Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1918-02-02

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costs me my political and my own
life. Somebody in this great Repub
Ic OF ours, my fri,nds, must look
after these splendid young men that
are dong their duty by and for their
country
| III l can be instrumental in saving
one lie, or in arous.ng my country
10 the necessity of trying to save
| thousands of lives, | shall feel, my
friends, that my life has not been
| lily spent. l, for one, bel eve in ct
ting the sunlight III. Let but the
American mothers and fathers realize
| that their sons III ght be better treat
ca than they are, and while, Ike the
parents Of this young boy here, they
| VIII not ask for his discharge from
the service they will see to t. that
the public servant whose duty il is
TO see TO 1t, will either do his duty
; or ret re II disgrace from pubic life
and pubic service"
| STRICKEN FATHER,
he then read the following letter
worth:
Tho Honorable -:
Dear Sir and Friend-As you know.
l have recently lost son with spinai
mening. It's at am WRITING
TO you as one that l know to no
greatly interested in tho welfare of
our soldler boys, and ready to do any
.h!hs III your power for their we'll
peins, ana because you know me and
VIII Know whether to give credit 10
what l say.
Ilease Know i'll the very beg ming
..lat L DO not write to criticise the
government in any sense, nor to law
sohP,alnt against any one in author
ity. realize that in the stupendous
TASK before us as n Government. and
win the great diversity of interests
involved, that it Is impossible thai
mere should not occur some things
that should be corrected. II Is win
inc hope that l may help somewb,t
win the task before us that 7 Law
pare thc facts as l found them In
connection with my sons sickness ot
through friends entirely 1ndereud.
eht OIL the army officers, and the med
ieai stan, l learned of my son s sick
ness after he had been in the hospital
ior SIN days. With my wife | went
Immediately to the camp, ar.ivinr
there the morning OF -. | found
my son In the meningitis ward of the
paSe hospital. 1t was the eighth tay
W. MS SICKNESS, as l was informcE
m ~ tne attending physic an. lis
permitted to see him through win,
ooW at toe head Of his bed
me small room in which bo ,,,
y
mh'ch was patient, a stove in which
'here appeared to be II, fire rhn
room was not simply unsanii,rv -
was h.thy. beggaring dcscrintion 'rhs
pea, on which my son was lvinr woe.
even more filthy than tho ram
calhot describe to you tho condit :on
o. my sons body. Except TO sov
l I neither his hands nor face Ind
noe, washed in eight days. (Tho nj.
.onu"hI admitted this to meO rho
deason given for his being in IN 9
roh'i,loh was that he, the attendant
i"u pol one helper in the ward and
.io were eighteen cases there NJ
u, ''ine' asked if l might put -
,"t , III tncre to take care of HIM
.iiu the physician said that could
, ,ra os al'o"ed. l offered to put in
framed nurse and pay ali oynnnsos
,,,d Iheh asked if I myself might bc
"iio"ea 10 go in and clean him IN
" , '"Ne care of him. The physicinn
soiS Kindly in manner all of the timn
a";u mat 1t could not be. thnn
" II l would bring clean clotho.
,"i ann II they would clean h; I'M ~,
, ' put them on him so that II
- might SEQ him again, and NOT
hn, 't amer, him in the plight She
,,', Just seen him. They said they
'"'" Sia"l? DO so. l went TO Law
r ron ,.mu got ciean clothes, and when 7
- nIo they mad made SOME effort
tho,, S '' ms luce and hands, although
III were sui grimy and black,
Ills clothes were chanpnd ni1
Strengthened out, and his mothnr ,, Dau
called TO see him again. There y,as
no change made in the CONDITION "S
.ne room: Before leaving I oroin
ihade a plea to be permitted to carn
. .or NM gladly taking all risk. bnt
n Iae Lulcs were infleXible, l could moi
NC admitted in any way. The attond
ils p',Ssiclan was kind to us, and T
no not wish to imply that he was IN
any way to blame. He told rs how
ever as we were about to leave that
We should not return for three or
four days. ''''o Ut
10 this order l had no intention
Oh giving heed, neither did I. His
mother ana not see him again. The
NeII morning his father-in-law, W
~ iiarris OF Arkansas City, Ark, went
TO the ward and white the mercury
was down about zero there was M
IRE In the room, the bedding was
on the foor, the boy lay on the he'd
NAKED with the exception of y thin
nlshtshirt that was up around his
ABOUT three o'clock that afternoon
a., tou Inc nm IN the same condition
ana the room without fire ,rbo noxt
morning at about eight O'Clock we
round him in practically tho Same
conalt:on. No one knew of our vis-
us TO the hospital except two worl.
men VINO were working On the sewer
uitch IN front of the hospital To
mem l made myself known and tho