The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-01-13

70 Zen. Miles appointment OF Maj. John
ID. Black, . civilian. as his chief OF stan.
and said that this was largely responsibie
for the trouble that followed. He said
that Major Black had been furnished
5000 before starting for Porto Rico and
that he had apparently not known enough
10 provide himself O check book, and had
not left his signature with the secretary
OF the treasure, nor made any other
preparation for availing himself OF the
| FUNDS ut his command.
There were experienced disbursing
officers In the island who had In the ag-
greeate over S5O0, 900 In their possession,
and yet Gen. Miles had complained tnst
there we're no payniasters In the Island,
SO that the soldiers had no money with
| which to buy food for Themselves
Gen. Miles had then called on the de-
partment to put $50. 900 more In the hands
Of Major Black, and this Gen. Eagan de-
clined to do, putting $4,000 70 Major
Blacks credit In New York.
Witness charged Cen. Miles directly
with disarranging and hampering the ad.
ministration Of the war department by
their presence was absolutely necessary:
"This was the case In taking Col.
John Weston away from Cuba to serve
with the Porto Rican expedition, and In
putting Major A. I. Smith. very
| efficient officer assigned rs depot commits
ssry in Porto Rico, to work on some
transport duty when his services were
dem anded on Shore
6eu. Eagan said that the commanding
general went clearly outside his power III
doing this and intimated that Gen. Miles
| Was moved to do SO by the ignorance and
eiiic ency OF his own appointee, Major
Black, who was supposed to be the chief
com missary officer on tsen. Mil S stah.
Gen. Eagan referred to Gen. Miles
| testimony that he had photographed the
depar tmrnt from Porto Rico for complete
and proper rations, and said that II the
commissary generals Office had received
any such message, he should have con-
| s.dered 1t the request Of very ignorant
person."
"Gen. Miles was asked by your com
NJ ttee how timed fresh beef became
part Of the army ration. His answer Is
You had better ask the secretary Of war
| or the cominissary general. l think they
can tell you. know 1t was sent TO the
army as food, and the pretsnse Is that 1t
was sent as an experiment..
Zen. Miles, In saying that this food
was sent to the arm, as a pretense Of ex.
pertinent, says that which implies cor
ruption, which 70 out OF every 100 people
will understand to mean corruption, be-
cause 1t was "a pretense Of experiment.
he says. not even giving credit to me for
furnishing 1t as an experiment. but that
l
experiment.
| "This is a serious charge, aud should
not be made by any man lightly nor
without ample evidence to support IL.
aking the statement In the sense that
was probably intended, the sense that
will be accepted by the country at large,
/ the sense in which already the press al
mi ost wholly Of the United States has ac-
cepted IL Cndesd. some OF that press. be-
cause of 1t, called for my dismissal from
the army and my court mar tiaD l
answer that 1t was not furnished under
the pretense of experiment, not even as
an experiment and when Gen. Miles
49, mat 1t was furnished as 'pretense
or s3periment,' he lies In his throat, he
| lie In his heart, he lies in every hair Of
his head and every pore Of his body, he
lies wilfully, deliberately, Intentionally
and naliciously.
"If his statement is true that this was
furni shed under 'pretense Of experiment
then should be drummed out of the
army and incarcerated in prison. II his
statement is false, as ! assert 1t to be.
then he should be- drummed out of the
| service and incarcsrated in prison with
other hbellers.
ellis statement ia a scandalous libel re-
flecting npon the honor OF every officer In
the depaI tment who has contracted for or
purchased this meat, and especially and
my self.
"In denouncing Gen. Miles as liar
when he makes this statement, l wish to
make 1t ss emphatic and as coarse as the
statement itself. l wish to force the lie
back into his throat. covered with the
contents OF a camp latrine.
~ wish to brand It rs falsehood Of
whole cloth, without particle OF truth
to snstain it and unless he can prove his
statement he should be denounced by
every honest man barred from the clubs.
barred from the society of decent people
and so ostracized that the street b,otblack
would not oondesoend to speak him; !;
for he has fouled his own nest; he has as
persed the honor Of brother officer with
out a particle of evidence or fact to sus-
tain In any degree his scnndaious. libel.
Gus, malicious falsehoods-viz. thsethi
beef or anything whatever was furDished
the army under 'pretense Of expert
ment.
Continuing, Gen. Eagau said:
when l was commissary general In
May last, Gen. Miles had already selected
for his staff as chief commissary one Of
the ablest oommissaries of the regular
army, Major II B Osgood. Judge of
my surprise when one day General GIL
more, the adjutant general Tor Gen. Miles
told me 1t was Gen Miles's wish 10 have
Major John ID. Black. recently appointed
from civil life, Us II voluntary commits
sary. made his commissary on bis staff.
| expressed my surprise that the senior
officer of the army should SO select u
volunteer officer OF the army. totally de-
void of experiences in the Subsistence de-
partment and therefore incompetent for
such an important Rduty. Shortly alter
and apout June 7, Gen. Miles sent a very
ordinary, common place telegram, to the
adjutant general al Washington inquir
ing what subsistence the subsistence de-
partment had at Tampa, and somewhere
else, some such SIM lar inquiries TO the
quar- termaster general and the chief: of
orunance. made formal written re
ply to this and to my amazement, the
newt morning / SAW 1t published In the
press OF the country that Gen. Miles had
sent or had found 1t necessary to send,
Ia serious reprimand to the quariermaster
general, the com issary general and the
chief OF ordnance for conditions that he
found there. No reprimand was ever re-
ceived and Gen. Miles has no authority
In his commission or his position under
the Law or regulations to send repri-
mands to me. This uncontradicted story
of rcprimand to the heads OF three OF
the most important departments OF the
army aided as much as anything In ex-