Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-03-03

CONTRADICTED LATER.
WASHINGTON, d. c., March A-Ihere
were several interesting developments III
the beef court of inquiry to-ay. IL was
a field day for the volunteer arm Oh the
service, the waiting room being hlleu an
day with members OF the various Noiuh-
teer regiments which served IN oupa anu
Porto Rico.
The first of these, Clarence walters OF
the First volunteer engineers, todd SEN
sational story of hardship and hnhunah-
ity suffered during his service, describing
+ba canned roast beef in harsher terms
than have ever before been applied to that
,o,,ob discussed article Later in the day.
Lieut.. Sewell U. S. A., who was major OF
tha volunteer battalion in which Walters
served. contradicted his story completely
saving, there was no canned roast oeeI
aboard the transport which took command
70 Porto Rico Further than that, ne sald
Walters had come to him after landlnS
and asked to be discharged so as TO ac-
cent a position as newspaper correspond
ent and on being questioned, said that ne
had been we'll treated while in the service
and had no complaint to make
An important development was tine de-
NAL of the story by one James Harnan
and also attributed to DR.. Maxwell CHRIS
tine. of Philadelphia, that they mad seen
beef injected with chemicals in an Omaha
hacking house. DR.. Christine explained
that what he had seen was the picking
of corned meats, the brine being injected
into the meat to save several weeks time
in the picking vat.
The question of counsel for General
Miles before the court IS still in abey-
ance. some correspondence having passed
between the General and the court but
both sides decline to give out the letters
till a settlement is reached Gen. Miles
has not asked to be represented by couh-
sci presumably because that would put
him in the position of admitting himself
on trial by the court, which up TO Date
he has declined to admit. On the other
hand the court does not feel able under
the articles Of war to permit MAJOR Lee or
any one else to cross question witnesses
unless he can be recognized oftlcially as
counsel for the defense. 1t was stated
that this matter probably will be settled
tomorrow.
The court expects TO start west Iues-
day or Wednesday of next week.
Walters was apparently we'll edu-
Gated and intelligent, evidently man
clearly and calmly, but with positive
directness.
He was asked what his experience
with canned beef had been on the voy-
age Of his transport to Porto Rico, and
replied that the first can he saw opened
had worms in it and a few minutes
after being opened developed such
putrid odor that it was impossible to
have it about. He ate some of it and
was made violently sick He said he
had been on sea trips before and was
never seasick. The men Of his COM
pany complained of the meat, and the
commissary sergeant refused to accept
it. Some of the meat was given to the
surgeon general of the regiment, who
tested it and said it was all right. The
sergeant commissary was compelled to
taste it but did so under protest.
Nearly all the men of his battalion
were sick throughout most of the voy-
age as a result of eating this meat.
Col Davis. the recorder. ordered
can opened and asked witness if it was
the same he had used in the service.
Witness said it bore no resemblance
to the campaign article. The cans he
had seen were a different form, key
stone shape, and the color, consistency
anu OuOT u Ju6 COuttulS NSlo SuilIcIy
different A second can was opened
for inspection with the same result.
Witness did not recognize it.
The commissary sergeant of his COM
pany was George Taylor, of Sc Pine
street, New York, since made Lieuten-
ant
After reaching Porto Rico he was
sick for a week as result of the vOy-
age, he said. He was given some med
icine and told he would be all right
in a little while. On shore he got sup
plies from the Red Cross and bought
milk and eggs from the natives, prac
tically subsisting himself during his
stay on the island At least two-thirds
of his company were fully as sick as
he from the same cause.
Were you sick before you went
aboard the transport" asked Col. Gill
lespie.
mo. sir"
"What sort of life had you led be-
fore going into the servce?"
81 can't say that l have been a dis
spated man." was the reply, and there
was a general smile around the room.
Col. Gillespie frowned and changed the
form OF his question.
Il don't mean that. What business
were you in before entering the SER
vice."
Il was in the newspaper business"
Captain Herbert 0. Hicks, OF Com
pany VI, Second Massachusetts, de-
scription of the meat did not make it
out quite so repulsive as that served
to Walters in Porto Rico, but he said
1t was "a Shiny stringy mass, nause-
ating to the taste without nutriment,
and without form that could be reeog-
nitied as meat, except by the melted
TAT with which it was soaked"
Witness was shown several of the