Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1898-09-01
GOV. SCOFIELD TAKES THINGS
INTO HIS OWN HANDS.
WILL GO TO, JACKSONVILLE
He Wires the Railroads to Make Rates
for Carrying Sick Home in Sleep
ing Cars-Plan Is to Take Troops
TO Milwaukee-Cost About $4,000
Surgeon Evans Returns.
Madison, Aug. SO.

grams regarding the mastering out of
the LIST regiment and the care of the
sick, Gov. Scofeld Monday night wired
the officials of all the southern rail-
roads in Chicago to give figures on
rates for the transportation of the sick
back home. The governor has decided
to take things into his own hands
as the alarm of the relatives of the
troops is making them most intoler-
ant. Today Gov. Scofeld will go to
Chicago and close the deal for tn
transportation in sleeping cars of the
sick and will then probably proceed TO
Jacksonville to personally supervise
the work Of bringing the men home.
The plan is to have the sick taken TO
Milwaukee and put in hospitals. As
nearly one half of the regiment is i'll
and it will require great many nurses
for the three days trip north, it is
expected practically the entire regi-
ment will be brought back when once
started. The expense of this work
will be about $4,000 but the governor
is confident the next legislature will
make an appropriation covering the
debt thus created and he will ask that
body to do so. The governor has
petitioned the war department almost
daily for a week to take action regard
ing the regiment but has received no
reply.
Sunday night Gov. Scofield ssnt
Secretary Alger a vigorous message
asking fer inf rmation as to when
the regiment would be ord red home
and what provisions had been made
for transporting the sick, He mas
received no reply but M nday the AS
S ciated Press dispatches stated that
orders were issued by the war depart
ment to have the LIST rendezvOused at
Camp Douglas for mastering out.
Major Evans Talks.
Major T. w. Evans, surgeon Of the
LIST regiment, arrived from Jackson
Vile Monday night on twenty days
furicugh. He says the conditions in
the camp amply justify the muster
ing out of the regiment He said he
came to Madison with a message for
Gov. Scofield, and he called on the
executive Monday night in order to
see him before he s arted for jackson
vile should the governor So decide to
do. Speaking of the camp he said:
"The 1st regiment was assigned the
very worst par. of the camp ground
at Jacksonville when We first arrived
there. The place looked good a. first,
and it was not until we had been
there for some time and tha ncavy
rams began that the bad nature Of
the locality was apparent. The regi-
ment lay on both sides of the shell
road. over which all the refusa of Il e
rCgim hts back of us was car, ed, and
as the road became worn into ruts
tt wagons in passing sp lied con-
siderable refuse along the sides Of
the road, tainting the air When the
rains began the poor nature of the
drainage was S en-. My tent was
eight inches deep in water during
one rain. This was later remedied.
"The worst feature of the condi
lions ther,, however, is the poor sup
ply CT medicines furnished by the
government. 1t seems strange, but
the fact is the remedies furnished
both for use in the hospitals. and in
the regiments are for the most part
the same as these used during the
civil war. The remedies for treating
diseases discovered in the last thirty
years are almost entirely ignored by
the medical department of the army.
This may in a measure account for
the extent of sickness among the
troops The removal Of the first TO
better camp ground improved the
conditions somewhat, but the worst
had been done, and the sickness
caused by camping i1 the swamp
where we were put at first had good
start. You cannot comprehend the
conditions in the old camp. The
very ground reeked with bad cdors,
and smells yet. If you were to have
been there during the last few weeks
We were ia the old camp and went
down street of the camp at night,
the odor from any tent do0r you were
to open would be stiff1ing 1t came
from the ground, which was full of
malaria. I do not know when the
regiment viii be brought home nor
have we been given any information
regarding the arrangements for the
sick.''
What Capt. Lewis Says.
Capt Lewis Of Racine, commanding
Co. F of the 1st regiment, was in Mad
ison Monday, accompanied by Second
G.. w. Richemen of the
same company. Capt. Lewis called
Oh Gov. Sco@eld, and started Monday
night for Camp Douglas, where he
will spend few days. cit is true that
he hospi'al accommodations at Jack
;onville are inadequae,' said Capt.
Lewis, "but the officers Of the regi-
nent are not responsible fer that.
The regiment has not dri led since
July !, and the men have had moth
ng to d but lie around the camp. As
result they have become tired Of
he monotony, and want to get away
home if active service is out Of the
question. Many Of the men in the
gimedt left go d p-si-ions to enlist,
nd now that the war is over they
re naturally anxious to get back to
heir homes"