WAR DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF
WASHINGTON

March 13, 1918.

His Excellency, 
The Governor of North Carolina,
Raleigh, N.C.

My dear Governor:

The Secretary of War directs me to inform you that the case of former Private Claude W. Howard, 17th Tr. Co., 5th Tr. Bn., 156th Depot Brigade, Camp Jackson, S. C., has been fully investigated by the Inspector General’s Department, and the following conditions were found to exist.

Private Howard did not receive proper medical attention on the night of December 28th, previous to his having been moved to the Base Hospital. The action of the medical officer in charge of this case at this time was apparently based on bad judgment, and was not the result of deliberate neglect of duty. The President has directed that the commission of this medical officer be cancelled.

After being removed to the Base Hospital at Camp Jackson, Private Howard received all the medical attention possible. He died of cerebro-spinal meningitis two days after having been placed in the hospital.

After death an autopsy was performed upon the body, and the body was turned over to an undertaker, who due to not having been supervised as required by regulations, shirked the responsibility of properly preparing the remains for burial and shipped same home in an unwashed and unshaven condition, clothed only in a medicated sheet. Instructions are being issued to bring the commanding officer of the hospital responsible for the latter named condition, to trial for neglect of duty, and approved changes in the Army Regulations forbid an autopsy to be performed in the future except upon direct authority of commanding officers, such authority to be given only when military necessity demands it in each case.

Very respectfully,

Wm. S. Graves
Brig. General, N.A.,
Asst. to Actg. Chief of Staff.