The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1899-01-04
EhBAlMe0 BEEF
Receives = Roasting from, several Witnesses
BEFORE the Investigating Committee.

o nefor~ the Investigating Cumrnittee.
Washington. Jan S-The war lnvestI
. eating commission has decided TO max
thorough Investigation OF the com
plants made about the beef furnlshe,
the army In the expedltionary campaigns
Summons was made today for tho an
| peaiance before the commission next Fri
! day Of Major DAILY. the chief surgeon al
army headquarters at Tampa, prior te
the departure Of the shafter expedition
who made vigorous report forwarded
by General Miles. in condemnation Of the
beefs. Tho Swift Packing company Will
be heard next. Monday In defense OF these
supplies. There was only one witness
today. Col. James Moore. assistant orar-
termaster general o. the army. who ap-
peared merely TO correct some errors in
the report OF previous testimony.
Comnissary General Eagan, late In
the afternoon gave out for publication
some additional correspondence relative
to the criticisms passed by General Niles
upon the quality OF the meat supplies
given 20 the army during the war.
First IS letter from Major Black. who
WAS General Miles commissarv ofacer
during the Porto RIcan campaign. In
view OF the request for bi'ding the des-
truction or condemnation OF any sup
plies except upon the fiiding OF pr1pee
~ constituted oofad OF survey, ~ was
asked as to the correctness of n stare
nent attribu.ei to General Miles That
$4,000 pounds Of oanned beef had been
condemned In Porto Rico. His reply was
as follows:
Replying to your &C ommunication OF d.
c mixer 81 relat.vs to tho board Of sur.
yey" have the hcnor to state that ma
10 report OF boards OF survey on rerris.
Grated beef or canned roast beef amonE
my papers
following up the inquiry to tho ,lie
80 iGns againss Ire quality OF the i5ast
beet furnished thu army. General Eagnn
says lac directed a rpac al examinati1h to
ne rrade OF aa tie ri6at, no heard the |
fr, complaint and It was as foll1ws:
"Ulfce OF purchasllp and depot com
missary, Tainrl Fla, Dec. n. iSs
Cammissary Generai Pagan. washirs
ton; siri II has jpst occurred to mo thai,
with the intensely unjust things that |
have been said about the beef business |
connected with the eommissary generals |
department, It might be gratifying to You /
- remember that under your direction |
| examined a very large number OF can |
ned beef both roasted and corned, rep |
resenting hundreds of thousands OF caas.
and found none bad. You Will remeinne~
that did this with a great deal OF care.
and Il occurred to mo that, inasmueb as /
| went through the war OF 61-5 from he
6 inning to end and issued this klrG vi /
teef to both brlgades that / was con
rccted with Ia this war. ana havlnS inade
this examination az referred TO, that It |
would be gratifying 10 you TO know that
I have never aeep In this somewhat oN-
tended experience better beef IN cans
than you have furnished. trust you will
pardon this seeming Intrusion. but can
not refrain from testifying. from personal
knowledge as to the good quality Of this
beef. 1 am very respectfully
p. r.. HuTcHINs, Captain ana |
c 8. u. 3. v. purchasing depot com |
missary.
The last Of the letters relate TO the issue |
raised between Gen. Miles and Gen. Ia
gan as 10 the authorship OF certain
newspaper criticism upon tho army sup
plies. and includes General Eagan's and
General Miles reply, as followss
"GenerRi:--I enclose herewith an article
from the New York journal. New York
Friday headed ''Aines makes grave
,harges against tho administration: pols-
ons used IN beef made tho soldiers NJ
.ons OF bad meat sent to troops In Porto
Rioo." etc.
I'm view OF the grave charges made IN
his purported interview with General
Nelson A. Miles, have the honor 10 ask
nat this article be referred 20 General
Niles to ascertain n the statements there
N made and attributed to him are cor
rect. or to what extent they are cor
rect. and that no may bo directed TO
'tate in detail whether he Is correctly
quoted and in what particular no II cor
'ectly or incorrectly quoted.
Very respectfully.
"CHARLEs =. EAGAN."
Second endorsement.
"T have repeatedly refused to DO inter-
Viewed or TO comment on or discuss my
estimonyg When proof Is furnished me
Ind corrected or examined. presume the
general can obtain copy
rhis subject has been referred 10 the IN
Ipector general OF the army. wi.A iireo-
Ions TO make a thorough and rigid m
'estigation OF tho whole matter, ana the
'ommissary general will havo an oppor-
unity to being heard.
"NBLsoN A. MILES.
'Major-Oeneral Commanding"
BOARD OF SURVEY.
Washington. Jan. sl--Tho board OF sur
sey appointed by the secretary Of war
% examine into and report upon the re-
'ponsibility for the loss OF 1900 pounds
n Refrigerated beef OF Swift ana COM
oany, which was rejected by General
Niles upon its arrival at Ponce. Porto
Rico and which was subsequently thowu
'verboard while en- route on the return
ioyage. met today but decided that mas
much az the proceedings OF a board OF
'nrvey were subject 70 review they would
.ot be made public The board Il Instruct
to ascertain II proper effort was made
10 feed this beef 10 the troops IN Porto
Rico and hx ,ao responsibility IN case
proper effort was not made 10 ascertain
as reported IN the testimony
before the war commission. the beef had
been chemically treated ana whether E,e
United State was responsible for its loss
which inpolye7 a reeommeDdstfon ns %
whether Swift and company should be