Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1899-01-21
ORDERS A couRT-MARTIAL.
President Mckinley Decides that Gen.
Eagan Must Face n Military Tribu-
nal,

President Mckinley Decides that Gen.
Eagan Must Face n Military Tribu-
nal.
Washington, Jan. 1S.---The president
yesterday announced to the cabinet
| THAT he had decided to order a court
martial to try Commissary General
Eagan for the abusive and violent lam
guage he had used respecting Gen.
Miles before the war investigating
commission. Ever since the sensation
al evsnt THE president has been delib-
Grating over the matter and has had
frequent consultations with army Off
GERS and Others regarding the steps
THAT should be taken.
The decision, which was reached on
ly Tuesday morning, Notwithstanding
reports that n court-martial had been
decided on Monday, met the unani-
nous approval of the cabinet. Three
of the presidents officia1 advisers, Sec
rotary Alger, Secretary Wilson and
Postmaster General Smith, We're alb
sent, burt their views coincide with the
presidents decision. The details of
the action were left to THE secretary
of war, who had Withdrawn just prior
TO the session, to return to the war
department. to put in motion the ma
chinery for the converting of the court.
In the absence of the announcement
of the detail for the cour't-martial
there was a good dead of speculation
as to its composition. General prac-
tice is for a majority of the court to
consist of the peers or superiors in
rank of the defendant. This would
make the task of selecting a court a
hard one, because it is not easy to find
sufficient number of general officers
ranking with a brigadier general to
make up a desirable quota. But lati-
tude is permitted the appointing au-
thority in such selections, as the ninth
article of war reads: ''No officer shall
when it can be avoided be tried by
officers inferior in rank" The phrase
'4if it can he avoided" leaves opportu-
nifty for the appointment of junior of
ficers.
The penalty for the offense with
which Gen. Eagan probably will be
tried, conduct unbecoming an officer
and a gentleman, is one of the most
severe known in the army, being dis
missal.
If the court shall find Eagan guilty,
even with extenmating circumstances,
it must attach this sentence, and then
the only hope for the officer would be
in THE exercise of clemency by the
president, based perhaps upon the
courts recommendation.
The war investigating commission
has made public the amended state
ment filed by Gen. Eagan. The chang
es made by Gen. pagan in the docu-
ment are mainly in the line of excl
sion, yet the phraseology has been also
altered frequently. He refers to Gen.
Miles as ''the senior major general,
Nelson A. Miles," and while keeping
STRICTLY within the line of propriety in
the Judgment of the commission, in a
negative manner ait least he resents
any assumption of Gen. Miles supe-
riority and asserts that he is as good,
as old and as experienced soldier as
Gen. Miles. He also criticises the lat
tiers attack ON the beef industry as
infamous. 1T is believed THAT so far
as the commission is concerned the
incident is now closed.
Another witness was heard yester-
day in the person of Col. Gibson, the
distributing agent of the National Re-
lief Commission at Santiago. He tes-
tified THAT he carried supplies to the
sick there on the Resolute. He had
great difficulty in landing these sup
plies, Gen. Shafter refused him as
sistance and it was with great difficult
ty that he was able to hire horses.
Respecting the quality of the beef
furnished THE troops, Col. Gibson said
the canned corn beef was unfit for use
and should not have been issued.