The times., 1899-01-14
WITNESSES IN DEFENSE.
The AIger Relief Commission Hears
More Agreeable Testimony.

The first witness before the Alger Relict
Commission yesterday morning was Gen.
Leonard Wood. governor of Santiago pro-
vince. General DENLY, the acting chair
man, stated al the outset that the object
of the commission was to make an inquiry
into the conduct OF the war with Spain
and invited General Wood TO proceed with
out questioning and make Z general state
ment.
General Wood said that he served in the
late war in and about Santiago. He had
experienced more hardships during Indian
campaigns than during the late war. The
complaints about the food came from the
volunteers. No complaints were made by
the regulars. who had seen worse days
right here at home. Every man in his
regiment would again face the Cuban cam
paign if called upon to do so.
There was absolutely no trouble with re-
gard to refrigerated beef where it waS
handled and eaten under conditions for
which it was intended.
Superstition and ignorance created pref
udice g last i As for fitness for food,
he used it in his mess and in his family
and considered il good enough for any
body. Sometimes the meat would mold on
the outer side. This was caused by the
climate. But when this was scrapsd off
the meat was perfectly coed and whole
some.
There was a shortage Of meat at Santi-
ago, but there was rice and coffee in
abundance. When the Spaniards yielded
they surrendered 5000 sacks Of rice and !
lot of coffee.
He had never had any suspicion Of chem
icals being used in the preparation OF re-
frigerated beef for shipment. He thought
he could have detected the chemicals had
they been used. He knew nothing about
ba bzf lss-1
of it, and had heard no complaints
about il.
He knew Of but one instance where the
refrigerated beef had beea destroyed. This
was when the refrigerating apparatus on
the ship on which the meat was shipped
had broken down. Some OF this meat had
been issued and reissued and then ELECTED
and destroyed.
There was no reason for complaint
against the medical department at San
tiago. The campaign was a severe one.
and the doctors and nurses were greatly
overworked. Here and there soldiers
might have been neglected. But it was
because there was no help for it. Il was
natural result of the hard conditions.
Where complaints were made they were
from volunteers. The old soldiers-the
regulars-recognized these conditions and
made no cry about them.
The transports which carried the San
tiago expedition were clean and healthy.
General wood stated that he lad re-
ceived the warmest support from his SUI
perior officers during the var, and thought
that, all things considered, the conduct
of the war had been cminently successful
and should be satisfactory to the American
people.
Major Ruthers. cOmmissary of subsist.
ence and depot commissary at Jackson.
VILE was the next witness. Major Ruth.
ers stated that ne had handled 1000 00l
pounds Of refrigerated beef and had not
heard any serious complaints about it. He
had never heard Of ''embalmed boot" had
handled 10000 pounds of canned beef and
had heard no great complaint
Roderick Scott, representing the Cudahy
Packing Company. OF Omaha, was the mex
witness. He defended both canned and re.
frigerated meats. and stated that the bee
furnished by his company to the Govern.
ment was good and free from chemicals
Mai J. A Arrowsmith, depot commits
sary al Chickamauga. testified that he di,
not believe chemicals were used on tht
refrigerated beef supplied to the army H.
never heard OF the use Of cnemicals unti
Colonel Maus spoke 10 him about IT, Th
witness had eaten Government beef 70
twenty-seven years and had never taste,
better beef than that supplied during III
late war.
After Major Arrowsmith had finished tn
commission announced that no more wit
nesses would be heard until today