Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-03-05
ONE WITNESS WAS REJECTED
HE SAID HE WAS MEMBER Of
COLONEL DRYAN'S REGIMENT.
wanted to Give Testimony Tending iu
support General Miles Charges
-COurt VIII Go tO Chicago
Next Tuesday or
Wednesday,.

1
day. having exhausted It's list OF witnesses
| now on hand. There may be some witnes-
| ses at the Monday session. but the court
| will start for Chicago early next week
probably on Tuesday or Wednesday.
| Just before the close of the session to-
! day volunteer witness presented him
| self. but was not accepted. He Wore an
| army uniform. and said his name WIS
| Frank Rundas. late of the Third Nebraska
| CIV. J. Bryan's) regiment. and that he
| had recently been honorably discharged
from the service, and was on his way
| home. His story was. in brief that he
! had served in the company kitchen with
| his command in Jacksonville. and that
| during long period. when the men We're
| living on refrigerator beef. there was
so much intestinal trouble among the men
| that the issue of this meat was stopped.
| At another time he got hold of some re-
| frigerator meat in the kitchen, that Was
| of such a peculiar color that the attea-
ton of the company officers was called to
it. The surgeon in charge examined it,
| so Rundas alleges. and remarked that the
meat was all right. but had been pre-
| pared to send to Porto Rico and since it
| had been issued. the men had as well use
| it, The meat was cooked, but all the men
| who ate I We're made sick. The inference
| drawn was that this was some of the
same Porto Rico beef that Mr.. Daily had
| analyzed and alleged to be chemically
! treated.
Rundas said he was on his way home.
| hut had stopped off in Washington to offer
| this information to the court Of inquiry
| if it thought it worth hearing. He pre-
sented himself to Colonel Davis. the
corder Of the court, but was told that he
| would not be wanted witness.
| on being asked, soon afterward. whether
| Rundas was to be called. or why he had
been rejected. Colonel Davis said: II
| know nothing about the man. He has on
| 4 uniform, but that is no proof that he
Is a soldier or ever has been. There are
| all sorts of cranks and impostors who
| come UP here and want TO testify. AS to
this man. if he can identify himself. and
| the court directs me to call him, | will
| do So
The counsel for General Miles will in
quire into the antecedents of this witness
| and if lie appears to be what he repre-
| senis. he will be called.
Colonel Gallagher. who was recalled in
answer to Il question from Major Lee as to
whether he had issued canned beef to the
Cuban refugees because our soldiers would
not eat it, replied: I'VE issued the canned
beef TO the Cubans because they preferred
10 eat it. and the bacon to our men because
they preferred that We were trying our
best to give everyone what they preferred"
Umph! commented Major Lee.
Louis ID. Hunter, of the Sixth Massachu-
sets. and resimental comissary while i'll
Porto Rico. said his experience with both
the canned and refrigerated beef on the
whole had been quite satisfactory. Some of
the Canned beef was condemned, but the
percentage was small. There had peen corr
siderable native beef issued at times. but
! o,ro hn nit w had ho,r
down on the advice OF the surgeon. The
men liked the native beef, which was we'll
| Favored. but very tough.
| Lieutenant Hunter said the men ate 4
large amount of native fruit, and bananas.
raw or cooked. became a staple article o.:
food. Probably per cent of the sickness
was due to fruit.
Major George W. Ruthers, OF the COM
miSsary department, who had supplied the
seventh army corps with refrigerator beef
while ut jacksonville. said he had never re
ceivcd complaint The meat had been
rigitlly inspected and showed no evidence of
cuts punctures or anything else that
| might give rise to the suspicion that 1t
had been chemically treated.
Lieutenant Coionel Curtis Guild, of Ros-
| ton. who was attached to General FitZ-
hugh Lees staff as inspector general OF
| the Seventh armp corps said in opening
that he had already been before the war
investigating commission and had made
two very careful reports on the subject
one by order of Inspector General Breckin-
war department. He submitted to thu
court that these reports. being accurately
compiled from official data. would be better
evidence that he could give offhand
wv. will, of course. call for your Of
fetal report to the war department." said
Colonel Davis. But he added. very pos
commissio Will. of course. not be avail
able for us
vile had been very satisfactory. lie had
personally inspected many cars. finding
} very, few sides of beef on the whole u
which any exception could he taken. OF
condemned 42.sd pounds. which Rad been
transshipped from New Orleans before il
was del Vercd To the army in Jacksonville
H explained that a large shipment OF
canned coast beef had arrived at Jackson
vile in Very offensive condition. II. had
picked cut offensive smelling cases amount
| Ing to 1900 pounds and called in the
jacksonville health officer. who condemned
il as rublic nuisance. thus giving him the
right ia destroy ii at once In the puolit
Crema tory ArfnoIrS agent, who on
the ground. asked leave to telegraph his
home Office and quickly received word from
; ms ilIn that i woHid he very GLAD to TAX
back I'll, whole shipment and furnish go"d
had beel sent from New orleans by Majo.
West, the commssary officer ,hers. but
there was no stamp or other means on w
packages TO tell by what army officer thf
beef hal been Inspected and accepted. Ii
was stamped by the bureau OF animal in
duHtrv.
, Witness had subsequently made insper.
| tons OF Texas beef killed IN Cuba In th'
| past !eW months, reports on which az. OF
ne N tie war department. lie had mad
cnemic;! analyses and bacteciolrgical ex
} | aW!nations OF the canned roast beef
! IL cub and had made personal cDmpti!'
= sons between refrigerator beef native Gu.
bar cattle and Texas beef killed in Cub
which had and had not been IN cold st0r
| aEr. his experiments had been eyhssu- 4v'
ard conducted GS fairly possltlr. viii
- | refersn"e 20 practical conditions. H.s uwl
= | op!Ilon was that the best meat troop:
. | couG gtt IN the West indies was AM ricar
| cattle killed and refrigerated H. Cuba. Il
near az possible to the spot whore il WI:
| TO be used.
quar-. .ermaster Sergeant sullivan. o, III.
| E!ntE Massachusetts. had beer through -
santiago campaign and came to the .;ar'
! !uI Of The memories Of canned and r.
: trieera'ed beef. The former. ne sad. u
men barely tasted. The latter he started
: IN 10 Ge>Crtb. As a strange and sr'Ir- 'f4
: ! article unlike anything he had ever seer
He saiG /; had deadly smell Here -
= co!itded with the recorder who insist.
or having strict definition Of "tsadl!
| smell WitreSs got as far saving ma
the cta6iy smell was different fr 5In IN
smell Of a decomp mposiHg bod, hut here III
Z recorder demarded a statement o: th
|. chemistry Of decomposition and list o
. the gases which would hc envo!Ned. tn
: witness the!eupon went TO i!ecr- and re
duo. I-..- .lef< IA,