The sun., 1918-03-02
ARMY SURGEONS
TO BE TRIED BY
.C0URT-MARTIAL
Maj. Connolly and 1t. Kirk.
patrick Held for Neglect
in HestwoOd Case.
CHAMBERLAIN Is UPHELD
Senator's Expose Of Camp
DOniphan Conditions Con-
. firmed by War Dept.
CHAMBERLAIN Is UPHELD
SDeciar DesDdick 10 Tue S,;N

Special Despatch TO TuE Stu
WAsHINGToN, March 1.-The sequel
to Senator Chamberlain's defence In the
Senate against President Wilson'S de-
nunciation of his efforts for army re-
forms developed to-day when the War
Department permitted the report Of an
onicer Of the Inspector Generals De-
partment to be made public.
Senator Chamberlain in his speech in
the Senate read a letter written by the
father OF Private Albert Hestwood.
charging that the appalling conditions
existing at the hospital at Camp Doni-
phan, Oklahoma, were partly responsible
for the death of his son. The report
Of the officer who made the inspection
stated that the conditions complained
os did exist at that time and that all
Of the complaints made by the soldiers
father were true.
The first result of the change made
by the oregon Senator will be the
court-martial OF Major Philip b. Con-
York city. aud First Lieut.. Walter II.
Kirkpatrick. Medical Corps. National
Guard, Of Haven, Kan. Major Connolly
was the medical officer in charge Of the
hospital at the camp at the time of
Private Hestwoods illness and death.
Lieut.. Kirkpatrick is the first medical
officer who examined Hestwood. 1t is
charged that re sent him TO the hos
pital without making ii known that he
suspected spinal meningitis.
Baker Asks for Report.
TIE Secretary of War in ordering the
court martial has instructed Major-Gen.
W. NJ. Wright. commanding that divi-
sion. to make report and has asked
for 4 report from tho former division
commander Rrig.-Gen. l.. G. Berry.
A digest of the repos, Of the officer
who inspected the hospital fully bears
out the complaint voiced by Senator
Chamberlain. The Senator said at the
time that his information was derived
from the father Of young Hestwood.
The investigation disclosed" the re-
port says, that prior to the date of
Private Hestwoods death December 2s)
and for a considerable period thereafter
conditions in the hospital were nothing
short Of deplorable: in fact, the condi-
tions cited by Private HestwOod's father
in his letter of January "A to Henry j.
Allen were found to he substantially
correct
Major Connolly. who was then in
charge OF the hospital, is held to have
been responsible for the existence Of
these conditions.
The wards were unclean at that time
NJ MI insnffccpf Sllnnlv nf
bed linen. a lack of attendants on duty,
while those there were inexperienced and
the declaration was made that patients
went for long periods without even hav-
ing their hands and faces washed. I'm
fact" the report continues. practically
every complaint made by Private Hest
woods father was found by the inspector
to be true"
Hospital Overtaxed.
Reports of the medical department
show that an Unexpectedly large number
of patients overtaXed the hospital when
Hestwood was there; between 1000 and
1J00 patients were treated at the hos
pital between December 18 and 2S last.
These causes We're named by the in
spector in his report as unsatisfactory
conditions" then existing in the hospital:
Lack of steam heating facilities. lack OF
supplies of hot water. unframed officers
and enlisted personnel. lack of proper
amount Of supplies due TO the unusual
number Of patients admitted. climatic
conditions which made II hard under the
best circumstances to keep patients and
wdrds clean. lack Of proper and adequate
sewerage and plumbing connections. long
delay in completing the Base hospital.
The report stated also that the con-
ditions which existed at the time OF
Private Hestwood's illness and death
have been eradicated. that the "critical
condition" no longer exists and prob
ably never will occur again in the Camp
Doniphan hospital
Rody shipped In Casket.
The statement that Prvae Hest
woods body was shipped home wrapped
only IN a sheet was made the subject of
a special report This report stated that
the body WAS shipped in metal lined
casket and that this being COM
municable disease the body was wrapped
in sheets and cotton to conform to
shipping laws. therefore no clothing was
used"
The conditions at the camp hospital
have been materially improved. the re-
port shows.
"As a result of the investigation into
present conditions at the hospital" the
War Department announced. "the in
spector reports: The present command
ing officer of the hospital, Col. Frank
Il. Keefer, Medical Corps. is an effi-
cient and capable officer. fully compe-
tent to Ill the obligations that arc
placed upon him and at the present mo-
ment Is doing everything with means
at hand to place that institution upon
proper footing"
Major Connolly. who must face court
martial as a result Of the investigation
was graduated from Bellevue Medical
School in 1909 and from the Army Medi-
cal School three years later. He was
appointed to the Medical Corps from
New York on February 6. 1911. Lieut.
Kirkpatrick. the other officer who must
face court. studied medicine at the
University Medical College. Kansas City
Mo. He accepted his commission In the
National Guard Medical Corps June 20
last.