Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-01-16
EAGAN TO Be TRIED.
Commissary General Must Face a
Court Martial.
DISMISSAL THE PENALTY.
President and Secretary of War
Have Decided In the Matter-Gen-
eral Eagan Will BE Relieved
From Duty and Arrested.

Washington, Jan. 16.-Formal an
nouncement will be made by the presl-
dent or secretary Of war that Brigadier
General Charles P. Eagan, commissary
general of subsistence, will be court
martialed without delay for his defa-
nation of Major General Miles. Before
the trial of General Eagan occurs that
officer will be relieved from duty as
commssary general and placed under
arrest.
This decision is the result of the care
full consideration given of the matter
by the president and secretary of war,
who foresaw Immediately after the sub
mission of the statement that there
could be no other course than to direct
the court martial of the officer who Sc
nagrantly violated the principles OF
gentleman and officer of the United
States army.
1t has developed that, rather than
prefer the charges against General
Miles which General Eagan proposed to
make in his statement before the COM
mission, the chief clerk Of the com
missary and subsistence department
threatened to resign $50
The chief clerk is William A. Decan-
dry, a member of the Cosmos club OF
this city and we'll known in literary and
scientific circles. MI. Decaindry and
the commssary general have not been
enjoying cordial relations, and the trou-
BILE eliminated when General Eagan de-
sired the chief clerk to prepare the
charges against General allies. The
clerk refused to obey his chief and
wrote out his resignation, but by the
advice of friends he has not present
ed it,
The determination to court martial
General Eagan was formally reached
Saturday after the president had been
in conference with several public men
and had consulted with Secretary AL
ger, who was at the White House for
more than an hour. s%
1t is not intended to let the beef con-
troversy creep into the trial. So far
as the president is concerned he has no
desire to permit the controversy to con-
tnue, and he will accept the report of
the war commission as final.
Penalty Is Dismissal.
General Ea gan - X haSs tried on
charges arising out of the violent IAN
guage he employed in attacking Neh-
eral Miles. The most important charse
will be conduct unbecom1ng an o1llcer
and a gentleman, in violation or the
sixty first article of war;" the penalty
for violation Of which Is dismissal. lie
will probably be also tried Tor con-
duct to the prejudice of good order ana
military discipline. in violation or the
army regulations"
There is every reason to believe the
president and the secretary Of war nave
given serious consideration to tfft'G{jhha a r
acter of the charges which will be pre-
ferred against General Eagan, and 1t is
understood orders will be given to
Judge Advocate General Lieber early
this week to prepare the necessary
specifications to support the charges.
Secretary Alger, after returning from
the White House, sent for General ia
gan and, it is said, informed that offl-
Ger of the condemnation by the admin
istration of his action in utterlng such
vltupe, ative language.
General Eagan has been engaged IN
carefully revising the statement he
read before the commission and ellnll-
mating the remarks to which the COM
mission took exception. The revised
paper WIN be transmitted on Monday
and the letter of tranSmlsSaI VIII con-
tain an apology to the commission for
the LANGUAGE he employed, but General
F,ogan will explain that he was led to
IT by the seriousness of the charges pre-
ferred against him by General Miles
and the officers Of his Porto Rican cum-
mand.
There is no reason to believe that
will onn1nOiZp To Gem
eral Miles, and if he should do so the
commanding general would not accep'
the apo.osy. A friend of General Miles
who is quite aware of his attitude, sale
the general felt that the offense had al
ready been committed and that no apol'
! ogy could atone for it.
General Miles makes no secret of hi
belief that General Eagan should bt
dismissed from the army for his undls
ciplined, unmilitary and ungentlemanl!
conduct but for the present he Is de
termined to leave his vindication in TIT
hands of the president and secretary O
war.
Considerable speculation is expressed
in army circles as to the composition
the court which will try General Ea
gan. 1t is not doubted that the presi
dent will try to assign a majority o
officers of the grade of major general
members of the court, and in the lis
NAV be included Major Generals Mer
ritt, Wade, Butler, Wheeler and Shat
ter
There is reason to believe that Sec
retary Alger has himself urged upol
the president the necessity of coul
martial!ng General Eagan. The secre