Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-24
WAR INVESTIGATION.
Testimony Of Others Who Saw Things Of Which
They Did Not Approve.

ibald, a San Francisco newspaper man
who was with the 1st Regular Infantry
from California to Santiago. was the
first witness before the war lnvesti-
eating commission, today. Mr.. Archi-
bald said his chief reason for volun-
teering to appear before the committee
was because of the published state
ments that there was great hardships
in Cuba because of lack of food.
II wish to say" he said, that / have
had considerable experience campaign
ing with troops in the West and there
the regular soldiers have had much
rougher experiences than they did In
Cuba There was plenty of food and
the inability of the volunteers to adapt
themselves to conditions 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
scarcity of medical supplies of sur
geons and of nurses.
1T appeared to me that DR.. Wood,
believe his initials are NJ. NJ, caused
considerable unnecessary suffering by
his severe administration of his hos
pital, near Siboney. He refused to al
low anyone to visit the sick and once
when l was trying to find wounded
man of the 1st Infantry, he refused to
let me in. When / tried to reason with
him he said I am running this hospital
to suit myself"
John j. Robinson of New York, who
was at Camp Wikoff with the Y. NJ. c.
A. tent, told of the conditions during
the last of August and in September
He did not know anything of the lack
of food and supplies and said that he
considered, as a whole, that the camp
was well conducted.
Did you ever see the army cook book
in camp?"
Yes, saw it. but did not read it,
The cook who served the best meals
used it all the time. There was plenty
of food while l was in camp
Did you ever say that men were be-
ing starved and drugged to death?'
asked Gen. Beaver.
II said that there seemed to be feel
ing on the part of the ladies that the
boys were being starved and drugge1
to death. There was some friction be-
tween the ladies and the surgeons
Some of the men would jump into bed
and have fits of pain and cramps when
they saw a nice looking nurse coming
along with a basket of dantes and a
bottle of blackberry brandy. saw
one man groaning in bed and saw the
amateur nurse give him a bottle OF
blackberry brandy.
"Soon afterwards I noticed the man
walking about and I asked him how he
felt. He said he was all right and felt
as strong as a lion since he had had a
drink. He helped me saw the lumber
for my tent floor within 10 minutes af-
ter he had persuaded the visitor he was
seriously i'll and in great pain"
Were there many men who played
upon the sympathies of the kind and
excited ladies?" asked Gen. McCook.
"Oh, yes. There was a lot of thai
among the raw recruits"
Mrs. Johanna Won Wagner of Yonk
ers, professional nurse who establish.
ed a diet kitchen at Camp Wikoff ant
served there for a month from Angus
90, testified next. She complained o
lack of competent hospital help, tbs
scarcity of ambulances, the inexperi
and the universal help of dying mel
VI pam iioiIi III ueoS.
On more than one occasion she saw
improper prescriptions, and once sh
complained to Major Corbes that dos
prescribed for a man would kill him
The matter was referred to the sur
geons of the general hospital. The,
were friendly to the offending surgeon
and nothing was done. but the dose o
medicine was not administered.
Mrs. Won Wagner said she would no
attempt to place the responsibility, blu
that a great deal of it was due to tn
inefficient hospital help and the mex
perience of the contract surgeons.
What struck me most painfully,
said the witness in conclusion, ''wa
the utter Indifference of the medicf
men in the regimental hospital to tn
suffering of the sick. Some of the doc
tors in the general hospital also did nc
seem to care whether their patient
lived or died.
Knight Hotel, captain in the st
New York Volunteers. submitted
statement prepared by the regiments
board of officers contradcting test
mony presented to the commission q
to the unsanitary condition of til
camp at Chickamauga.
Cleveland Moffett, newspaper ma
who was at Camp Wikoff writing mas
azine articles and taking photograph
testified that while men were lying sic
at quarters. because there was I
means of taking them to hospitals.
saw 90 ambulancssAhta camp which We
never used hsAuse they lack'
tongues.
Gen. Dodge read a communicate
from Lieut.. John NJ. Thompson of tt
list Regiment. who is sick in st. Luke
Hospital. contradicting the stateme
made by Private David ]. Goss of h
company that the officers occupied
hospital tent to the exclusion of t
sick.
Edward A. Sumner of this city, wi
went to Cuba and Porto Rico as cou
sci for the Womens' War Relief Ass
citation said he found the hospital
charge of Surgeon Major Bridgem;
Mt Ponce in excellent condition. I
Bridgeman said the average numb
OF sick was about 300. The men we
generally in fair condition.
At the executive session held just
the close of the morning session t
commission decided to adjourn it's NJ
York session. Saturday night. and
proceed to Boston. 1t was also q