The times., 1899-08-09

According TO a story current last night
there is every reason to believe that the
efforts OF Charles L. Beatty, OF this city. TO
secure commission as captain IN the
volunteer army scheduled for the Philip
pines viii result in a failure II is claim
ed by those in position to know that
Beatty viii not be made captain. but will
serve as a first lieutenant He was COM
mlssioned as such by the War Department
several days ago. and certain things which
have since developed are significantly
pointed to as meaning that Lieutenant
Beatty will not be advanced at least for the
present 1t is said that obstacles are
being put in the way OF Lieutenant Beatty,
and that his friends have been powerIess
to circumvent them.
1t will be remembered that some time
ago when Beatty began recruiting men for
company ID was understood that he was
to be commissioned as captain Of the body
OF men he got together. II was also under
stood that President Mckinley had
promised Beatty a commission. but made
Is clear that the appointment would be
contingent on Beatty's ability TO enlist
one hundred and six men. the fun compile
ment of company Since that under
standing il is claimed that Beatty has re-
cruited the required or nearly the re-
quired number of men, that the men were
properly examined here by DR.. P l. Hunt.
contract surgeon, passed by him as rhy-
sicalIy eligable. enlisted and then muster
ed into the volunteer service After the
men had been duly enlisted they were sent
to Camp Meade. Beatty instead OF being
commissioned as captain was as above
stated made a lieutenant and ordered TO
cease recruiting for an individual COM
pany, and instead 10 recruit them for tina
Twenty y-eighth Volunteer Infantry
The obstacles which It IS claimed were
put in Beatty's way. were made apparent at
Camp Meade after the men enlisted arrived
there. It would appear that there was 4
concerted effort on the part OF certain Of
feers at Camp Meade 20 make it as difficult
as possible for Beatty to get an individual
company such as he had desired and Ia
bored for The object on the part OF these
officers was apparently 10 reject as many
men enlisted by Beatty as possible. and
thus make it almost an impossi6ility for
him TO get full company together Ths
manner in which these officers are said 70
have gone about the matter is best t0ld By
those enlisted men who were rejected
They say that when they arrived at Camp
Meade. after severe hardships, they were
lined up in q large tent IN front OF hun
dreds OF spectators and given so called
physical examination. This examination.
the men claim, was farce.
The first body Of men examined Friday
morning numbered twenty-two- OF these
sixteen were rejected by Surgeon McGraf-
fan. the senior surgeon OF the camp. who
conducted the examination Previously the
men had been examined on their arrival IN
camp by Surgeon Peade, a Junior staff Of
feer, who passed them According to the
story OF the men. Surgeon McGraffan was
overheard to say as he approached the. tent
where the men were assembled; Here
comes some OF that id Washington
gang" He then gazed over the body OF
men and moving along the line questioned
them as to their habits. former oceupa-
tions. etc, and rejected them as he saw NJ.
much as a woman shopping would pick
over ribbon remnants and select what she
wanted
One man was put on the scales and
weighed AS he stepped down after his
weight had been noted member or the
conmissary department stated that the
scales were needed TO weigh beef He was
allowed to take them away for the purpose
indicated The weight OF the other men
was guessed at. and those who appeared
too Ifght or too heavy TO the eye or sur
geon McGraffan were rejected One man
was told that he was not IN physicai con-
dition because he had prickly heat; an
other man was rejected because the sur
geon claimed he had a tobacco heart an
other man who weighed 129 pounds was
said to be too light for service. and still
another man was rejected because he had
previously worked as a bartender. Nu-
nerous other farcical reasons. it is said.
were given for rejection On the following
morning out of seventeen men who stood
up for examination, eleven were rejected
= -
told that the Government had no further
use for them They were not furnished
with blankets or mess kits nor were they
issued rations, but had TO depend on the
charity Of those men who had been ac-
cepted for what they got to eat In most
instances the men were compelled to sleep
on bare boards. and in many instances
those who could not find shelter had to
sleep on the ground. Finally. after enduT-
ing various hardships. discharges were is
sued TO the men yesterday morning These
discharges were dated August 4. the day
of rejection thus keeping the men out ot
four days pay and rations- The dis
charges all read alike and are regarded
by the men who received them as being
dishouorable. The discharges state that
the men are discharged because they are
unfit for service. and the clause. mo
reason is known to exist why he should
not re-enlist.' has two red ink lines drawn
through IT,
Several of the men who have been re-
jected arrived in the city yesterday from
Camp Meade. They are unit in express
sicns of condemnation OF the methods
employed at Camp Meade They
have seen DR.. Hunt. who exam
ined them here. and he s said TO be
surprised that men whom he passed as
physically eligible were afterward reject
ed The men say that Dr. Hunt has writ
ten Il strong letter to Surgeon General
Sternberg and he viii see the rejected men
at the War Department today Though
only about twenty-five rejected men had
arrived in the city last night, forty more
are expected today.
Most of the men seen last night, though
they talked freely. were not disposed to al
low their names 10 be used in connection
with what they said One man. Albert
Blouiu who lives at the fremont House.
and who gave up a good position as type
writer repairer and sold all his EelonginEs
when ne enlisted, stated last night thar he
had no object in Withholding his name as
he would not go back into the Army and
be subjected to similar treatment as that
received at Camp Meade.
Blouin recited the instance OF Arthur
Robey. who was member of the Fire De-
partment ard a splendid specimen OF
physical manhood when he enlisted He
resigned his position and a few days iateF
at Camp Meade was not e0asilsrsd eiigibss
for army service. The statement OF Bloufn
was eorroborated by several rejected men
who heard IL They will have more 20 say