The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-04
COUNSEL FOR NILES
Commanding General Represented at
the Beef Inquiry.
WANTS ALL THE FACTS
STRONG TESTIMONY BROUGHT
OUT BY CRoSS-ExAMINATION
Many Witnesses Corroborate Previ-
Gus Statements as to the Bad Quail
ity of the Beef-Ohio Captain Said
the Flies Would Not Touch It
Cause of Sickness.

Washington, March 3.-The latest de-
velopment of the war department court
of inquiry into General Miles beef
charges was the appearance today of
Major Jesse Lee as counsel for the gen.
eral commanding the army. Major Lee
was so introduced to the court by the
recorder, Colonel Davis, at the begin
ming of the afternoon session. He be-
gan to cross-eXamine witnesses at once
and with the first one antagonized the
court to the extent CT demanding the
admission of certain letters as evil
dence, but was refused. The proceed
ings were not marked, however, by any
evidence of unpleasant friction between
the court and the new counsel.
Captain Groom of the Philadelphia
City troop was the first witness today.
About two weeks out OF four while in
Porto Rico his command lived on
canned roast beef.
TT was our food and we ate it, said
the witness. THAT was about all there
was to it. We never ate it cold, but
had it made into stews with such vege-
tables as we could set and whenever
we could get them
OF the refrigerator beef, Captain
Groom said it was occasionally tainted
on the edges and had to be trimmed;
| otherwise it was excellent meat.
Colonel ]. a. Case of the Fourth
Pennsylvania, who served with General
Brooke in the Porto Rico campaign,
1 said ne had had about six DAYS eX-
perience with canned roast beef. At
! first the men tried to keep the meat
after the cans We're opened, but it
| spoiled between meals He ordered the
/ company cooks to make steWs of
whole can at time and it proved very
| satisfactory. There was some COM
! plant over the lean, tough beef fur
nished from the native cattle, more
complaint, in fact, than from any one
cause.
ON SHORT RATIONS.
Captain a. NJ. Gray of the Sixth Mas
sachusetts, which went to Porto Rico
on the Yale when she carried General
Miles south, said the principal cause of
complaint among his men was not as to
the quality of the ratioHs, but because
they were short in quantity. He said
the transport went first to Cuba and
the troops We're aboard longer than had
been expected, so he understood the
men were put on short rations. for fear
there would not be enough to last.
While on detached duty on shore,
witness said, his men got hold of one
lot of very poor canned beef, two
thirds of which was spoiled and the re-
mainder of worse quality than he had
seer elsewhere.
Alfred F. Foote of Holyo- Z, Mass.
sergeant of the Second Massachusetts,
which served at Santiago, also dis
cussed roast beef. He said it tasted
"bleached." Some of it seemed to be
simply boiled to death and the other
was absolutely putrid. Probably one
third was spoiled in this way. The men
talked the meat over, abused 1T pri-
vately and some refused to eat it, but
they did not complain to their officers.
His command got comparatively little
refrigerator beef most OF it spelling
before it could be cooked and failing
after it was cooked to keep from din /
ner to supper. The only time ashore |
when the regiment was very short of
rations was while digging trenches. ON !
San Juan hill. Here for forty-eight J
hours rations, siXty-siX men of his /
company received only fifty-three hard /
tack in all and half pound of bacon !
for each man. The shortage was due /
to lack of transportation.
BEEF MADE HIM SICK.
Captain NJ. B. Critchfeld of the /
Eighth Ohio, who also served in Cuba,
described the voyage south on the st:
Paul as q feast OF plenty, corned and
roast beef being piled up by the ton
on the deck where the men could get 1t
for the taking. Witness said that from
the landing on July 10 to the surrender,
on the 18th, there was little or no COM
plant as to the rations. After the sur
render the regiment was camped at
Sevilla, about six miles east of the city.
Here they got an issue of refrigerator
beef that the men refused to take. lie
inspected the meat, cut the quarter In
half, and found that it was apparently
good on the inside, though green and
Shiny on the surface. He cut some
made very sick by eating. SO We're
other men who tried. The surgeon ma
jor ordered the beef buried, and no
more was drawn for month.
As to chemical treatment of the re-
frigerated beef, witness said he had
not yet made up his mind one way or
the other He had never suspected
such a thing while in Cuba Since the
discussion OF the matter on returning
home, certain things had seemed to
him suspicious, among others that the
flies did not seem to bother the refriger
ated meat.
COUNSEL FOR MILES.
The court then went into executive
session to consider the reply OF General
Miles to the inquiry of the court as TO
he wished to be regularly rep |
resented by counsel, and it was stated
after the session that Major Lee will
hereafter appear as the regularly &C
credited counsel for General Miles.
The appearance of Major Lee in the
case is the elimination of considerable
between General Miles
and the court as to the accuracy of {
some statements made by witnesses on
the stand. and which General Miles
considered he had official data to prove ,
he tec ~ |
Of Colonel Woodruff several days ago, :
that the beef herds were seldom II !
ever driven with the troops III the In
dian campaigns of the west.
General Miles called the attention of {
the court to this case, and was inform
ed by letter that if he chose, it was
within his rights to be present or to be ,
by counsel to keep track OF 6
The examination. ,
General Miles replied that it was
sometimes the custom in courts of in ]
Jury to have present an officer to as :
;ist the recorder in keeping the records !
n shape.
The court replied to this that it did {
lot need any Assistance for its re-
;order, but suggested again that Cen :
,ral Miles could be present TO aid in z
he examination of witnesses, or could 7
De represented by counsel if he wished. q
To this General Miles replied today =
hat. in accordance with custom In c
uch cases. he would be represented +
hereafter by Major Jesse Lee. for the .
of participating in the eXami- c
ration, with view to eliciting the full =
ruth pertaining to the subject under q
consideration" E
This does not place General Miles in =
he position of defendant before the =
ourt, but gives his counsel the right y
# conducting cross-examination as . .
ull as he desires.