The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-09-08
Twenty Thousand Dollars to BE Dis
tributed Among the Men Before
They Return Home.
HOSPITAL PATIENTS IMPROVE
PREPARATION TO RECEIVE THE
15STH REGIMENT.
Information from Washington Says
Twenty-Seventh Battery Has
Not Left Porto Rico.

N
Colonel Studebaker last night received a
telegram informing him that Major McClel-
Ian, who is the paymaster designated to pay
off the One-hundred -and-f ifty-seventh Regi-
ment. would arrive from Chicago this morn
ing Everything is ready for the paymaster,
so there will be no delay in distributing
$40 900, about the amount that will be paid
at this time. 1t generally takes a half day
to pay off a regiment Unless there are
some unforeseen delays the regiment will be
ready to break camp tomorrow for the
thirty days furlough. Captain Ranke, of
the Twentyeighth Battery however, does
not expect to get away so soon. His pay
rolls were sent to Columbus and from there
would have to be forwarded to the Chicago
headquarters of the Department Of the
Lakes. There would hardly be time for this
to be done for the paymaster to receive his
instructions before leaving Chicago with
reference to the battery. The captain was
unable to determine whether Paymaster
Mcclellan would have the money for his
men or not. He was inclined to think the
battery could not get away before Saturday
evening and perhaps not until Monday.
Colonel Studebaker yesterday afternoon
seemed to be confident the Tigers" would
get away Friday some time. although some
of the captains have not finished their re-
ports covering rations, clothing and
ordnance issued since the regiment went
into the service April 26. They were all
hopeful however, of getting everything in
shape by this evening. All the regimental
reports have been kept up to date at Col
Studebaker's headquarters so that the delay
comes from the other departments. Lieut.
]. B. Former, acting quartermaster in the
absence of Quartermaster Harmon l.. Hud-
son. who is i'll at his home in Angola, said
yesterday afternoon all the blanks would be
completed by noon to-day, providing the
return sheets of the companies were all
handed in Lieut.. William S. Lankenan,
the commissary officer of the regiment was
confident his work would all be completed
to-day. 1t looked yesterday as though some
Of the captains would not be able to get
everything accounted for for few more
days and some of them may have to remain
behind. No one questions that everything
in the way of supplies has been properly
issued, but all the officers are complaining
that they were not provided with proper
blanks for keeping track of the articles
issued to them and it has been difficult to
fill the blanks that were finally furnished.
A few of the line officers bundled all their
books and blanks into boxes and sent them
home when they left Fernandna. They
now wish that they had them here. Most
of the officers were ignorant with regard
to what sort Of accounts they were required
to keep and invented systems Of bookkeep-
ing of their own when they first went into
the service. They were not furnished with
blanks until June. There have been intima-
tions that the government would take the
difficulties under which the officers labored
and their ineXperience into account and
would not be so strict as with the regular
army officers, although word received from
Washington yesterday indicates that every
thing down to a screw driver will have to
be accounted for There has been some
difficulty between the captains of the COM
panies and the quartermasters department
with regard to making returns for clothing
supplied. Lieutenant Waterman, after the
review last evening, called a conference on
this subject at Colonel Studebakers head
quarters Some of the captains explained
that they still had on hand clothing which
had not been issued to the men, because 1t
was not of proper size. One captain re-
marked he had coats on hand that were
big enough for General Shafter himself-big
enough in fact, to make whole suits for the
small-sized men that form his company.
cut them down. suggested Lieutenant
Waterman. Issue them, return them to
the quartermaster -
He won't have them back" interrupted
the captain. And we can't carry them
over Neither can we issue them when they
are not what we ordered. What are we to
do?"
Lieutenant Waterman suggested that
some way to settle the difficulty must be
found. Colonel Studebaker seemed disn-
clined to order the quartermaster's depart
ment to take back the clothing that had
been turned over to the companies but never
issued to the men. None of the officers want
to have the responsibility of making a set
Element some time with the government for
things they were not responsible for. After
a long conference it seemed that some sort
of an understanding would be reached.
Lieutenant Waterman has been hanging on
faithfully helping the officers in every way
possible to straighten out the snars. BY
persistently keeping at 1T and having fire.
quent conferences all seemed to think most
of the difficulties would be fixed up by this
evening.
There was regimental review instead of
dress parade last evening. A thousand or
more visitors, many of them in carriages,
watched the evolutions of the review with
great interest. They could not but help re-
marking how vigorous and hardy the men
looked as they fell into a quick swinging
step and formed across the drill ground by
battalions. There were 265 men excused
from duty yesterday, so that the full regf-
ment did not turn out for the review Col
Studebaker expressed himself as pleased
with the appearance of the men in the first
review that has been held since the regiment
returned to Camp Mount. The grounds are
a little small but the appearance of the men
most pleasing.