Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-04-25

TEN WEEKS, HAS EXAMINED
SEVERAL HUNDRED WIT
NESSES, AND HAS TAKEN $500
PAGES OF TESTIMONY.
Washington. April 24.-The Wade
! court of inquiry. appointed to investi-
gate the allegations made by Major
General Miles in his testimony before
the war investigating commission, con-
corning the meat furnished the army
during the late war with Spain, held
its last open session to-day and is now
engaged upon the preparation of its
report.
The court has been in session almost
| ten weeks, and in addition to daily
hearings given in this city for several
| weeks, sessions have been held in Chi
cago, Omaha and Kansas City to af-
| ford the members of the court an OPP
| portunity personally to inspect the
canning and refrigerating processes of
| the packing houses. Several hundred
witnesses have been examined, most of
whom have been officers and enlisted
| men in the regular or vlunteer SER
vice and over $500 pages Of testimony
| have been submitted.
/
who has been Major General Miles rep
resentative before the Board, summed
up for his side of the case Recorder
Davis read brief reports from Gen.
| Breckenridge, the inspector general, and
sleo from two of his subordinates,
Major Philip Reade and Lieut. Col.
Darlington, as to the result of their
individual work and observations. Gen.
Breckenridge condemned the canned
beef ration and speaking generally.
said that while the army ration fulfilled
all the scientific requirements as to food
values, its component parts should be
changed to meet the new conditions of
the service. AS the ration was fixed by
law. this was 2 matter for Congress
| to remedy. He also suggested that ar
ticles required by sick and GONZALES
cent soldiers should be added.
Major Reade's report was mainly de-
voted to the lack of certain camp equip
ment among certain regiments and that
! of Col Darlington to the result of his
personal inspection of the various
camps Of the country.
The Court then decided that if any
of the dispositions for which Gen. Miles
| has called should be received prior to
/ the completion of the report of the
Board they should be admitted as evil
| dence, subject to the Boards limita-
| tons.
| Major Lee then summed up the case,
disclaiming at the outset that he was
acting as counsel for Major General
Miles in technical sense and adding
| that he had been there simply to pre-
| sent and elicit evidence. He read his
argument from carefully prepared
manuscript and was given careful at
| tention by the three members of the
| Court and the recorder, no one else be-
| ing present except the representatives
of the press. His statement consumed
about an hour and when he concluded
with the statement that the members
OF the Board must decide whether the
great fraud and great crime which he
| believed had been committed should be
carried before the Courts, Recorder
| Davis arose and said: II submit the
case to the Board
WITHOUT ARGUMENT"
| This morning the Court decided not
to accept a report made by Lieut.. Col
! Darlington, of the Inspector Generals
/ Office. This report has been transmit
ted to Gen. Miles through Inspector
General Breckenridge. The report of
| Col. Darlington covers about eighty
typewriter pages and goes exhaust
| lively into the reports made by officers
and men, without drawing any general
conclusion. The board in explanation
! Of its refusal to accept this report in
evidence, gave out the following state
ment:
"The report of the investigation con-
Quoted by Lieut.. Col. Darlington, In
spector General under the orders OF
the Major General commanding, con-
tains the result of an inquiry carried
Gu for the most part at the same time
and in the same places as that en-
trusted to this court by the President.
| During the investigation Col. CARING
| ton has submitted the names of wit
nesses, and from time to time has sug-
gested subjects of inquiry, all OF which
have been fully considered by the
court The reports which were fur
nished him by officers of the army
have been already read and
SUBMITTED IN EVIDENCE.
In view of these facts and as 1t does
not appear that Col. Darlington had
any other or better means of informa-
ton than were accessible to the court
| at every stage of the inquiry, it Is or
dered that the report be not received
| in evidence"