Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-06-24
TRIp TO WASHINGTON

Mr.. w. D. Grist, editor OF the YORK
Vile ENQUIRER went to Washington
last week to try to get some satisfac-
tory information as to the probable
date of the discharge Of his son, Cor
moral Lewis NJ. Grist, who Is being
held under observation in the waiter
Reed Hospital there. Mr.. Grist left
Yorkville on Thursday afternoon and
returned Saturday morning, with the
assurance from the colonel in COM
mand of the hospital that his son
would be discharged from the hospital
today or Friday.
Asked about his trip Mr.. Grist said
there was not q great deal to tell that
would be of especial interest; but
nevertheless in telling Of his brief
itinerary he mentioned some things
that will probably be more or less
worth while to some of the readers
of The Enquirer.
Passenger travel Is running
strong" he said. ~ was unable to get
a Pullman berth until / reached
Charlotte, and there l had the good
luck to get the only one that was
left. Returning | was able to get a
berth back to Charlotte; but not to
Rock Hill. Going UP there were a
number Of soldiers on the train, some
regular army men going home on fur
Tough, and q number Of men of the
S1st division just discharged from
Camp Jackson and on their return to
various states of the far west.
II got into Washington at about s
o'clock Friday morning, got my
breakfast at a restaurant and lmmedl-
ately left for the Walter Reed hospi-
tai about six miles out. There was no
trouble about finding the place. The
car conductor pointed to a number OF
army surgeons and advised me all OF
them were bound for Walter Reed.
All had to do was to follow them
when l got off. There was an intelli-
gence officer at the entrance way to
the hospital grounds, and there they
told me how to find the ward in
which my son was supposed to be. 1t
was a long distance they said; but
after only a few hundred yards
found my son in the executive build
ing waiting for me. His mother had
already telegraphed him that | was
coming.
"A few minutes afterward the sur
geon in charge of Lewis's case came
up and after we had been introduced
the surgeon told me all about it. He
said that X-ray pictures had been
made of the boys lungs, and al
they saw signs of trouble, the major
ity were satisfied that there was
really nothing the matter; that II
there had ever been anything the mat
ter it had long since healed up. This
surgeon took me into the colonel and
he told me about the same thing. He
went on to explain that the boys were
discharged on Tuesdays and Fridays;
that Lewis's papers had been made
out and If they got back in time he
would on the following Tuesday be
sent to Camp Jackson for his dis
charge and otherwise he would be sent
out on the following Friday.
Lewis told me that there were
about sixteen hundred men in the
hospital and tf t of that number
there were many who claimed to be as
sound and well ds they had ever been
or ever expected to be. But that was
no means the rule. saw many one
armed and one legged men, some with
no arms and Lewis told me that there
were quite a number in the hospital
who had neither arms nor legs. There
are others suffering with various and
sundry wounds.
"The grounds of the Walter Reed
hospital are quite extensive. ! only
went over a part of them: but among
the sights | watched for a few minutes
was a team of one armed men pitted
against team of one-legged men in
a game of baseball. 1t was not a reg
ular game with all the places full but
1t was pretty nearly that.
"F'rom the hospital we went over to
the congressional office building and
saw Congressman Stevenson. He was
alone in his office, just getting ready
to go into the house, and although he
was as kind and cordial and hospita-
BILE as he always Is. l did not feel war
ranted in taking up his time. Later
talked to several South Carolina men
happened to run up with about pol
itics and one thing and another; but