Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-02-21

! fI army no fIfAiA IHN ''t's .'--"
preferred 10 conclude his inquiry go that
| ha rniqht have s0mething tangible 10 pre-
eont a. the Secretary. Finally. he issued
| hls orders 90 officers 90 report upon the
! ouglffy of tho beef furnished ITO 90 not
/ rDport directly t0 tho Secretary ~ war
! because. under ruIe of l"". ihe oroer
] should go from the adiuiani general %
/ the Secretary
"PRETENCE OF EXPERIMENT
PHRASE.
| Hls attacks upon fhe canned ana i'-
| frfpcrafel beef before the war Cominl--
! ..., ,,ere then taken up specifically.
/ Colonel DavIg reading the trsiimonF OF
tbe commanding general in when no Ie-
| farreJ 10 10 4s "embalmed beet and siid
p had been gent as "a pretence of an eN-
! pertinent
! General Miles was asked 81 he knew
/ when the war began that canned roasi
/ beef was part OF the army ration. Ihis
| question brought out partial eHplana-
/ lion Of his using tho phrase "prctencc oi
expcriment" Be said be. did not know
that canned roast beef was part Of inc
army ration though in iss 100 order bad
/ been issued. including canned. rJrned. or
fresh beef fIc did not understand mat
] the canned roast beef now in question
Was meat "When hls attention was
| finally attracted 20 the canned roast beef
/ recently issued he assumed he declared.
/ that lt was being issued as an expert
! ment" since lt was not understood hf
/ him hat canned roast beef was a pail
/ of the regular army ration continuing
/ thls eYplanauou. iu answer go question,
G.nerni Miles snId he thought his use oi
i "pretoure of experiment was uutoriu-
nate. and he dirclalmed anr Intention lo
| minute fraud 90 any one. $50 FAR as moi
/ eating fraud" Do said. u wish to state
that uo such indication was intended. IT
| was au unfortunate expression. aud had
/ my attention been called to 10 ! W'uId
| have amended 30 10 experiment. N4
matter of fact 80 was au experiment ana
! "a very costly one. .,
| said he nlu heard complaints against lHt
! Refrigerated beef at Ponce. The hrti
! dn.cf statement that n had been treated
| chemically came. bee believed. from ii-
/ BaIv. who presented 30 late Zoo ntpi'm-
! bcr. ana appeared subsequently hrIoit
/ the War Commission. lie smd ht "'u
mot rpcollect whether Dr Days report
| was volunteered or whether Doe had b''n
| ordered Go investigate and report on the
| meat
II was general talk among ihe officers
| nf Ponce General Miles continued. ihti
| tho r,frietratcd beef must have been sub
| tected to some chemical treatment to
| make II keep for seventy two hours.
VARIOUS TERMS FOR THE MEAT
General Miles then read a. long SUM
| mary of lol letters received hy MN al
| army headquarters giving thc various
| terms boo which the army meat was 'hii-
! act,rized These Included ',mh1lmel,
! "l,cnmuostd" Injected" poisoned, '
"spoucd," and thc Ike.
lu addition he showed % summary of
| reports ou refrigerated beef condemned
and thrown overheard from transports
! when g. e. Noomans. from the Yosemite tO.
! reported the condemnation OF 1000
pounds. and Colonel James Hamilton
! Lewis l0UOp pounds.
colonel Gillespie took "a hand n the
inquiry when General Miles finished de-
scribng thy uduseatng qualities OF inc
canned and Refrigerated beef
| "Did you. General. ever eat any of THIS
| beetg" Colonel Gillespie asked
81 presume We did. about thc time We
| were al Ponce" said General Miles. with
some hesitation. "Nes j presume i did.
"Then" said Colonel Gillespie. ut has
not such characteristic qualities as would
permit you TO detect % onhand''
"No, sir"
! COLONEL VAN HORNE TESTlFlES.
General Miles then lcu the witness
chair and Licuteuant-C Colonel Van Homo,
! OF the Thirteenth Infantry Was sworn.
! lie said he was at the outbreak OF ihr
/ war with the TWcnty-sccond infantry,
| and was out the entire cuban campaign.
! Witness said he had used all kinds
! canned corned refrigerated, ana canned
/ roast beef lie said the criticism OF the
| canned roast beef began early ana Wa
/ made often The meat was objected 20
ON the score OF its lack of nutumen', Hs
taste. and It's appearance. witness ulo
/ not rcconect that the large slck-hat "i
Z hts regiment ia cuba had been laid az the
/ iime TO The canned meat. When the re-
/ fueerated beef arrived large part oi
30 was spoiled. and the men continued i'
/ uso the canned meat The spoiled To-
/ frieerated beef was laid Out on the hlA
for the blzzlrds. Several issues were
lost lu this way. witness had eaten
some of The refrigerated beef which came
to camp uutAiuted aud found that good
| The men atc it without complaint ana
De had uo reason Co believe 20 was ulf-
f,rtnt from the beef he h1d gotten ai
army posts in the States.
lIEUTENANr-COLONEL MINER.
Lieutenant Colone. Charles ~. Miner. OF
the Sixth Infantry. Wa the next witness.
l Ills regiment was among the nlst to
/ leave camp Thomas and t1 camp at
/ Tampa. They reached cuba ana disem-
| barked ON june --d Canned roast beer
/ was issued as travel ration when the1
left Tampa. and until the end ~ the
| siege 10 was replaced with reirgera. leo
! beef after the surrender Meantime. D.
/ said absolutely no other fresh meat could
/ have been furnished during the siese.
/ Complaints OF ihe canned beef became
I general and marked about July 20. BE
| said he was using it and when opened
10 was apparently fresh. but slfingl and
! absolutely without nourishmeut. and waen
| cut il fen 20 pieces. The men could NOT
( and did not eat 10.
/ Used FOR MAKING BEfF EXTRACT.
/ Il believed then and believe now be-
/ said "that that beef had been used fo.
/ making beef extract and the nurimrnt
J taken out II appeared ~ have been boil
/ ed 10 pieces
Colonel Miner said he knew nothing Of
/ ihe method OF canned-beef preparation
/ his regiment was in good condition until
4 about Iulv 90. after which 30 deterioratei
suddenly and generally When they be-
came weak and sick the men did not want
] meat.
| Examined a. 20 the refrigerated beef
/ he declared ~ was excellent and salts
| factory. and no complaint about IL was
/ heard Only ose quarter was spoiled. lie
Was unable ne said. % detect any diife-
ecONCLUDED ON SEVENTH PAGE