The evening times., 1898-11-03
BRINGING THE DEAD HOME.
Bodies of American Soldiers tn BE
Exhumed.

The American soldiers who fell on the
| fighting line or died in hospitals from dis
| ease or wounds and were buried under the
| tropical skies of Cuba, Porto Rico or the
Philippines will be brought to this country
for final interment in the land of their
friends and home.
Arrangements have been completed By
the War Department for this work
Transports will soon be engaged in bring
ing to these shores sacred eargoes of all
that remains of the buoyant and gallant
boys in blue who in the prime of health
and manhood left families. homes and all
in response TO their country's call to bat
tie for flag and humanity
Parties are now engaged in Cuba, and
soon others will be similarly engaged in
Porto Rico and the Philippines. unearth-
ing from their shallow graves the sol
diers' bodies in their army shrouds of
blue. These Will be placed in air and
water-tight iron caskets. properly labeled,
and shipped % the United States on Gov
ernment transports and entirely at Gov
ernment expense.
Upon their arrival here the caskets will
be sent to the home places of the dead
soldiers and delivered 10 family or
friends or If desirable. they Will be given
military burial by the Government In
one of the national soldier cemeteries,
preferably Arlington.
The caskets to be sent TO Cuba and
Porto Rico are now being manufactured
in the United States and VIII De sent to
the islands when needed. Those intend
ed for the dead at Mania and vicinity
viii be furnished by company at Hong
kong. This company will ship the cas-
kets to Manila and send number of un-
dertakers there to prepare the bodies for
shipment to San Francisco.
A catalogue of the American dead who
gave up their lives during the war with
Spain Is being prepared at the War De-
partment- The list viii be classified
der several heads, probably as follows:
Killed in action" died of wounds re-
ceived in action died of disease
abroad died of disease in the United
States
AS the stormy season is at hand it is
barely possible that the removal of The
dead TO this country will be deferred un-
til spring, especially if the Panama has
met with an accident as was reported
last night.
II is understood that memorial assOcia-
tions are being formed in several of the
States for the care Of the graves of their
dead and 10 carry out the pretty obServ-
ance of Memorial Day, May %.
The War Department is daily in receipt
OF many anxious inquiries concerning the
Soldiers in Cuba, Porto Rico. Honolulu
and the Philippines These inquiries are
from mothers wives. sisters, fathers and
even sweethearts who have heard that
their loved ones were sick or dead.
These inquiries are always hOnored by
the department when they are considered
TO be based upon probability. and the ad-
jutant generals Office sends cable in
quiries to the commanders of the regi-
ments in question, asking for the infor-
nation desired without cost to4the rel
atives or friends who are seeking the
information.
In many cases the replies show that the
soldiers are well. Others state that they
are confined 10 the hospital with yellow
fever. typhoid or some other nalady
Occasionally the sad news is returned
that the soldier inquired about is dead
and has been buried
There have been many pathetic scenes
as a result of these free messages sent
10 the far-away posts of the army