The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-10-21
WAR INVESTIGATORS.
Etill M Verifcation of Alarming
Newspaper Reports.
COLONEL W. j. BRYAN EXCUSED.
The Commissioners, at the Request OF
the Nebraska officer, Unanimously
Decided He Need Not Testify-The
WORK of the Red Cross Society.

Inc eSOn1m1SSlOnefs, NJ Une ltepuestoi
the Nebraska officer, Unanimously
Decided He Need Not Testify-The
Work of the Red Cross Society.
7 Jacksonville. Fla, Oct H.-The war
Investigating commission heard several
of the professional nurses at yester-
days forenoon session, including Miss
Copeland, chief nurse at the third di-
vision hospital Miss Robbins, head
nurse at the First division hospital:
Miss Hubbard, head nurse at the Sec
Ond division hospital and Misses Walk
er and Waters, ward nurses.
! Miss Copeland spoke in commenda-
tion of the conduct Of the hospitals
and she said that the nurses were well
treated and apparently much respect
ed She said the nurses had their own
tent quarters where there was the pri-
vacy demanded by their sex. They
had in the beginning Of their stay
boarded at a hotel, but now they had
their own mess, and preferred it. Miss
Copeland said that when the nurses
first came to the camp there was only
one nurse to each 40 or 60 patients. but
this condition had been steadily i'm
proved. Miss Copeland spoke of some
nurses who had made complaints, but
they were of the kind of persons who
were never satisfied with any situa-
tiOn. One Philadelphia nurse had made
severe criticism, but she was OF the
kind of women who would leave pa
tient to whom she had just given
bath to attend to some other errand
before drying him.
Major James Il. Pitcher, of the regu-
lar army, depot surgeon for the Sew
eRth army corps, said that since the
early days OF The camp there had
been no difficulty in securing an abund-
ance of medical supplies and that
they were much more plentiful and of
greater variety than was usual in the
regular army.
Colonel Taylor, of the Fourth Vir-
ginia regiment, was the first witness
at the afternoon session. He said
he had had no complaint whateve> to
make concerning any department of
the government and that he knew of
no case Of wllful neglect
Lieutenant Morrow. acting commits
eary Of thc Third Nebraska. Colonel
Btyan's regiment, testified to the gen.
orally good character of the commis-
sary supplies. He mentioned one or
two instances when poor bacon had
been received and said there were oc-
cas"Nal complaints from the men,
though not of serious character
Colonel w. j. Bryan was next call
ed. He asked to be excused from tes-
tifying. requesting that his lieut. nant
coionel be examined in his stead.
"You WILL I have 10 doubt, under
stand my reasons for the request" he
said
Il think the request very proper and
reasonable" responded Governor
Beaver. and as the entire commission
assented to this concession Colonel
Bryan was excused
! W r. Dublin, of the One Furdrcd
and Sixty-hrSt Indiana, said there were
few complaints from his men and that |
they were generally trivial. He spoke
especially Of the grounds of the Third
division hospital. saying they had for a
time been very poorly kept. There
had however, been vast imprcvc-
ment since DR.. ClendeDnin had sue
ceeded Dr.. Jcsurem, OF the Rough Rid
ers. Colonel Durhin also said there
had been ere or two complaints OF
neglect of his men at this hospital.
Colonel Letcher Hardin. Of the Sixth
Missouri. also complained that the
grounds of the Third division hos
pita had not been well kept.
Or. Alexander Kent, pastor Of the
Peoples church at Washington ard
fled agent at Jacksonville for the Red
Cross. was questioned concerning the
operations OF the z d Cross ct this
pDnt. I.c sad he had been received
very cordially Ivy til" army surgeons
aEI he had co-ui,Hrat,l with t.lrm. Ite
had noticed the alE,nte of sheets and
p.ow cases at the Second division hos
piaI in its early history. This was
In midsummer and many men lay un-
covered on account of the short sun
ply of hlan'ets. He supplied the d.
Gri"nry. |h@rr was also at that time
. sh ,rtage Of tens ard food suitable
to typhoid feyer patients. He had ur-
dr'tah"n to supply tie deficiency. and
had distributed two carloads of the
n, "rssary Ge,icaCi.s.
DR.. Kent said he had heard many
complains concerning the mscun .u"t
al the hoSpltals, and many of the
were app ,rently well vouched foi, bit
they hli not generally proved wll
lDunded w. Investigated. Replli il;
to qrrs on he said he thought it
had beel W V difficult to get me, .clI
men of suit lent administrative ability
to m"nabe III. IA lna;,tu. iuns H., the dis
vision hnsn''a's. R"forn the female nur-
ses were secured ,he nu, ses, who were
men of the huspi al corps. were not
Capable. They V ere not intelligent rs
! class. and while some of item were
n0gEedly IaitnIul they failed to meet
The requirements. They did not, for
nsAnre- seem to regard 1t as Of con-
If flies Were crawling in and
ont of a sick mans mouth with im-
punity, and he had seen as many as
Six cases of this kind at one time.
Since the trained nurses had been se-
cured the sick were better cared for
han at home.
Lieutenant Colonel vifquain. a vet
lran of the civil war and a graduate
II the military school at Brussels, of
he Third Nebraska said the regiment
was exrelently equipped, except that
he tentaee was poor. He also said the
luaity of the clothing was bad. The
pork had also been wormy at times
md the beef tainted, but these had
,ecn EXCHANGED He had thought the
.lOthlng better than in the civil war,
,ut the ratiuns were not so good as
hen. He also thought the camp en-.
ireiy too much crowded.
Seven other witnesse were examined,
including three pr.vGtes, All expressed
themselves as satisfied with their
reatment. The commssary officers
laid the rations were abundant, but
hat occasionally the fresh meats We're
ainted, owing to the heat. The pri-
rates found no fault all saying they
lad enough to eat and generally that
he food WAS good ,