Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-11-24
TO BOSTON NEXT.
DODGE COMMISSION WILL LEAVE
NEW YORK SATURDAY.
SANTIAGO And CAMP WIKOFP
Volunteers Suffered in Cuba Because
of Their Inexperience-Hos
Ahnse. at Observation-Disclosures
and incompetence of Surgeons.

NEW YORK, November A-The War
Investigating Commission decided to-day
to adjourn it's New York sessions Salur-
day night and proceed to Boston.
A number of witnesses were examined
to-day. James ]. F. Archibald. a san
Francisco newspaper man, who was with
the First Regular Infantry from Califor-
mia to Santiago, testified that there was
plenty Of food.
"The Inability of the volunteers to
adapt themselves to circumstances was
due TO their own inexperience," he said.
'If they had known enough to hustle and
cook the food that was there they would
have had less cause to complain.
SCARCITY OF SUPPLIES.
There was a scarcity Of medical sup
plies. of surgeons, and of nurses. 1t APP
peared to me that DR.. Wood believe his
initials are NJ. M.-caused considerable
unnecessary suffering by his severe ad-
ministration Of his hospital near Siboney.
He refused to allow any one 10 visit the
sick'
John Jay Robinson, of New York. who
was at Camp Wikon with the Young
Mems Christian Association tent, told OF
the conditions there as he saw them
during the last days Of August and Sep
TENDER. He did not know of any great
lack of food or supplies, and said that
he considered that as a whole the camp
was well conducted.
Mrs. Johanna Won Wagner, of Yonkers,
a professional nurse, established diet
kitchen at Camp Wikoff, and served there
for a month from August 10Th. She cor
roborated the statements made by other
women on the condition of the camp, and
told of her own experience in treating the
sick of the Seventh Infantry.
DOSES THAT WOULD KILL.
She complained of the lack of compe-
tent hospital help, the scarcity Of ambu-
lances and the inexperience of some Of
the contract doctors. On more than one
occasion she saw improper prescriptions.
and on one occasion she complained 10
Major Forbes that a dose prescribed for
a man would kill him. The matter was
referred to the surgeons OF the general
hospital. They were friendly TO the Of
Tending doctor and nothing was done, but
the dose Of medicine was not admins
tered.
Mrs. Won Wagner declined to give the
names or the surgeons SAe cOuSlGeIeQ
negligent, and told the commissioners
they could get the names if they wanted
them from the records Of the Seventh
Regiment.
INDIFFERENCE TO SUFFERING.
what struck me most painfully" said
the witness, in conclusion. was the utter
indifference of the medical men in the
regimental hospital to the suffering OF the
sick"
Cleveland Moffatt, a newspaper man,
who was at Camp Wikof writing maya
zine articles and taking photographs, tes-
tilted that while men were lying sick at
quarters because there were no means Of
taking them TO hospitals he saw twenty
ambulances in camp, which were never
used because they lacked tongues.
General Dodge read a communication
from Lieutenant John NJ Thompson Of
the Seyenty-hrst Regiment, who is sick
in the hospital, contradicting the state
ments made by Private David j. Cross,
of his company, that the officers occupied
hospital tents to the exclusion Of the
sick.
CHARGE AGAINST THE WOMEN.
DR.. Elmer Lee said that the women
visitors were responsible for a great many
men being discharged before they were
lit TO leave the hospitals at Camp Wikoff.
DR.. j. Morris Brown, deputy surgeon
general of the United States army at
the New York depot, said there was no
lack of medical sunu'ies.