The Topeka state journal., 1898-10-03
SPECIFIC CHARGES FILED
With the Investigation Commission
on Conduct of the War.

Washington, Oct. 3-The war investigat-
! ing commission has received a statement
! New York World, giving what he styles
/ "a record of facts concerning the estab-
lishment of Camp Wikoff and its man
| agement, together with specific instances
OF abuses cnaIrsEo 70 naN9 e&Istt8. l E "a ts
The sta tement was made in response to
! the general invitation from the commits
The specifications cover 2 Pages Of
nent of the the Santiago troops alter the sur
render of the Spanish at that place and
there in July. It Is asserted that at the
time Montauk Point was selected as the
The details of the selection of the camp
site are given, as are also those of trans
when the first detachment of 275 troops
arrived on the Sth of August, ''the camp
they slept under their blankets and in the
open, air, as no tents had arrived"
after it had been decided to establish the
CoRtinuing. the assertion is made that
by the 10th of August, the sick were re-
commodations and food; that their tents
were without floors, and only their blan-
kets between the sick men and the ground,
and that a glass or sour milk apiece was
the only nourishment they received in "A
The war department is charged with
frequent changes of plans, and it is as
six days for the preparation of the camp
before the arrival of the troops. when two
weeks were necessary HWOlCn caused
ggsf DT son visited the the ldEh cam8 8 and
Rdv f9H9q tde6 rGPPn 3Pn Fer b61 Body
of water without outlet or inlet for their
drinking water. This pond received the
drainage of the camp and the doctor
found the water to contain 80 grains of
This condition he said, caused disease
and rendered the pond a constant menace
BY the 30th of August there were 10000
men in camp and 1. 300 in the hospital, with
m q ny a a q "a
be suffering for the necessaries of life. and
had received no pay for three months.
Contract surgeons were living at the ex-
After the doctors had Iunched'' says
the accounts, twenty-five empty apOlltn-
| aris bottles were counted on the table;
said to have been diverted from hospital
store"
Particulars are given of the death in his
tent of Private Hugh Parrett, on August
., and it is asserted that DR.. Tabor re-
on the ground that he was not sick.
The assertion is made that when, on the
9TH of september, Dr.. Lee went to Camp
Wikoff with special train to take sick
soldiers to the Brooklyn hospitals. ''he
was unable to get more than Is men to the
train on account of the lack of ambu-
lanees; which were being used 2I7t?9 to carry
s1ghtseers around the camp Whlle nun
dreds of sick soldiers were waiting to be
ambulances stood at the depot filed with
the laughing men and women who were
seeing the camp with officer friends
After this incident General Young gave
orders that the ambulances were to be
! used only for the transportation of the
list of witnesses forwarded is as fol-
lows
General Joseph Wheeler, General Young,
Colonel Forwood, Major Brown (surgeon),
Chief Surgeon Sem.
From the Red Cross: Miss Helen Goul9,
Mrs. Walworth, DR.. Cyrus Edison, Mr. II.
s. Doty lhealth officer of New York city,,
DR.. T. W. jenkins (health commissioner
of New York;. Vim. Smith (banker). Sur
geOn Linn CThirteenth infantry, Surgeon
Ames (Tenth infantry.
A large number of names of witnesses
is also suggested in the Parrett case, and
there is a general request that correspond
ents and reporters of the World shall be
called.
The commissioners directed that a reply
be Forwarded to Mr.. HerSch, informing
him that the communication should have
careful consideration.