“We have to do it; it’s the surgeon’s orders. Indeed, Miss Vance, we can’t help it;” and he dashed away as fast as he could go, to tell the others. “O boys! Miss Vance knows all about the cheating here, and the logwood and everything in the coffee.” As they wanted to set themselves right with Miss Vance, the others, as soon as they could, went to her to apologize, and to assure her that it was orders. She assumed not to believe that a surgeon would give such orders, and said she could not believe till she saw the orders. They brought them, and also the surgeon’s instructions for mixing, and various other devices for cheating. “Now, boys, don’t say a word about this till I can see what I can do.” Of course I got all these facts as quick as the mail could bring them. I wrote her “to be careful, to make copies of all the papers and records of the false entries in the books, and take these men one by one to a justice of the peace or notary public, and have them swear to everything;” for, if the surgeon should suspect what she was doing, he would at once relieve them, and order them to join their regiments, and she would be left to stand alone. I started for Louisville, Ky., the headquarters of Assistant Surgeon-General R. C. Wood, at once, and requested Miss Vance to send to me there all the papers in the case, which she did. As I read over the villanous record of cheatery, and the disgusting compounds he had put into the old coffee-grounds for the poor sick and wounded men to drink, my soul was hot within me with righteous indignation. When I went into the office of General Wood the next morning I was in a mood for strong talk. He gave me his usual cordial greeting. “General Wood, if you please, I would like to see you alone,” I said. He looked surprised, as I had never made such a request before. “Certainly,” he said, and nodded to the two or three clerks in the room to withdraw. As soon as the door was closed behind them I began:-- “I came to report Dr. R----, of the Madison Hospital.” “Dr. R----? Why, he is one of my best surgeons! What has he done?” “You may think he is one of your best surgeons, but my opinion of him is that _he ought to be hung higher than Haman_.” The general looked greatly surprised, as he had never heard me use any such emphatic terms about any one before. “Please, madam, explain,” he said. “He is cheating and starving the soldiers, and selling their good coffee, and giving them a little coffee mixed with logwood and other vile adulteration.” “Impossible! That is entirely impossible.” “Nevertheless, it is true; and he is _cheating you_ in making up his hospital returns. I have the proof here in my hands.” He turned pale. “Can such a thing be possible?” he gasped. “It is possible,” I said. “See for yourself;” and I handed him the true returns, with the affidavits. He brought out the official returns which had been sent by the surgeon, and we compared them.