The times., 1899-05-08

stance. at the same time and place, that
the refrigerated beef was unfit for issue.
1t appears. however, that on the 26th of
October, 1888, there was filed in the War
Department a report OF the results of an
inspection at Chickamauga Park OF the
Sixth United States Volunteers. The board
of inspection was appointed September 10,
1898, by General Miles, consisting of three
officers of his staff: Lieutenant Colonel
Maus, Inspector General; Major DAILY,
Chief Surgeon, and Captain Morton, Assist
ant Adjutant General. Major Daily report
ed TO Colonel Maus on October ! that on
September IS he inspected fresh beef at
Chickamausa that had been supplied by
the commissary for the regiment named.
He says this beef had been chemically pre-
served, which gave the meat an unnatural
mawkish, siekening odor, like the odor of
a human cadaver after the undertaken had
injected the body with preseryatives. He
declared that the process rendered the beef
hurtful to health and unfit for food. The
Court has not learned of any other report
having been made asserting or limiting at
the use of chemical preservatives until
General Miles made his statement before
the Commission.
"ln the reference. by endorsement, of
the report Of inspection of the Sixth I'm
munes. General Miles simply calls atten-
llOu u lDt Vi l1t inspector. LIEU
tenant Colonel Maus. who made notes OF
2S defects and submitted 10 recommended
tions. the latter involving action by su-
perior authority. but neither in the list
of defects nor among the recommends :
tions is there any allusion to the bad
quality ascribed to the fresh beef by Major
Daily. Colonel Maus disposes of the re-
port by simply saying 1t is hereto at
tached,' yet 1t contained a positive dec
laration that the refrigerated beef then
being consumed by the regiment had been
treated with preservatives, giving il the
udor OF decomposed boric acid and the
odor of a human body injected with pre-
servatives. That Colonel Maus was pos
sessed of some information or suspicion
respecting the use of chemicals on fresh
beef appears from the testimony of Major
Arrasmith. depot commissary at Chicka-
mauga, who testified before this Court and
also before the War Commission There
fore the silence of Colonel Maus on so
important a matter as the chemicalized
beef. reported by Major DAILY and person.
ally known TO himself. is most remarks-
bic.
About Major DAILY.
This report of Colonel Maus, by refer
ence of General Miles. was received at the
War Department on October &c, but to say
lOdL II NGe ever u INC W
Department except in a technical sense
is hardly the fact. The office marks on the
report in question do not indicate that
it was referred to the several staff depart
ments which were affected by the recon-
mendations. The inspectors recommen-
dations that General Miles invited atten-
ton TO were certainly of minor importance
10 the allegation respecting the chemical
treatment OF the beef. His failure to draw
special attention to it is not explained,
yet one. if not two. of his staff officers
knew Of the beef which Major DAILY said
was positively 'hurtful to health
'on the other hand. the testimony Of
those who received and used the refriger-
ated beef ct Chickamauga is to the effect
that it was satisfactory. and of excellent
quality; nor does any suspicion seem to
have existed that il had been subjected
10 the action of chemical preservatiyes
of any kind. Had so powerful an agent
as combined boric and salicylic acids been
used il is not easy to see how the bitter
taste could have escaped general observa-
tion. especially in view of the fact that
over 1000 eco pounds of refrigerated beef
had been consumed at Chickamauga.
Major Daily arrived in Washington from
Ponce about September 10. after his ex-
perience with the beef on the Panama in
respect TO which he has testified that his
suspicious were aroused. On the 18th of
the same month Major Daily was detailed
by General Miles on a board to inspect
certain regiments in the Southern States.
On September 2S he examined beef sup
piled By the commissary at Chickamauga.
which he alleged had the odor of decom-
posed boric acid and was positively hurt
ful 10 health" The report of this inspec-
tion was in the possession CT the Inspector
General on the staff OF the Major General
Commanding. on or about October /. The
report of Major DAILY, of uncertain date but
probably written about October II, which
was addressed to the Major General Com
manding should have been in his possess
sion Immediately thereafter. but it does
not appear that any action was had on
this report until December %. when it was
submitted by General Miles to the War
Commission.
Miles First Suspicion.
General Miles testifes that when he
learned at Ponce. in August, that the beef
was to keep seventy-two hours he sus-
pected that there had been some process
ing, as otherwise ii would have spoiled.
Whatever the date upon which he formed
belief, or reasonable suspicion, that
the health of the troops was being i'm
paired by the use of deleterious food, it
was his bounden duty. in the opinion of
the Court, instantly TO take the most ef-
fective measures within his control TO as
certain the actual fact and to correct the
wrong, IL any should be found. II would
have been practicable to obtain samples of
the beef then being supplied to the Army
BY contractors and to have submitted these
samples 10 chemical examination. which
would have resulted in the detection of the
presence or absence of boric and salicylic
acids. or any other chemical agent that
may have been used as a preserYative
agent
'-At tnat time more than $50, 900 Ameri-
can soldiers were being supplied with re-
frigerated beef. and surely 1t was of the ut
most Importance to determine If their ef-
fcacy or health was being impaired, yet no
such precaution as that suggested was
taken by the Major General Commanding
at that time or at any subsequent time. so
far as has been learned by the Court The
other witnesses who have testified In re-
spect 10 the Standardization of the beef
speak OF peculiarities in its odor, taste
and physical appearance. such -odor, taste
and appearance in nearly every case being
accompanied by putrefactiye changs S
None OF them, however are able to swear
positively TO q sufficiently close examina-
tion of the beef TO satisfy them that par
Jicuiar preseryatives had been used, and
none Of them at the time the circumstance
was brought TO their attention deemed il OF
sufficient importance 10 be made the sub
!ect of & report TO superior authority. with
view to such action being taken in the
way of examination or injury as would es-
tablish the truth or falsity of the PROPOSE
uon that chemical preseryatives had beer
used.
1T also appears in testimony that upor
two occasions an employe of Armour 6
Go. stated in the presence of witnesses, at
Lakeland. Fla. that certain quantities ol
beef rendered by him at that place had