The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-13
EAGAN'S SWEEPING CHARGES.
Continued from First Page.

Cohtniued 4iOh flist EdSV-
went clearly outside his power in doing
this and minated that Gen. Miles was
moved to do so by the Ignorance and in
efficiency of his own appointee, Maj.
Black, who was supposed TO be the chief
eommissary officer on Gen. Miles staff.
Sign OF Ignorance.
Gen. Eagan referred TO Gen. Miles tes
timony that he photographed the depart
ment from Porto Rico for complete and
proper ratiOns," and said that if the COM
missary generals office had received any
such message he should have considered
il the request of a VERY ignorant and
ul-iBformed person."
Continuing, Gen. Eagan referred to
Gen. Mics expressed preference for ma
tive beef, of which he said there was
plenty and asserted there were no cattle
whatever in the neighborhood of Santi-
ago The native beef Gen. Miles referred to
Gen Eagan characterized as stays, runts,
bulls and overworked cattle. The use of
such animals the department would never
allow.
Gen. Eagan quoting Gen. Miles allega-
ton that in his judgment there was some
serious defect in the refrigerated and
canned beef said Gen. Miles would not
say this was anything more than his
judgment.
Eagan WAKES Emphatic.
"Whoever" said Gen. Eagan, calls II
embalmed beef is a liar"
Citing the reports submitted by Gen
Miles in cOrroboration of his charge Gen.
Eagan submitted whether or not his course
of securing these reports would not be con-
strued as seeking adverse reports. He cited
Gems. Merritt and Shafter as approving
the beef.
1.-The newspaper statements emanating
from Gen Miles that 10000 pounds of the
beef were condemned a Porto Rico is an
absolute falsehood. No such quantity was
condemned there or elsewhere"
The witness said Surgeon Days report
that the beef apparently was infected with
chemicals to aid in preservation was
''falsehood and he made it out of whole
Cloth" He denounced the assertion that
chemically prepared beef had been issued
anywhere, and said ne did not believe Sur
geon Daily had that belief
should Have Analysed 1t.
Why" he asked, "did he shirk his
duty, why not then make chemical analy-
sis, and why keep this information 10
himself and then spring it suddenly on
the commission and the whole country
and imply that packing houses had been
cheating the government and violating
| their contracts? At no time did he in
form the commissary general or the Sec
rotary of War of these things.
This" continued the witness, lis
scandal calculated to ruin thousands of
| people, and dscredit and put in infamy
enc of the greatest industries Of the
| world
Gen. Miles was asked by your com
! mission how timed fresh beef became
part of the army ration. His answer was.
| You had better ask the Secretary of
War or the commissary general 1 think
| they can tell you. 1 know it was sent
TO che army as food and the pretense is
| that it was sent as an experiment.
Calls Miles All Sorts of IA Liar.
Gen. Miles in saying that this food
was sent to the army as "a pretense for
| experiment. says that which implies cor
| ruption. which 80 out of every 100 people
| will understand to mean corruption. This
| is a serious charge, which should not be
| made by any man lightly or without am
| pie evidence to support it. Taking the
| statement in the sense that was probably
| intended, the sense that win be accepted
| by the country al large, the sense in which
| already the press, almost wholly, of the
| United States has accepted it-indeed some
| of the press because of it, called for my
dismissal from the army--I answer that it.
was not furnished under the pretense of
| experiment, nor even as an experiment,
| and when Gen. Miles charges that it was
! furnished as 'pretense for experiment
! he lies in his throat, he lies in his heart
he lies in every hair of his head and every
pore of his body; he lies willfully, DELHI
erately and maliciously.
IF his statement is true that this was
| furnished under 'preteuse of an expert
| ment,' then l should be drummed out of
the army and incarcerated in state prison.
''If his statement is false. as 1 assert It
| to be, then he should be drummed out of
! the service and incarcerated in prison wi h
! other libelers. His statement is a scan
| dalous libel rejecting upon the honor of
| every officer in the department who has
contracted for or purchased this meat,
and especially and particularly on the COM
missary. general-myself
Meant to BE Emphatic.
TN denouncing Gen. Miles as a liar when
| he makes this statement, wish to make it
| as emphatic and as coarse as the state
ment itself
81 wish to force the lie back in his throat
| covered with the contents of a camp Ia
| trine l wish to brand it as a falsehood
! of whole cloth without a particle of truth
10 sustain il, and unless he can prove this
| statement he should be denounced by every
honest man, barred from the clubs, barred
! from the society of decent people, and so
| OSlraclSeu JnaL the street DOOtDldck would
not condescend to speak to him, for he has
! fouled his own nest he has aspersed the
! honor of a brother officer without a par
ticle of evidence or fact to sustain in any
| degree his scandaious, hbelous malicious
! falsehoOd, namely, that this beef or any
| thing whatever was furnished The army
under 'pretense of experiment.
Miles Has Made No Denial.
Gen. Eagan referred TO the published in
| terviews of Gen. Miles and to the CORE
| spoudence between them as to their au-
| thenticity, Gen. Miles having made a non
| commtal reply. The witness then said:
'When a man refuses to deny a libel
| or falsehood or a statement attributed to
| him, il is well known that he assumes the
matter TO be true. When he avoids the
| question, the supposition is that he cannot
deny it, My question is not answered yet.
| He has not denied the interview, published
in the New York Journal, dated Dec, %,
! 1898, and having refused 10 distinctly deny
il, he should be held to the strctest ac-
| coun liability for il.
"1f he made these statements as set