The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-21
BEEF INQUIRY is ON
EXAMINED AS TO THE QUAIL
ITY OF ARMY MEAT
HIS TESTIMONY DIGNIFlED
Did Not Intend to Impute Dishonest
Motives to Any officer of the
Army-0ne Sensational Incident
Gen. Miles Asserts His Prerog-
ative-Cols. Van Horne and
Miner Say Beef Was Unfit for Use.

ative-COIs. Van Horne and
Miner Say Beef Was Unfit for Use.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 2O.-The Miles,
court of inquiry today made a good
start in its work. Calls of ceremony
On the president and the general COM
manding the army occupied a large
part Of the forenoon, and Immediately
thereafter Gen. Nelson A Miles ap-
peared as the first witness. He and
three other army officers summoned as
witnesses were examined and dis
posed Of before the court closed it's ses-
sion at 8 o'clock.
Gen. Miles testimony was the feature
of the days proceedings Col. Frank
Michler, his chief of staff, and gentle
man in citizens clothes, who took
seat by the fireplace and gravely
watched the proceedings, retiring with
the general as silently as he had come,
accompanied the general to the court
room.
Gen. Miles submitted to the ques ion
ing of Col. Davis, recorder of the court.
with equanimity, except for a flash Of
mingled indignation and irony when he
informed the recorder that he was not
| compelled the report to the commits
sary general of the army This was in
reply to a question as to whether or
not he had reported to the commissarv
department the fact that complaints
mad been made to him as to the quail
ity of meat being issued to the troops
An instant later Gen. Miles assumed
MS cool and carefully considered re-
Fl - +I,a
SCOPE OF JUDGMENT.
AS indicated by letter Of the adju-
taht general, read by the recorder for
the information of the court, the scope
OF the inquiry was limited to the allie
cations Of Gen. Miles before the war
commission as to the quality of the
army beef "and the matter purporting
to have been furnished to the public
press by the same official" Only two
interviews were called up by the court,
! the first interview with a New York
journal representative, early in the
peer controversy. in which Gen. Miles
was quoted as charging that certain
chemicals were used in the preserva-
ton of the army meat, and another of
the New York Herald, under date of
February l, covering about the same
ground
Gen. Miles called attention to the
! fact that in both instances he was
credited in the interviews with refus-
ing TO answer certain questions. and in
! sisted that these refusaIs should he
given due weight in considering the
questions to which he did reply. In
the case OF the interview of February
l. Gen Miles said that he had a letter
! from the man who wrote the story Of
fering to swear that Gen. Miles had re-
fused to be interviewed, and that the
whole story was made up in the of4ca
from the writer's general knowledea of
the facts. Notwithstanding this. when
his final answer was asked as to tbe
authenticity Of the interview. Cen
Mics did not specifically deny it but
merely said that it did not quite fairly
represent his own opinion in the case
The same qualified denial as 70 the
Journal interview of December % v-ae
made, leaving the witness on record a.
! not assuming any responsibility for the
| newspaper statements, but tacitfv ad
hllItIng that there was good deal in
them with which he agreed.
BEEF WAS BAD
When Gen. Miles left the Witness
| chair Lieut.. Col. Van Horne. of the
thirteenth infantry, was sworn H.
SAID he went through the entire C,,ba.-
campaign and had used canned cor,,
ed, refrigerated and canned .roas+ toee
He said the criticisms of tbe carn,l5
roast beef began early and wera n7odo
Ci1eh. 1T was objected to on the sc,ra
CT IFS lack of nutriment. its taste ara
IT'S appearance. After the men eo+
| COOKING utensils, they stewad tbajr
canned beef Before that thev ate if
rom the can Either way of SERVING Il
was pad enough, and though none of
II mat Wltness remembered was actual
~ spoled, 1t was unpalatable and +ba
| ground OF constant complaint. Col
an Horne did not recoilect that +ba
large sick list of his regiment in C-,7ho
had been laid at the time to the cannes
meat The men were very dahiIi+o.tN-.
| Out ne could not say whether the n,eat
ought to be blamed or not.
When the refrigerated beef v,os 1z
Gu d large part of it was spoiled and
the men continued to use the cannad
| meat. The spoiled refrigerated baaf
! was laid out on the hill for the h,,,
yards. Several issues were lost in +b;.
way Witness had eaten some of tI,e
refrigerated beef which arrived y,
camp untainted and found it good Tbo
men ate it without complaint and bo
| had no reason to believe it was anv
different from the beef he had erot+o-,
/ at army posts in the states
LACKED NOURIsHdENT
Lieut.. Col. Charles Miner. of the Sixth
infantry was the next witness. His
! regiment was among the first to leave
camp Thomas and to camp at Tar7na
They reached Cuba and disembarke,J
en- June p. Canned roast beef was is-
sued as travel ration when thev Ief+
Tampa, and until the end of the siaqa
1t was replaced with refrigerated beaf
after the surrender Meantime he said,
absolutely no other fresh meat could
have been furnished.
Complaints against the canned baae
| became general and marked about mi,
2. He said he was using it and wba,,
opened 1T was apparently fresh h,,+
strlngy, and absolutely without no,,r
ishment, and when cut it fell 70 n4aoe,,
Ihe men could not and did not eat If.
Maj. Henry Jackson, Third cava1rv
who was with his regiment throupbo,t
the Santiago campaign, was called He
said his experience with the canne5
roast beef began aboard rho +,,.,H