The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-20
ROOSEVELT TO TESTIFY
"TEDDY'' INVITED TO TELL WHAT
HE KNOWS ABOUT THE ARMY.
Volunteer Nurses Charged by Lieut..
Edwards with Doing More Harm
than Good at Camp Wikof.

NEW YORK, Nov 19.-When the war
investigating commission met to-day Gen.
Dodge. the chairman, announced that the
sessions in the city would probably con-
tinue ten days. General Dodge declined to
give, in advance, the names of those he ex-
pected to examine, but it was said that in
Vtations had been sent to Colonel Roose-
welt and other members of the Rough Rid
ers.
Mrs. Edwin G. Allis. Of New York. who
went to Camp Wiko1f, Sept. 8, to help nurse
the sick, was the first witness called. She
told of the conditions prevailing there and
said that some of the hospital wards were
overcrowded, while others were entirely
empty and shut up Mrs. Aliss statement
referred principally to the annex hospital
and to the sick of the Twelfth Infantry.
She complained that the food was poor and
badly cooked, that the sanitary conditions
were bad and that, as a consequence. the
sick and the well suffered from plague of
flies.
Cross-examined by Ex-Governor Wood
bury, Mrs. Allis told of the carelessness Of
the hospital nurses and orderles in attend
ing to the complaints of the sick. Summing
up her conclusions, Mrs. Allis thought there
were not enough attendants in the hospital
and that no care was taken to separate dy-
ing, delirious and convalescent patients
Capt. Edward Fl. Plus1mer, of the Tenth
Cavalry, now aid-de-camp on General
Skaters staff. who was brigade quarter
master with the Fifth Army Corps at SHAFT
ter's headquarters near Santiago, told of
preliminary work in massing his regiment
at Mobile and the march to Tampa and the
voyage to Daiquiri He explained that as
brigade quartermaster it was his duty to
take food to the front. He left Siboney
June 20 and went to Sevilla. On June Is he
went to headquarters, a few miles from San
tiago, and on July he started for the front
with wagons OF ratfons. 2Orders from Gen
eral Shafter stopped the train because an
engagement was imminent After the fight
he saw General Shafter and obtained per-
mission to follow the ammunition wagons
and unload provisions sufficient for all the
men on the lighting line early in the even
ing of July !, on the fiat at the San Juan
hill.
Mr.. Lorigan, Of the Ninth New York, said
he served as a private in the Eighth New
York in the civil war. He considered the
supplies served to the Ninth fairly good
and sufficient He had heard complaints of
the food at Chickamauga, but considered
them due to the inexperience of the men
and their lack Of sense to use properly the
Captain Howell asked: WAS the want of
proper food the cause OF the sickness In
your regiment
NO. the sickness was due to the early
want of sinks, and later because they were
dug inside the pipe line and within ten feet
Of the tents whence they drained TO the
Miss Margaret Garrard, of Morristown,
N. j., volunteer worker among the sick
at Camp Wtkoff, said she visited the camp
for the first time after the arrival of troops
on Sept. 13. Before then she had visited the
trains carrying soldiers from Montauk
Point, and found many evidences of neglect
Men too weak to help themselves were
found lying unconscious on the streets or
Long Island City. and in every instance
where she made inquiries she learned that
there were neither doctors nor nurses on
the trains of the convalescents. Medical
attention and nursing, Miss Garrard SAID,
was at Camp Wikoff. She found consider
able fault with the treatment Of the conva-
lescents. and complained bitterly or tne lacK 1
relations of sick soldiers who visited them
in the hospitals.
Lieut.: Charles Edwards. OF the seventy
first New York Regiment. and profess
sional nurse il reply to questions ST.. by Gen en-,
four weeks after / recovered from yellow
fever in Cuba, but that was the best treat
ment for the disease Many of the deaths
in Cuba were due to the ignorance OF the
men affected. The doctors told them If you
eat you die Still they ate. The volunteer
ladies who went to Montauk as nurses did
more harm than good. Their intentions
were all right. but they did not accomplish
their purpose. They had at their quarters
soda water, ginger ale, champagne cloer
chicken and bread and butter. They SYM
pathized with the men landing from the
transports and invited them to eat and
drink OF course, the men wanted to eat,
and the volunteer ladies gave them chicken
and other edibles A few. days later the
men would be dead and the volunteer Ia
dies would go around blaming the govern
ment."
AT O'Clock General Dodge adjourned the
further hearing for lack of witnesses. The
Commission win convene again at $50
o'clock Monday morning. AS soon as the
ordinary witnesses are heard the commits.
sion will call upon the higher officers Of
the United States service.