The age-herald., 1898-11-23

she said had neglected their duty, and said greater suffering occurred in the manage ment of the ambulance service. Rev Henry B. Bryan, of the Garden City cathedral, presented himself to speak of the manner in which the soldiers dying in hospitals were buried. MT. Bryan went to Camp Wikoff on September ?. He said the publication of statement of Major Brown that all the bodies were decently buried had induced him to come forward to testify
 ''In his published statement" said MT. Bryan Major Brown said there was no truth in the report that the bodies were not decently buried that everybody was embalmed and decently clothed in new uniform; that bottle containing his name and all the information obtainable about him was buried in his coffin, and that cross marked every grave. l believe Major Brown gave those orders and issued the clothes. but that his orders were not car ried out. I know personally of twenty bodies that were not buried as Major Brown says they were, and l wonder what became of the clothing and the money paid for the embalming."
 .'I do not question Major Brown in any way. lie had not time to see that his or ders were carried out Coughlin and Kohler, who wore Bellevue hospital badges, were in charge of the burial of the dead
 My duties led me by the morgue every day and stopped in to see who had died during the night. l saw the naked bodies of soldiers placed in bare pine collins and
 1,i rneriTr1 1oflt written on the lid of the coffin. Of course, the damp earth quickly obliterated these marks and no further records were kept Sometimes the body was buried in night shirt, but they never took the trouble to button the shirt
 "It was grossly indecent. At the morgue the attendants sat on the coffin with the bodies in them and chewed and chewed and smoked and told indecent stories. l re- buked them once, but they were Bowery toughs and it was useless to talk to them.
 'Did you complain to any one?" asked General Beaver.
 Mot until I read Major Browns state ment. I thought it was against the regula- tions to bury the dead naked"
 ''Do you know who was responsible for the conditions you found?"
 Gruesome Story
 "No. I understand that MT. Roebling Coughlin and Kohler had charge of the morgue there. An autopsy was made on the body of Barney Trio and the organs re- moved were left lying about until the at tendants tied them up in towel and threw them away"
 George Wallace, a lawyer of Freeport, L. l., who had son and brother in the war testified that while at Camp Wikoff looking for his son, he saw many soldiers struggling along the roadway, apparently too weak to move. Some of them told him they had been discharged from hospitals as cured. He told of the regulations that compelled those men to hang around for hours before they could get transporta- ton to their homes
 '.I do not blame the war department he said, "but some one must be responsible for the brutal negligence. It was not the head officers, but the officers charged with carrying out the minor details"
 Mr. Wallace's son returned from Cuba on the Berkshire. He was put on board in precarious condition and state room of the ship was assigned to him. The doctor ordered him special diet, but he was una- ble to get the food without paying 75 cents for each meal. He had no money, but friend of MT. Wallaces who was aboard ad- vanced 1t to him.
 Now what I want to know" said MT. Wallace to the commission, "is why 1t should have been necessary for sick sol- cers in Uncle Sams service to pay for the food prescribed for them by Uncle 6am's doctors. Three of my sons comrades died because they had no money to pay for food"
 Col. Roosevelt next took the stand, and in reply to request from Gen. Wilson told of the equipment and mastering in of the First Volunteer cavalry, known as the Rough Riders.
 "When we reached Tampa" Col. Roose- welt said, "there was a condition of utter confusion. We were dumped outside, mile away from our camp. No one knew where the camp was. There was no one to tell us where to go or what to do After waiting twenty-four hours I took the law into my own hands and bought food for the men and horses. Later, when we found our camp, we were all right'
 'were you reimbursed for your outlay?" 'I never asked 1t. It was a personal mat ter entirely"
 Roosevelt waxed Warm 2. Colonel Roosevelt said a great condition of confusion existed at Tampa. Nobody