Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-01-28
CHARGES AGAINST EAGAN.

CHARGES AGAINST EAGAN.
Conduct Unbecomiug an Officer and Preju-
dicial to Military Discipline.
The board of army officers designa
ted by the secretary of war to sit rs
courtmartial in the case of Brigadiel
General Charles P. Eagan, commissary
general of subsistence, on account of his
recent conduct before the war investi.
eating commission, met in Washington
last Wednesday. Major General Wes-
ley Merritt is president of the court,
and Major General M. G. Butler is d
member of it. The charges and spec
ifications were read as follows:
"Charge 1. Conduct unbecoming an
officer and a gentleman.
"Specifcation-In that Brigadier
General Charles P. Eagan, commissary
general of subsistence, United States
army did, while testifying as witness
before the committee appointed by the
president to investigate the conduct OF
the war department in the war with
Spain, submit and read as part of his
testimony certain written statements
in which he did make use of, and
thereby publish the following disgrace
full, grossly insulting and ungentle-
manly language with reference to
Major General Nelson A. Miles, COM
manding the army, namely:
If and when General Miles char
ges that it (meaning timed fresh beef)
was furnished as pretense of expert
ment, he lies in his throat, he lies in
his heart, he lies in every hair of his
head and every pore of his budy, he
lies wilfully, deliberately, Intentionally
and maliciously.
'In denouncing General Miles as a
liar when he makes this statement, l
wish to make it as emphatic and as
coarse as the statement itself. wish
to force the lie back into his throat,
covered with The contents of camp
latrine.'
"This at Washington, D. c., January
l2, 1S9s."
"Charge 2. Conduct to the prejudice
of good order and military discipline.
"Speci6cation-In that Brigadier
General Charles P. Eagan, commissary
general of subsistence, United States
army, did, while testifyingas witness
before the commission appointed by
the president to investigate the conduct
of the war department in the war with
Spain, submit and read, as part of
his testimony, certain written state
ment in which he makes use of, and
thereby publish, the following grossly
abusive and unmilitary language with
reference to the major general COM
manding the army, namely:
"'If and when General Miles charges
that it, (meaning timed fresh beef,)
was furnished as pretense of expert
ment, be lies in his throat, he lies in
his heart he lies in every hair of his
head and every pore of his body, he
lies willfully, deliberately, Intentional
ly and maliciously. If his statement
is true that the meat was furnished
under pretense of experiment, then |
should be drummed out of the army
and incarcerated in state prison. Ii
this statement is false, as l assert it 10
be, then he should be drummed out OF
the service and incarcerated in prison
with other libelers.'
"tHis statement is scandalous libel,
rejecting upon the honor of every one
in the department who has contracted
for or purchased this meat and espe-
cially and particularly on the commits
sary general-myself. In denounclng
General Miles as liar, when he makes
this statement, I wish to make it as
emphatic and as coarse as the state
ment itself. I wish to force the lie
back into his throat, covered with the
contents of camp latrine.
"I wish to brand it as falsehood
of whole cloth without a particle of
truth to sustain it, and unless he can
prove his statement he should be de-
nounced by every honest man, barred
from the clubs, barred from the society
of decent people, and so ostracised
that the street bootblacks would not
condescend to speak to him, for he has
fouled his own nest, he has aspersed
the honor of brother officer without
a particle of evidence or fact to sustain
in any degree his scandalous, libelous,
malicious falsehood, viz: that this beef
or anything whatever was furnished
the army under "pretense of expert
mept."
"This at Washington, D. c., January
IL, 1S99."
General Eagan will claim that no
witness can be held accountable for
tt stimony delivered in court, and will
also seek to justify himself on account
of the bitter reflections that had been
made against him by General Miles.
The court expected to complete its
work within a few days.
MERE-MENTION.