The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-23
Where N Mysterious Experiment. OF
Preserving Beef by Chemical Treat
ment Wa. Made an q Car.
LIEUT.. HARTMAN's EVIDENCE
SERGEANT MAsoN.s "PREsERyALlNEs
TESTIMONY NOT SUPPORTED.
Provision Specialist Marshall OF the
Opinion that Canned Roast Beef In
Not Fit for Human Food.

CHICAGO, March 22.-The members or
the government court of inquiry finished
their labors i'm Chicago to-day and left for
New York this evening. The testimony OF
Governor Theodore Roosevelt will there be
received. after which the court will proceed
to Governors island. The evidence brought
forth to-day was largely cumulative In its
character, consisting mainly OF criticisms
OF the canned beef and refrigerated beef
from soldiers who ate IL and watched its
effects in Cuba and Porto Rico. The testi-
mony Of Sergeant Mason concerning pre-
servaline" given at Fort Leavenworth.
Kan, last Sunday, not supported by
Lieutenant Hartman. The latter said some
OF the beef received at Lakeland, Fla, was
bad but he did not recall any conversation
with an Armour Company agent in regard
10 ''preservaline' or any other chemical
preparation. David Fleischmann, bell boy
in the Hotel Morrison, told OF a visit TO the
stock yards in the company Of an UNKNOWN
man, whose purpose he supposed 10 be an
experiment in the matter of preserving beee>
by chemical treatment. w. Clark MARI
shall. the provision specialist whose testi7
mony was expected to be sensational. threw
no additional light on the question, his evi4
e. ,ce being principally the expression OF
the opI1. = that canned beef as now put oI1
the market is totally unfit " <ii1in
Lieut.. J. d. l.. Hartman.
airy, who was acting re
master while the regina
Lakeland Fla, was theY
He testified that refrigerator beef was re-
ceived from Armour & CO. IL was brought
TO Lakeland in cars. At first IL was very
good and there no objection TO IL, bur J
in three or four days IT began TO get poorer 1
In ,alF In txUa rd ~ sur
vey rejected the beef. In one the witt
ness rejected a whole carload The stencil
was observable before the car was opened
The beef was not received because decompo-
sition had set. in. The rejected beef was
not accounted for I'm the vouchers. He hse
no recollection of any conversation between |
Sergeant Mason, his clerk, and the repre-
sentatives Of Armour a. Co. Mason had
charge of the delivery of the meat to ths
troops. The witness had no recollection or
saying anything to him with reference tn
meat preservatives. IL he had said any
thing witness thought he would recollect IL.
He had no recollection of any conversation
with Armour's representative on that subs
ject. He had no reason TO believe or sUs-
pect that the beef had been treated with
preservatives or chemicals. The spelling
was due, he thought, to the fact that the
meat had beer chilled and would not hold
up after exposure to the excessive heat as
Lakeland. After the rejection of a carload.
the agent Of Armour said that would not do.
referring TO the way in which the meat had
been furnished. The agent tried TO get the
meat shipped in ice. In some cases ice was
put in with the beef. but this gave the meat
Shiny. repulsive appearance, and 1t VAS
rejected. Witness then got authority TO buy
beef in the open market.
RE,I.I. BOYS TESTIMONY
David A. Fleschman testified that he was
employed as bellboy at the Hotel Morrisons
Chicago, during the month OF June. 1895.
'One day in June he said, "a gentleman
in Room 13l asked me If would be at leis-
ure TO go to the stock yards with him. Z
went out there with him and had TO carry
two boxes, tin or galvanized iron boxes. lie
went out 10 see some man about some meat
he told me. We took the boxes and wenc
to a car where there were three or four
rows OF meat. In each OF the boxes there
were four smaller packages. containing. az
L recall It. a black, or. rather, light gray
colored substance. He put this into per-
forated trays made for that purpose. set nrs
to it and placed it under the meat. L asked
him what that done for. and he said "a
was done as an experiment TO preserve tks
meat. Next day was TO go back and[ker
the cans; i asked him whether IL was VI kin
germs anything like that but he said no.
simply TO preserve the meat. j put my
finger on the meat and tasted IL, and ir
burned the end OF my tongue. 1 called at
tention 10 the fact that the meat looked
rather larger than when We were there
before. He said that was simp,:' an
largement Of the meat from the ice. There
was a sulphurous smell IN the car. and an
other odor which cannot describe. took
the cans back TO the hotel. ! noticed In one
end OF the there a card marked
Tampa, Fla This was at Armours pack
Ing house. There was only one car; there
were only about thirty rows OF beef. think
IL was halves. / asked him who be was.
and If 1 am not mistaken, he told me he
was quartermaster, or a Quartermaster
general something like that. He was
about five feet. ten inches tall wore eye
glasses. and. i should Judge. was about
for-y-five years of age. lie wore no uni
form. but was dressed in plain clothes.
understand from what ne said that he had
some connection with the military service
Dr. l.. r. Murdock, who was for two years
president OF the auxiliary medical stan in
the Chicago health department. and is an
analytical chemist. was the next witness.
He stated that he had made several ex-
aminations Of both canned and refrigerated
beef. dating back several years. Some time
in the latter part OF June. 1885 he said.
some canned meat was brolght 20 him To
determine its character. The first sample
was brought with the assertion that Il wa
horse flesh. but examination this was
found 10 be untrue. The witness found thar
the meat In the can was apparently bolle, -