt
of the yellow Journalism report in the
Salt Lake Tribune of June 10, which
reached here today, perpetTating sland-
er upon San Francisco, the rendezvous of
the Philippine soldiers, and even upon the
Utah volunteers. The Tribune allowed
itself to be gulled when it printed pic
ture of what purportS to be Camp Merritt
showing the location of Utah batteries,
and published the special announcing Jnat
Camp Merritt is doomed. Only in the
most remote and worst blurred back
ground is the Utah battery camp dlmly
visible. The alleged picture of Merritt
and accompanying telegram are in every
essential false.
Camp Merritt is not doomed. The troops
now tenting here will not move until sent
on board ship or TO some camp further
distant than the Presidio. Merritt is
practically all a military camp should be,
Notwithstanding to the contrary the
Tribune'S three great evils, of dissolute
women, low saloons and want of drain
age and sanitary precautions
Captain Caine. of the Utah cavalry
troop, smiled when he was shown the dis
solute women canard, but manifested
chagrin when he read extracts from let
ters from distressed parents to their sons,
in his troop.
There is absolutely no truth in the state
ment that lewd women are permitted in
camp. From the very first Captain Caine
has enforced strict orders to allow no per
son inside the guard lines without good
cause, and his soldiers are not permitted
10 converse with anyone outside the lines
The Tribune's consequent spread of dis
ease is purely imaginary. Your CORE
spondent, who is in position to know, of
the troopers health, can state emphat-
ically that the disease story is slanderOus
to the Utah cavalry troop.
Practically all the sickness in this troop
has come from bad colds contracted by
exposure in the misty weather that has
prevailed nearly every day since the
Utah boys arrived.
There are saloons within reach, but the
Utah volunteer cavalry mas yet its first
case of intoXication to be reported. The
Tribunes mythical generals who freely
discuss the camps immortality are not to
be found in the vicinity of San Francisco.
and none but the Tribune correspondent S
nostrils have caught the terrible stencil
from the sinks.
The whole story would be laughable
were it not for the fact that many Utah
volunteers relatives and friends unac-
quainted with the facts might be inclined
to place some credence in it.
The fellows at the batteries regret losing
young Arthur Thomas. who leaves with
his father for Salt Lake tomorrow morn
pneumonia, and the physicians say his
in cavalry service in a low
altitude would be suicidal.
Lieutenant Naylor, of the Utah artillery.
dOnned his new regulation canvas inform
today. The battery camp already appears
deserted, and an officers mess there is a
thing of the past.
Nearly all their traps are aboard ship
for transportation to the Philippines.
The Utah cavalry troop will furnish
horses for the artillery officers to ride to
the dock tomorrow, and Captain Game
will accompany them to the ship Prob
ably no other members of the troop can
20 with their neighbors, because tomorrow
IS pay day in their camp.
John NIETEER