The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-03-03

several interesting developments in the
beef court of inquiry to-day. 1t was
a field day for the volunteer men of the
service, the waiting room being filled
all day with members of the various
volunteer regiments which served an
Cuba and Porto Rico. The first of these,
Clarence Walters, of the First Nolun-
teer Engineers, told q sensational story
of hardship and inhumanity suffered
during his service describing the canned
roast beef in harsher terms than have
ever before been applied to that much
discussed article. Later in the day
Lieutenant Sewell, United States Ar
my, who was Major of the volunteer
battalion in which Walters served, con-
tradicted his story completely.
An important development was the
denial of the story by one James Far
nan and also attributed to DR.. Maxwell
Christine, of Philadelphia, that they
had seen beef injected with chemicals
III an Omaha packing house. DIR. Chris
tine explained that what he had seen
was the picking of corned meats, the
brine being injected into the meat to
save several weeks time in the picking
vat.
The question of counsel for General
Miles before the court is still in abey-
ance, some correspondence having pass
ed between the General and the court,
but both sides decline to give out the
letters till a settlement is reached. Gen
eral Miles has not asked to be repre-
sented by counsel presumably because
that would put him in the position of ad-
uniting himself on trial by the court,
which up to date he has declined to
admit. On the other hand the court does
not feel able under the articles of war
to permit Major Lee or anyone else
to cross question witnesses unless he
can be recognized officially as counsel
for the defence. 1t was stated that
this matter probably will be settled
tomorrow.
The court expects to start West
Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
Walters, in his testimony, said that
the first can of beef he saw opened
on the transport going to Porto Rico
had worms in it and few minutes
after being opened developed such
putrid odor that it was impossible to
have it about. He ate some of it and
was violently sick. He said he had
been on sea trips before and was
never seasick. The men of his COM
pany complained of the meat and nearly
all the men of his battalion were sick
throughout most Of the voyage as a
result of eating this meat
After reaching Porto Rico he was
sick for week as result of the vow
age. At least two-thirds of his company
We're fully as sick as he and from the
same cause.
captain Herbert Hicks, of Company
M, Second Massachusetts,. followed
with an account of the canned beef
used by his command in Cuba. His
description of the meat did not make
at quite so repulsive as that served to
Walters in Porto Rico, but he said If
was "a Shiny, stringy mass. nauseating
to the taste, without nutrinent and
without form that could be recognized
as meat except by the melted fat with
which it was soaked Witness was
shown several of the cans on hand with
the commission but said that they were
not the same that he had seen in
service. Walters made the same state
ment on being shown the same cans.
Lieutenant George Taylor, late of the
Sixth Massachusetts, who said he was
a groceryman before entering the SER
vice, said his regiment served in Porto
Rico. They had very little that they
could eat on the trips down. They some
times had bacon, but no chance to cook
it and had to throw it overheard. They
had canned roast beef which they could
not eat and had frequently only canned
tomatoes, hard tack and coffee
Asked if he thought any sickness in
his command was caused by the food
the men had to eat, he replied:
II think it was more due to what we
did not have to eat. When we got to
Porto Rico there were 80 of our men
so sick that they We're never landed.
lie had been grocer ten years and
handled canned roast beef but it was a
better article than he had seen in the
army. His trade in canned beef. how-
ever, was very small"
NJ. o. Dwyer, of the Ninth Massa-
chusetts volunteers, said on the trip to
Cuba they had been served fairly
good brand of canned roast beef, much
the same as he had at home After
landing at Siboney. on the night of July
lst. the company had canned roast beef
ISSUED for a five days ration, but lost it
all on going into action Thereafter they
''u ADout iaii tiHlieu meat anu HalI
bacon. Some of the canned roast beef
was absolutely spoiled when opened, but
it was all uneatable and did not satisfy
the hunger nor keep up the strength.
One of his experiences with the can
ned roast beef was on San Juan Hill,
when his mess was out of rations. He
found a can of roast beef in one of the
abandoned camps of the Sixth cavalry.
II thought it was going to be God
send to the mess, sir" said he feelingly.
"and ! put it in my shirt. | was smok-
ing n cigar at the time but when the