The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-17
MODIFIED.
Eagan Sends Revised
Version to
BOARD OF INQUIRY,
Much Shorter
Than His First One.

washington, Jan. 16.-Comnissarv-
General Eagan has sent to the war in
vestigating commission a revised state
meht' IN place of that originally made
In response to Gen. Miles charges. The
revised statement is about 80 per cent
snorter than that which was ordered
WltharaWn because of Its violent and
ABUSIVE character. The commission. af-
Ter It's receipt, went into secret session
70 read the document, and to decide
whether IN its present form 1t had been
sxpurgated sufficiently to permit it to
De made part of the commissions
The following is the text of the letter
sent Dy Gen. Eagan to the war commits
ment:
Onloe OF Conmissary General of
Subsistence,
Washington, D. c., Jan. a. 1899,
70 the commission appointed by the
president to investigate the conduct
OF the war department in the war
with Spain:
gentlemen; l have the honor to hand
you herewith my testimony, which is
now resubmitted and revised in accord :
ance with the views expressed by YOU
N your letter to me of Jan. 1S, 1899. The
Objectionable features and what is CON
sldered irrelevant matter by you. in
winch opinion l entirely agree, are ell
minated.
In this connection 1 desire to state
that there was never a thought or in
tentlon on my part of any disrespect
whatsoever to your commission, but in
explanation and in extenuation of the
language used by me heretofore. [ beg
to invite the attention of the commits
sion to the fact that / have been ac-
cnsed practically of feeding the soldiers
with poisoned beef, which made them
SICK" embalmed beef" so-called-that
l nave furnished meat to the army I'M
der 'pretence of experiment" which
charge in effect, Is corruption, and
worse, because it jeopardizes the lives
OF soldiers sent to the front in tropical
climates, and who were dependent on
such food as was sent them; that these
statements have gone to the whole
country uncontradicted that they have
been published, and have been pillor-
led in the press of the country as a
man who had fed the army on poisoned
meat, and corruptly 50; that for about
three weeks time / have kept silent,
for the reason that 1 was debarred, af-
ter talking with the secretary of war,
from preparing charges because of the
81 dhISQ Wy lilS LE6Slu6DL 10
witnesses before your commission, not
withstanding the gravity of the accusa-
tons; that it Is unreasonable to be-
heve that such monstrous charges
could have had any other effect than
to work upon an honorable man in
such way as to goad him to species
of desperation, and that it was but nat
ural, when the proper opportunity was
given him to meet and refute the
charges, that he should characterize
them in terms that are deemed i'm
proper, no matter what the provoca-
ton. I therefore withdraw the lang
uage and the matter so Objectionable
and resubmit to you now my sworn
statement, with the abiding faith that
your commission, having all the facts
before you, will decide the points at
issue justly. Very respectfully,
Charles p Eagan,
Commissary General Subsistence.
The commission, after a brief execu-
tive session, decided for the present to
make public only Gen. Eagan's letter,
and not the accompanying statement.