The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1898-08-25

plication was turned down because
some unknown son Of some body decided
that our regimental hospital was not a
field hospital.
Private Coombs, of Blue Hill, was in
the hospital one pay day and as he had
not signed our payrolls Capt. Patter-
son was unable to draw his money
He was shortly afterwards returned to
the company with the statement on
his descriptive list that he. had drawn
no clothing or money. An investiga-
ton was made and thanks to the un-
firing efforts of Col Vanduzee. Mai.
Scheffer and Capt. Babcock, it was dis
covered that the very major who made
the certificate on the descriptive list
had drawn the boys salary and still
retained it. Some sharp correspond
ence followed and the major reluct-
antly .scoughed up.'' So much for the
honesty of these political doctors. : ,...
There are thousands Of other cases
which you have heard of through the
daily papers, such as men dying from
the attacks of magots, relatives being.
denied admission to the bedsides of
dying boys, ETC., and there are other
abuses too filthy for "a self-respeeting
newspaper to mention but which will
all come out if an investigation is
made. -"
My statements will be corroborated
by nine-tenths of the officers and men
when they are at liberty to speak as
witness the following from Capt.
Morris, late OF the 9th N. Y, concern
ing the hospital of their division:
Here are some of the things know
of the hospital of the division. I heard
one day that a man from the Ninth.
one OF my own company, was dying
there. With Colonel Greene I went
there. The man was ill with typhoid
fever and his temperature was far
above 100. When I reached this cot I
nearly staggered with horror. The
mans face was literally black with
flies. His mouth. which was open
the poor fellow was too weak to close
twas filled with flies. Colonel
Greene denounced such style of af-
fairs, as did I. The person in charge
nonchalantly remarked that there was
not enough nurses to go round. Then
J told him as emphatically as the
solemnity of the place would permit,
that his duty was to let the men of the
company know, and they would gladly
have acted as volunteer nurses. I sent
a man from my quarters over.
The man I sent was a trained nurse
before he Joined the army as a soldier.
| He knew in an instant what was
needed He found that the man who
was so i'll. with the fever had had no
bath, although burning up with fever.
He asked for some cold water.2sThe
doctor in charge wanted to know what
for When the man replied that he
wished to give the patient a bath the
doctor told him to get the water out of
barrel which had been standing in
the sun. The water was actually
tepid. The nurse Indignantly told the
doctor he would not attempt to lower
the temperature with water that would
only increase it. What do you know
about it?' snapped the doctor. Be
cause [ know about those things, and
have been a nurse was the answer.
This convinced the person in charge
that my representative knew too much
to be smothered, and after several
hours he managed to get some ice
Imagine how much it was. A pound,
exactly. With this he was expected
to lower the temperature of man dy-
ing with fever. Several DAYS later the
man was dead. =, 4 -. &C. =
In another case a man who died in
the division hospital was found to be
literally alive with magots under his
armpits, and his dying agonies were
intensified by the movements of these
vermin. There are other shocking
cases Of neglect which are too horrible
to be recounted. It is incredible that
such things should happen in this, the
richest country on the globe. When
there were $50 men in the hospital at
one time I found that there were but
two thermometers to take the temper
allure, and, remember, nearly all these
we're fever stricken. To have used the
instruments for the purpose intended
would have consumed exactly eleven
hours and forty minutes. The want of
ice was criminal. The moaning Of the
men for ice when they were burning
up Will lever Is SSOmeLn1ng L snail,
never forget. Why, officers of the.
regiment had to subscribe money out
of their own pockets to get ice in the
interest of humanity. And then the
amount procured was totally made
quate to the need. The men knew all
about the horrors of the hospital. The
sergeant, who was taken to the hos
pital the day before I left, was SO i'll
three weeks ago that he ought to have
gone in, and he suffered the greatest
pain day after day. Hewouldn't listen
to advice to go to the hospital. He
said that would be7the end of him, and
he would keep out Of it as long as he
could, no matter how much he suffered
At last he collapsed. -
There is another example of neglect
which Stands out even more promi-
nently than those already mentioned.
Fifteen days notice had been given Of
the choice of Montauk as hospital
camp for Shafter's men, yet when the
first transport arrived the accommo da-
tions we're insufficient and many fever
stricken soldiers slept on the wet sand.
Neither water nor milk was provided.
Nor,