The Topeka state journal., 1899-11-04

could have helped matters or not. Tt
was Rafter's place to look after the
sick, and his orders concerning them
were superior to anyone else Rafter
wasn't on the firing line a single day.
w c. Swartz, of company A, is an
other Topeka boy who blameS surgeon
Rafter although he does not like to
talk about the matter. He was very
sick on the way over on the Tartar and
lost so pounds from the time the ship
left Manila until it arrived at San
Francisco.
Il do not like to be a kicker nor to
make complaints he said today, be
cause it is all over now, and am 60
ing to try to regain the health I have
lost. But l will say this; II L hadn
taken care of myself on the way over
instead of leaving it to the hospital
corps I would have been in my comm
today instead OF here I was taken with
dvsentery in July, but it did not get
me down till we started for home. 1t IS
true that things were very much
crowded on the ship, but the sick men
might have had better care if an effort
had been made to give it to them
Smith and Huffman did all they could,
but Rafter neglected the men alto
earher. / laid on the upper deck until
/ finally got so sick I couldn't lie down
and the boys then propped me up. and
there [ STAYED for 40 days. And there
were plenty of others just like me Some
of them lay down in the hold all the
way over. Mills. who died, was neglect
ed and so was Sherburn, who was
brought home on a stretcher. He is in
bad shape.
..On the firing line I think DR.. Smith
was the best man in the whole army
He and Huffman did the best they
could with the things they had to
work with. but Major Rafter was never
on the firing line a day in his life.
1T did no good for private to make
complaints to Colonel Metcalf. If we
had complained to him about the hos
pital service he would have said. as he
e=i0 "a
that was their business and they would
attend to it. Little wasn't in a position
where he could do anything. AS a man
among men Lieutenant Colonel Little
is a fine man, and he comes out of the
service with the best wishes of every
man in the ranks. but he is not a mil
itary man. Metcaf was the military
man of the regiment.
George and Arthur Ellison, both mem
bers of the Twentieth Kansas band,
agree that the conditions on board the
Tartar will bear criticism but that
those higher than Major Rafter should
receive the blame.
The transport carrier 1,4O0 passen-
gers when it was intended to accOmmO-
date but $50, said George Ellison 1t
was no fault of the regimentaI officers
Norman z. Ramsey, a Topeka boy
who was in company E. was one of
the fortunate ones who was never sick
enough to be compelled to go to the
hospital but he blames Major Rafter
for the lack of care of the sick on board
the Tartar coming home.
There We're only eighteen beds in
the hospital. and many Of the boys were
compelled to lie around on the decks.
Some of them wouldn't even put them
selves in the hands of the doctors, but
took care of themselves the best they
could. Smith and Huffman were well
liked and they did the best they could,
bu- they had no medicines 1t was
Rafter'S business to provide medicines
and he might have got all that was
Fv, cf1 cd
He wasn't on the firing line day,
while the chief surgeon of the Montana
regiment was on the firing line from
the time the regiment went out till 1t
came back While we were up at San
Fernando. Rafter stayed back in Ma
Mia. forty miles away
Il wasn't in the hospital. but I know
that the sick men did not have the
sh aets on their beds or their pajamas
washed all the way over. One of the
doctors tried to get them washed. but
he couldn't get orders to have it done.
All the care the sick got came nearly
all from the stewards and the other
boys.
Colonel AIetcalf made himself dis
liked after he got to be colonel, espe-
cially coming over from Manila Be
fore he was promoted all the boys liked
him and nearly all Of them wanted him
for colonel, but after he was appointed
he made himself obnoxious. 1t was the
commanding officers duty TO inspect
the quarters of the men on the trans
ports every day, but I don't believe
Metcalf saw the lower deck during the
entire trip I was quartered on the
second deck. and I never saw him down
there but very few times Going over
Funston inspected all the quarters eV-
cry day. Lieutenant Colonel Little is
not a military man. but he is a gen
tleman. and every boy in the, regiment
likes him
The boys disliked Rafter so much
that one of them made up q little song
n