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

Average strength Of nat .onal
ana. iur s~."e purluu 49,. APT ,0So
Number of deaths among Ma
t.onal Guard troops in
United Sta cs S pit. 81.
1917, to Jan. Is, 1918 ..... 1905
Average strength Of National
Guard for same period -. 375, 1854
Number OF deaths all troops
in I'm ted States Sept. 81,
1917, to Jan. Is. 1918 ..... 2,91S
Average total strength for
this period ..............l.O1 6,S70
"That gives in concrete form the
number Of deaths that have occurred,
sa Il Senator Chamberlain. WAT
contend Is that f tn, y had complied
with the recommendation that Gen
era. Gorgas has made all tho ME, Of
giving each Of these men nifty square
icct OIL floor space, ana II i'll aau , on
they had put II these observation
places within the Gantoninents, tho
percentage Of deaths would have been
very much diminished, and / doubt If
there would have been onc-half Of the
deaths that there have been."
a SISTERS LETTER.
Here Senator Chamberlain read
the following letter:
ST. Louis, Mo, Dec. 81, 1917
Mr.. George chamberlain, Chairman
Investigat ,ng Committee, Wash. ng-
ton, ID. G.
Dear Sir: lii behalf of 4 heart
broken family Ia father, mother, two
sisters, and myself) l wish to register
q complaint for the manner in VIII CHI
the case of my brother, -, was
handled at the base hospital, -.
From ,nc mcngre information my
folks received 1t appears that brother
was stricken with Il sight illness on
Monday, Dec. 10, and on Wednesday,
the 18th, he was taken to base hos
pital at - with cerebro-spinal mon-
nights, and On Tuesday, Dec IS. at
1920 "A. NJ, he passed away.
First information my folks receiver
was Friday, Dec. Ia. A ne ghbor
lady received a letter from her son,
a comradc Of my brother, advising
he had seen brother fall out Of ranks
at drill and was carried on a stre:cher
to hospital.
My sister wired an officer "a friend
OF our family i'll Company =, in
iantry, at noon, Friday, Dec. Ia, to
spare no expense and to wire collect
details. Saturday morning, Dec. Is,
received reply from tho officer to
inc elect brother was sent to base
hospital with spinal meningitis, but
condition favorable for recovery.
upon receipt Of latter telegram, sis
ter wired doctor in Company -,
Infantry, to wire details collect. and
TO spare no expense. Sister also on
Dec. 10, Saturday, wrote three special
dellFcry letters to the officer, doc,o
ana a comrade, respectively. for par
'.cNlars, but received nc more infor-
nation until Tuesday evening, G
O'Clock, wire from the company OIL
Ger that brother passed away 1920
n. NJ, Dee. is. This wire was sent
from Fort - at 3:15 p. NJ, Dec. IS.
IT doesn't seem that the company
oiilcers should have been required to
furnish INFORMATION in this case and
mat they only did so as a matter of
respect for lifetime fTieno and an
appfcclat1Tc family. Can It he pos
sDlc tnat the Government Hosp:tal
Oh lhls proud nation of ours is moi
equipped 20 advise n father or mother
or thelr sons misfortune in an oil.
thchtlc way? AS not any OF the In.
formation received came from thc
nosp'ta direct, 1 notice in the Daprrs
'haI caDlegrams are received clear
across the ocean, advising condition
ol troops serving under our flag in
rithce' Dut right at our doorstep our
Saliant soldiers might die and bo
Dnr;ed without the KNOWLEDGE of tho
ialner ana mother, who supplied th,m
l, II were not for the affection and
'hought1ulness OF their comrades
senator Chamberlain breaking off
III the reading, exclaimed:
My God, my friends If thew arc
suffering here in America. with the
"!eSSihSs ana comforts OF home. sllr-
rounded by neighbors and friends
what must DO the fate Of these moor
poys IL they are sent abroad to meet
the dangers and the treacnerous and
hlnuman warfare and conditions that
exist abroad?
'For very palpable reasons. am
not going to give the names of these
people, but l want to show you that
the letters breathe the spirit of ma.
tr'ot SIN. Having given up their sons
20 thelr country, they make no com.
paint except in the hope that the OK
ample in their own family NAV so, :,
precedent Tor better Conditions and
better service.
J. am not going to mention the
naii'es oil the command, but il the
oeIa'oIs from that State want to see
~ VIII show it to tlrtm in confidence
NO" note the spirit Of pair. otism That
Dreathes through every line Of this
,l.a
on: i'"a
brothcrs body was shipped with
our instructions to his home, -
nan, for burial. l had the caskct
opened OPT, Tor Identification purposes
ana was mortified beyond expression
to find that, although brother died for
us country, he was not placed in a
UNIFORM. He was not even clothed
pong wrapped only in cotton and
.,ed up in sheet. Also discovered
that post-mortem had been held
when 1 understand is permissible
only with consent OF parents or rela.