The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-11-19
SOLDIERS SUFFERING.
Sergeant Dobson's Parents
Tell of Their Sons Mis-
cry at Camp Wickoff.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 1S9S.-Colonel
DENLY, of the War Investigation Commits
sion, examined several witnesses today
in connection with charges bearing upon
the death at Camp Wilxoff last September
of Sergeant Henry A. Dobson. OF Com
pany D, of the First Regiment of Volun-
teers, of the District of Columbia. The
first of these witnesses was the mother
OF the deceased. She stated that she had
had great difficulty in finding her son
when he was taken to the general hos
pital. When she succeeded he complained
to her that they drove him very rapidly
over a rough road to the hospital ard
that he was much worse for it. She had
bathed and dressed him Immediately after
her arrival and he had then told her that
previous to this time he had not had his
clothing removed since he left Cuba.
The only nourishment offered to MIN at
the hospital was condensed milk and egg
beaten up with what was supposed to be
day he was ordered to a hospital in New
York by the attending physician, DR..
Hancock, who had said In reply to her pro-
make room for others. There were four
hundred patients on the transport Shinne-
cock on which he was taken away, and
attending him, though she went without
permissi ion. They were on the water the
entire night, and while there were fe-
male nurses aboard they occupied tneir
apartments giving the men no attention
whatever The next morning she had
heard some one ask one of the nurses how
she had rested when she replied that she
did not sleep very well because that poor
devil, referring to sick soldier, kept
up such a howling
At New York the son was taken to st.
s<,l -fr.r
there, but she saw no nurses She had
been allowed to remain with him there
only until four o'clock the day OF his
arrival, Notwithstanding he was then de-
lirious. Major Apple had given orders
that she should be allowed to remain
with the hoy during the day, but in the
face of this order the hospital authori-
ties refused to let her stay. She then
lege Hospital. AT this place he was
given every attention and she was told
for the first time that he had typhoid
fever He had died there two days af-
ter his arrival. DR.. Hancock, at the WI
l1off Hospital. had insisted that the dis
ease was malaria, although she had ex-
pressed the opinion that it was typhoid.
The father OF the boy, Dr. Henry a.
Dobson, said he knew the son was in good
health when he enlisted and was so
through the Cuban campaign. The young
man had written from Montauk, saying
he could not eat the army rations and
that he was dying OF st9ryation. The
ambulance hdQ not c1lleQ TOT MIN Iaf
twenty-four hours after being sent for
to take himto the hospital. Pr. Jewett;
of the Long Island College, had expressed
the es.lindon to the witness that the young
f1a1 nad bsell suffering from typhoiiaa for g
was NOT fnooving in the matter from mall
ice. and only with the hope Of preventing
similar mistakes in the future:
Lawrence J. Woodbridge, Samuel Fe-
land and A. L. Kitchen, comrades of
young Dobson. testified as to his physical
before
he left the Cuban transport. and that
after he landed they had urged him to go
to the hospital. He had declined for sew
eral days, and Mr.. Feland thought this
was because he had feared that if he
went to the hospital he would not be al
lowed to come home with the regiment.
There was neither floor nor cot in the
tent he occupied, and he slept on the
ground at Montauk. This witness also
stated that the milk he got for Dobson
was generally sour, but that he could
eat nothing but milk. At the same time
the milk was allowed to stay at the com
missary until it spoiled