The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-09-30
THE WAR COMMISSION.
Gems. Wheeler and Lee to
Give Testimony Next
Week.
LETTER 70 ST. CLAIR H'KELWAY
He is Asked to Substantiate
an Editorial With
the Facts.
LETTER 10 ST. CLAIR MKELWAY

WASHINGTON, Sept 3O 1885 The
War Investigating Commission today de-
cided to ask General Lee to follow Gem
eral Wheeler in giving testimony con-
cerning the charges made against the
War Department and suggested Wednes-
day of next week. General Wheeler will
be before the Commission on Tuesday and
will be interrogated both about Camp
Wikon and the Santiago campaign, the
examination concerning Santiago cover
ing especially the facilities for caring for
the sick and wounded and the precau-
tions taken to preserve the health of the
men IN the trenches.
The Commissioners state their purpose
to be to make very complete investiga-
siege, but Vice Chairman Donby said to-
day that the policy of calling General
Miles or General Shafter had not been
under consideration. The decision to call
General Leee also at an early date was
reached today because of the knowledge
of the fact that he is in the city and IS
liable soon to be order to Cuba
The Commission today continued its
examination of letters bearing upon
charges of msmanagement, Some OF
them calling attention to such charges
and others attempting to refute them.
Many of the letters referred to newspaper
reports Of abuses, and in most OF such
cases letters were sent to the editors in
question asking them for specific infor-
nation. Among other newspaper publi-
cations considered was an editorial article
from the Brooklyn Eagle making yari-
GUS charges concerning the abuse of sick
soldiers by subordinate officers. and re-
ferring especially to the death of Lieu
tenant Lafferty, under the heading
Medical Murders, Their Victims and
Their Couse.
In this instance the secretary was in
structed to send an especially prepared
letter to ST. Clair McKelway the editor
of the Eagle, the letter reading as fol-
lows
Il am directed by the presiding officer
to ask you whether you have any facts
within your personal knowledge upon
which you have based the charges set
forth in that article, and whether, if SO,
you will obiige the commission by fur
rishing them with these facts in compact
and explicit form
"The Commission would be glad to have
this investigation, not only relating to-
circumstances attending the death of
Lieutenant Lafferty at Camp Wikoff, as
alleged in the article under consideration,
but also relating to the other incident to
which you make reference. Such testi-
mony is exactly what the Commission
wants. Will you oblige this body with
what you have at Your disposal or can
obtain for the purpose.
Many of the charges received by mail
are quite vague in character. One man
wrote that he had heard of an instance
in which the body of a dead soldier had
been buried at Camp Wikoff in sp en-
tirelv nude condition, but he did not spec
ify the regiment or company in which
the soldier had served
In another case an oftlcer in Pennsyl-
vania regiment wrote that ne had been az
Camp Thomas and at Fernandina and
Tampa Fla, and that he knew the
expressed his Willingness to come TO
Washington and give the Commission the
informatiofs at his command at his own
expense
1'oday's letters deal especially with the
conditions at Camp Wilxoff- They relate
before the soldiers were received, In one
instance minister wrote that he had
pointed out the inaccessibility and ex-
posed condition of the location and the
poor condition of the water before the
place was selected The members of the
to make a very complete inspection of af-
fairs at that point and it is probable
that the Commission will visit the place
as body before completing its work.