The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1918-01-31

Washington, d. c., Jan. 28.--In his
remarkable senate speech defending
his veracity and. integrity against
presidential assault, Senator ChamI
berlain submitted two letters detail
ing the death of two American boys
in American military camys in this
country. These, he said, were two
of thousands received by senators
complaining of laxity in caring for
the health and welfare of the army.
The letters brought me nand WON.
en- in the senate galleries to tears.
From a Father.
One letter received by Senator
Wadsworth of New York was as fol-
lows: "
Dear sir and friend: AS you know
l have recently lost my son, Albert
Hestwood, with spinal meningitis at
Camp Bowie. | am writing to you
as one that l know to be greatly in.
terestedw in the welfare of our soldier
boys and ready to do anything in
your power for their well being, and
because you know me and will know
whether to give credit to what l say,
please know in the very begin
ming that | do not write to criticize
the government in any sense, nor to
lay complaint against any one in au-
thority. / realize that in the stu
pendous task before us as a govern
ment, and with the great diversity of
interests involved, that it is impossi-
BILE that there should not occur some
things that should be corrected 1t
is with the hope that l may help
somewhat with the task before us
that lay bare the facts as l found
them in connection with my sons
sickness. #
Hospital Room Filthy"
Through friends entirely independ-
a ent of the army officers and the medi-
cal staff | learned of my sons sick
= ness after he had been in the hospital
Immediately to the camp, arriving
there found my son in the menin-
gifts ward of the base hospital. 1t
was the eighth day of his sickness as
| was informed by the attending ply
stefan. His mother and | were per-
mitted to see him through a window
at the head of his bed.
"The small room in which he was
lying contained one other bed on
which was patient; stove in which
there appeared to be no fire. The
room was not simply insanitary; it
was filthy, beggaring description.
The bed on which my son was lying
was even more filthy than the room.
l cannot describe to you the condi-
ton of my sons body, except to say
that neither his hands nor face had
' been washed in eight days. (The at
tendant admitted this to me).
''The reason given for his being in
this condition was that he, the at
tendant, had but one helper in the
-, ward and there were eighteen cases
there at that time. | asked if !
might put a nurse in there to take
care of him and the physician said
that could not be allowed | offered
to put in a trained nurse and pay all
expenses.
Buys son clean CIotheS.
Il then asked if | myself might be
allowed to go in and clean him up'and
take care of him. The physician,
very kindly in manner all of the, time,
said that it could not be. then
a ked if | would bring clean clothes
for him if they would clean him up
and put them on him so that his
mother might see him again and not
have to remember him in the plight
she had just seen him. They said
they would gladly do so.
Il went to Lawton and got clean
clothes, and when returned they had
made some effort to wash his face
and hands, although they were still
grimy and black. His clothes were
changed, his bed Strengthened out,
and his mother was called to see him
again. There was no change made
in the condition of the room.
Before leaving / again made plea
to be permitted to care for him. glad
ly taking all risk, but the rules were
infiexible; l could not be admitted
in any, way The attending physi.
clan was kind to us and do not wish
to imply that he was in any way to
blame He told us, however, as we
were about to leave, that we should
not return for three or four days. To
this order | had no intention of Civ
ing heed, neither did l. His mother
did not see him again.
Zero Weather; No Fire.
''The next morning early his faith
er-in-law went to the ward and while |
the mercury was down about zero
there was no fire in the room, the
bedding was on the floor, the boy lay
on the bed naked with the exception |
of thin nightshirt that was up around
his neck. sIis0a isfito 8
About O'Clock that afternoon I 1
found him in the same condition and
rthe room without fire. The next
morning at about 3 O'clock we found
hinmIH nIIllt kNnnanNu oon1iu