The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-01-13
EAGAN ATTACKS
The NEWSPAPERS

HE. NEW SFATEho )
He Says the Implication that Packing Houses
Have Been Creating The Government is a
Scandal Calculated to FUN thousands OF
Peopla--He Says if Gen Miles Statement is
False, as He, Eagan, Declares il to Be, Niles
Should be Drummed Out Of the Service and
locarcera'ed in Prison With 0iher Lib Hers :
He Saws He Should be Denounced by lvry
Honest Man, Barred ffem the Clubs, Made a
Social Pariah from Whom Even the Boothiack
on the Ssest Would Shrink in Loathiag--
TO All of Which Gen. Mills Pefuses 10 Make
ANY Reply at Present, and What HclIon re
VIII Take is Unknown.
Washington, Jan. 12.-Commissary
peared before the war investigating
commission to answer the charges OF
General Nelson A. Miles concerning the
commissary supplies furnished the army
during the reyent war. General Eagan
statement furnished the sensation OF the
war commissions history and was re-
garded by old army officers as one
of the most remarkable attacks ever
made in the history of the service. Cen
eral Eagan's statement to the commits
sion was a bitter personal attack upon
General Miles, so entirely unqualified
both as to scope and language that the
war commission on hearing its conclu-
sion ordered n brief executive session
after which the doors We're re-0pened,
the witness was recalled and business
resumed in the general way.
The subject in controversy was Gener-
al Miles already famous "embalmed
beef testimony and the letters and
documents supporting it.
General Miles had charged that the
canned and refrigerated meats sent to
the army in Cuba and Porto Rico were
unfit for use. that they were preserved
by the use Of chemicals and that they
had been bought and sent to the army
under pretense of an experiment.
: This reflection upon both the ability
and honesty of the Commissary Depart
ment had angered General Eagan and
caused him to request to be recalled to
reply to General Miles charges. That
his statements concerning the Command
ing General were not the result of II
sudden outburst of passion was clearly
shown by the fact that General Eagan
read his remarks from carefully pre-
pared typewriter copy.
Not the least, remarkable phase OF
General Eagan's statement was the Ian
guage in which it was couched. There
was scarcely phrase that would not
have been characterized as sensational
in an ordinary official utterance.
General Eagan after the hearing was
over refused to say whether he had any
further move in prospect in forcing an
issue between himself and General
Miles. II have said all / intend to say
for the present." he replied, "and if
anyone wants to bring thu. matter to IA
court martial / am ready for that too,
as | have already stated before the COM
mission
As soon as the nature of General Ea-
gans statements became known atten-
tlon was directed to army headquarters
TO ascertain what move would be made
by General Miles. The latter, through
Col. Michler, his chief aide beyond
saying that he had stood for the soldiers.
declined to make any statement. saying
that now was not the time for talk and
that before taking any action it would
be only proper and necessary to wait
until he had had an opportunity to re-
ceive through the regular channels ard
10 consider the testimony furnished b,
General Eagan. He would not talk
about court martial. Altogether the
intimation conveyed was that General
Miles would act with deliberation if he
decided to take any action ut all; and