Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1898-08-12
FROM CAMP ALGER. !.
Camp Alger, Aug. 10th, '9s.

two miles from the old grounds and
we are now encamped in what is con-
sidered healthier location. Monday
night a Virginian, man transferred
from his regiment to our hospital corps,
engaged in an alteration with a negro
mule driver, not an enlisted man, in
which the negro, assisted by two OF
his race, gave the Southerner the worst
of it. The fight occurred near the hos
pital camp just at our roll call, and
not much attention was given to the
affair until a few minutes after roll
call, when great shouting was heard
in the road, and cries of 'catci him,
Head him off" "Shoot him." There
they 60" were heard. one negro shot
through the camp street, two went
past the hospital tents and all three
disappeared into the woods, followed
by several hundred of the Third Vir-
ginia Reg giment, who were bound TO
lynch that niger" General Butler
rode out and called upon the men to
halt but no attention was given to his
command. Guards We're called out
from Pennsylvania and Connecticut
Companies and the tents of the Vir-
ginians were all guarded. Guards
were placed around the hospital corps,
and everything seemed very exciting
Early Tuesday morning the report was
that the ringleader of the three negroes
had been caught and lynched, but this
has been found untrue, as all the ne
groes escaped and everything is now
under guard. The negro is not tolerat-
ed at all down here and man from
the North who sympathized with the
blacks was promptly given an oppor-
tunity to fight with ho:-headed South
erner; and few persons were unwse
enough to express their opinions if
they sided with the negroes. The next
morning the man, who had been
whipped by the black, came down the
road and another Virginian greeted
him with We'll, old man, l guess we
squared it for you. I'm sure there is d
dead niger in the woods this morning.
Several of the boys from Marietta
have been given appointments such as
ambulance orderly, ETC., but these are
not promotions, although some of these
positions are easier than the general
work None of the Marietta recruits
have been i'll since they came, with the
q n O ftnn 0f y.,h e;al, la
first few days; and all are now in good
health and spirits, but all are sorry
that such a poor chance is before them
to do any actual service in actual war.
fare.
All sorts of rumors are heard and re-
peated throughout camp every day,
most of them being in regard to our
next move. According to newspaper
and other reports we have already
moved to Harper's Ferry, Manassa
Junction, Porto Rico, Chickamauga,
Seagirt, N. j.. and other places To-
night the report is that Seagirt, N. j.,
is the place, and we all hope that this
is true for the coast would be a grand
place to camp. Another subject of dis
cussion is payday, which will proba bly,
be tomorrow. Last week was pay day
with nearly all the regiments and Sat-
urday night there was "A Hot Time"
along the Midway. Some drinks were
seen, every ybody was boisterously hap
py, the suffers hired extra help and |
then could not accommodate their Gus
toners, the variety theatre put on a |
prize fight as head-liner and packed !
the tent, and all the soldiers sang, or
showed by their actions.
! don't like cheap man
Who spends his money on the instalment
plan -
A large number of new patients were
brought in today and several new
wards were put up, SO that we now
naye about three hundred patients or
more in our camp. This is not an in
crease in the sick list, as the new
were brought from the Second
Division of the Hospital Corps 10 US.
In fact the sickness is decreasing,
Yours truly is now doing duty as night |
nurse and as ] write this. hear a de-
irious patient, two wards below, now
calling for his wife, now raving about
the old farm, and now asking about |
his race horse. The man is not dan.
yerously i'll, but is out Of his mind and
It takes several men to hold him, but
he will soon quiet down.
Floors are being put in the hospital
tents and this is fine Improvement,
The rains seem TO be general, Judging
from the Ohio papers, as it rains here
too often and too hard. 1t has raiped
nearly all day and it is still pouring it
out in good sized chunks. Imagine be- |
ing half awake in the night, turn over
and stick your foot into pool OF water
Or roll into it-then you are fully |
awake.
We are still eating-two or three
times we have had spoiled meat, but