Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-02-23
DAILY ON THE STAND.
Principal Witness to the Charge
of Putting Chemicals in
the Beef.
EXCUSED EARLY IN HIS STORY,
Because Those Accused Were Not There to
Hear Him-Speaks of the Powell Ex-
pertinent and Tells of Chicago White
Powder-Colonel Woodruff Takes Issue
with Statement of Gen. Miles-Views
of Other Witnesses.

Washington, Feb. 2S. - Yesterday 5
| proceedings of the court of inquiry in
| Vestigating the beef controversy de-
| veloped little that was new. The tes-
| timony with the exception of that Of
| DR.. DAILY. surgeon on the staff of Cen
| eral Miles during the war. and of Col
Woodruff. assistant commissary gem
| eral. was generally in line with that Of
Tuesday. The canned roast beef was
| generally condemned "a unsatisfactory.
while the refrigerated beef was COM
Tended. the chief complaint being that
il often decomposed en- route to camp.
The testimony of representatives Of the
subsistence department was begun, that
of Colonel Woodruff, assistant commits
sary general being the most notable.
He purchased more than 100000 pounds
Of canned beef and told of the method
of purchase and the reasons that
prompted it. He took issue with Gen
eraI Miles contention that beef on the
hoof was the usual source of fresh meat
supply To the army. Another feature
of the day was the introduction Of DR..
DAILY who charged before the war COM
mission that refrigerated beef at
Chickamauga. Jacksonville. Tampa and
in Porto Rico had been treated chem
ically.
Not Examined His Charge
He was not examined. however. in
regard To this charge. Colonel Davis an
nouncing that the contractors who were
attacked were entitled TO be notified of
the examination upon this point that
they might have ample time in which
to appear should they desire to do so.
The law required this, he said Accord
ingIy DR.. Daily was excused after a
partial examination and will he recalled
later. With reference to the alleged use
of chemicals to preserve meat. witness
said some years ago while en- route to
hunting grounds in the west he secured
in Chicago what was recommended as
a preserVative-a white powder. 1t was
used in camp. preserved the meat, but
the latter. when eaten, nauseated him.
An analysis divulged the presence of
boric and salicyclic acids.
Prior 10 leaving the stand, however,
Daily was examined in regard to the
Powell experiment with beef preserva-
JiYes at Tampa, Colonel Davis pointing |
ott that il was merely experimental |
and no contractor was involved. DR.. |
DAILY said j. +. Weston called his az
tention to a quarter OF beef which was
hanging on transport and which Col. |
Weston said had been for sixty hours |
in the open and he was waiting 10 see
what would evsntuate. DR.. DAILY did not
recall anything Of Colonel Weston's !
statement indicating that the beef was |
other than a part of the general supply, |
or that IT had been treated with a chem |
ical as an experiment. He noticed that |
flies would not remain on the beef and |
that no larvae were deposited. He |
thought that strange, and that beef |
would not putrify in the Tampa air |
after sixty hours exposure. Witness |
finally cut "A piece from the beef and |
later cooked and ate it. After riding |
horseback he became nauseated.
TELLS OF A BEEF EXPERIMENT.
1t Did Not Turn Out WelI-Other Of1ciaI
Testimony.
Captain r II. Beckham. Of the sub