The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-24
mo GREAT HRRDSHIPS
NEWSPAPER MAN SAYS TROOPS HAD
LITTLE CAUSE FOR COMPLAINT.
Regulars in the West Had ROugher
tiagO-Medicines Scarce.

NEW YORK, Nov. 23.-James F. Archi-
bald. a San Francisco newspaper man, who
went With the First Regular Infantry from
California to Santiago was the first witness
before the war investigating commission
to-day. Mr. Archibald said his chief reason
for volunteering to appear before the COM
mission was because of the published state
ments that there was great hardships in
Cuba because of a lack of food Il wish to
say, he said, that / nave had considera BILE
experience in campaigning with the troops
In the West, and there the regular soldiers
have had much rougher experiences than
they did in Cuba. There was plenty of food.
The inability Of the volunteers to adapt
themselves to circumstances was due TO
their own ineXperience. If they had known
enough to hustle and cook the food that
was there they would have had less cause
to complain. There was a scarcity OF meti-
cal supplies. of surgeons and nurses 1t
appeared to me that DR.. Wood caused con-
siderable unnecessary suffering by his severe
administration of his hospital near Siboney.
he refused to allow anyone to visit the
sick and once when l was trying to find a
wounded man of the First Infantry he re-
fused to let me in. He declined to allow
Cubans who had offered to build shelter for
the sick to do so, and when / tried to reason
with him he said: 1 am running this hos
pital to suit myself which L suppose was
proper l mention that incident as the only
matter that came to my notice in which
blame the authorities.
John Jay Robinson, of New York who
was at Camp Wikoff with the Y. M c. A.
tent, told of the conditions there as he saw
them during the last days of August and
September. He did not know of any great
lack of food or supplies and said that he
considered whole that the camp was
We'll conducted.
q professional nurse, established diet
kitchen at Camp Wikoff and served there,
for a month from Aug. 20. She complained
OF the lack of competent hospital help, the
scarcity of ambulances and the inexperience
OF some of the contract doctors. On more
than one occasion she saw improper pre-
scrlptions, and on one occasion she COM
planned to Major COrbes that a dose pre-
scrfbed for a man would kill him. The mat
ter was referred to the surgeons of the
general hospital. What struck me most
painfully, said the witness, in conclusion
was the utter indifference of the medical
men in the regimental hospital to the suffer-
ing of the sick"
Knight Motel. captain in the Eighth
New York Volunteers, submitted state
ment prepared by the regimental board of
o1ncerS, cOntradieting testimony presented
TO the commission as to the unsanitary
condition of the camp at Chickamauga.
DR.. Elmer Lee was the first witness at
the afternoon session. Asked what sug-
gestions he could present for the improve
ment of the medical department for the
future, Dr. Lee said there should be q
United States medical college to train sur
geons for the army, and that schools for
army cooks should be established
DIR. j. Morris Brown deputy surgeon gen.
eral of the United States army at the New
York depot. said there was no lack of med
ical supplies; that he had authority to fill
any deficiencies in stock: that throughout
the campaign he kept full stock and that
If there vas any delay in the shipments of
stores ii was not the fault of his depart
ment.
AT an executive session the commission
decided to adjourn its New York session
Saturday night and proceed to Boston 1t
was also decided for the remainder of the
session in this city to give preference TO
civilians wishing to testify. and that any
be summoned TO Washington. where the
committee will wind up the investigation.