The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-04-05
SKATER GOES EAST
TO ASSIST EAGAN

In obedience to a most unexpected and
rather mysterious dispatch from the As
sistant Secretary of War, General Shafter
left last night for Washington to appear
as a witness before the court of inquiry,
which is now investigating the charges
preferred by General Miles against the
beef furnished the army by Commissary
General Eagan. The dispatch was from
Schwan, assistant adjutant general, and
directed that General Shafter should re-
port in person to the court Immediately.
General Shafter left at oclock last
night, accompanied by his aid, Captain
E. II. Plummer of the Tenth United States
Infantry. The two officers went by the
way of Ogden and viii reach Washington
on Sunday night. There are several facts
connected with the summoning of General
Shafter as a witness that tend to show
that Alger is playing a last desperate
card in his efforts to upset the evidence
that Miles has brought before the court,
and that General Eagan was recently re-
called from this city to washington IS
thought by some TO be the reason Of Gen
eral Shatter being summoned.
When General Eagan was here he had
an interview with General Shafter. II is
known that General Skaters evidence
will be in favor of Alger. Captain Plum
mer his aid, stated yesterday to a repre-
sentative of The Call that General Shafter
had found the beef furnished his com
mand, both canned and fresh, to be IN
good condition. He said:
The fresh beef furnished General Shat
ter personally was good, for myself ate
ii. and also that which was canned. on
one occasion some fresh beef was report
ed as being unfit to be served, and Gen
eral Shafter ordered a board of survey
which condemned 1t. This particular beer
had been out in the rain. II was the only
beef that was furnished the Fifth Army
Corps that was not good, and IL was
spoiled by carelessness. We know that
the soldiers got tired OF eating the canned
beef, but there was nothing the matter
with it. OF course l cannot speak for the
beef that was sent TO Porto Rico, but
that sent to Siboney was good; Only re-
Gently a sergeant came to department
headquarters to see General Shafter. He
had been a cook for one of the brigade
headquarters in Cuba, and he said that
he had been ordered not to use the canned
beef, but that he had done so, and that
he had fixed it up and served 1t to the
officers, and that they had eaten it with
out knowing the difference. This man
wanted General Shafter to have him APP
pear before the court of inquiry"
In speaking of General Skaters sum-
mons to Washington Captain Plummer
The dispatch is a great surprise to us.
General Shafter had no idea of being sum-
ago the court of inquiry met in Omaha.
Naturally the general thought that if he
was to be witness he would have been
summoned at that time. l know from
corning the beef that his testimony win
certainly be in favor of Alger and Gen
eral Eagan. The general will be absent
from the department about two weeks
The circumstances seem to indicate that
Alger has just found out that Shafter s
testimony may help his cause, and that
Alger only found this out through General
Eagan. This is the general opinion around
headquarters, and 1t is needless to say
that this opinion is expressed sub rosa.
When the court was recently at Omaha
General Shafter was not thought of, al
though he could have appeared at that
time with less detriment to the affairs Of
his department. AS is known, General
Eagan had a conference with General
Shafter when he was here, and when he
returned to Washington he was also in
conference with Alger. On top of this
comes the summons for General Shafter
TO appear before the court of inquiry, and
the strange fact in the case is that Alger
is in no apparent way connected with the
dispatch. General Skaters testimony
will be important, and it is thought by
some that Alger hopes to use it success
fully against that already placed before
the court by General Miles.