Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-01-05
OUR DEAD SOLDIERS.
Remains Of Those Buried Abroad 70
Be Brought Home.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR The SHIPMENT.
The Quartermaater General Of the Army
Will Have the Bodice Brought to
New York and Then send
Thorn to Relatives.

Washington, Dec. S0-Gen. Luding.
ton, quartermaster general Of the
army, has completed arrangements
for bringing back to this country the
bodies OF American officers and soldiers
inferred at and in the vicinity OF San.
tiago de Cuba, Ponce and other points
In Porto Rico, Manila and Honolulu.
The graves have beeh carefully marked
BY officials Of the quartermaster's de.
partment, who have gone over the
several fields and have succeeded in
identifying nearly all Of the Ameri.
can dead. A large number Of
metallic Baskets are now being
manufactured. The shipment OF
the Baskets will begin about January
10, and force OF skilled men will 90
with them to attend TO the work OF
disinterment, Theoretically sealing the
caskets and shipping them back to this
country. They will be broughton the
government transports and the first
caskets will begin arriving about the
end Of January. They will probably
be brought to New York and from that
point sent to relatives and friends
In order that people throughout the
country may make suitable prepare
tions for securing the bodies Of friends
and relatives the quartermasters de.
partment yesterday made the follow
ing statement:
Under recent act Of congress, the quarter
master general is now making preparations for
the removal OF the bodies OF our officers and
soldiers Inferred at and In the vicinity OF San
tiago de Cuba Ponce and other points In Porto
Rico, Manila and Honolulu. Duly authorized
relatives or representatives OF the families OF
the deceased soldiers who wish the remains
sent to their homes are requested to at once
notify the quartermaster general OF such desire,
stating In full the nam3 OF such soldier the
company and reglm int to which he belonged,
and the address OF the town, county and state
to which the remains are to be forwarded and
the name OF parties 10 whose care the remains
OF the date OF shipment when made
The act OF congress referred to ap-
propriates 100000 for the purpose. 1t
seemed at one time that the return OF
the bodies to American soil would be
impossible, as it was thought to be an
undertaking attended with too many
difficulties and dangers. A strong
popular sentiment on the subject de.
vcloped, however, and in response to
this congress made the provision Of
law for the return of the bodies At
the time Of the act, last July, the sum.
mer heat made the removals inexpe-
dent, but now that the cold winter
months are On the danger of infection
is entirely removed.
To prepare for the work Of removal
Mr.. Rhodes Of the quartermaster gen
erals office, was dispatched TO Cuba,
where he spent some time in making
ground maps showing with the great
est minuteness the location of Ameri.
can graves. One large map of the en-
tire Santiago field shows the scattered
centers of American interment, from
Siboney to the westerly limits of the
city. Besides this there are detailed
maps Of all parts of the field, showing
groups Of graves The map, including
Gen. Lawton's headquarters, shows
one OF the most numerous centers of
death. Mr.. Rhodes marked each grave
so that Identification can easily be
made. Until this was done many of
the graves were marked only by sticks
with rough pencil marking.
1t is believed that the few unidenti-
fed dead will be identified when the
disbursements begin by means of bot
ties inclosing slips of paper which it
was the habit to put in the graves
Similar care has been shown in identi-
flying the dead in Porto Rico and the
Philippines. The aggregate number
is considerable. The death list of the
army throughout the war was 1850,
which Is a remarkably low percentage,
considering the number OF men en-
gagged. OF this number many OF the
dead have been brought back to this
country for interment, so that the
number remaining is considerably be.
low the original number of dead. BY
far the largest part is about Santiago
although the number is considerable
in Porto Rico and the philinoines.