The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-01-13
Says He yiciOusIy Falsified In His
Testimony Regarding Beef
Furnished the Army.
HE SHOULD BE OSTRAcIsED
Miles Refused to Discuss the Matter
Which Has Furuisheda a Sensation
in Government Departments.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12.-The most Wig
orous and sensational testimony was
given before the war investigation COM
/ mission today by commlssary-Generai
Eagan. who. appearing Unexpectedly TO
meet ths allegation against beef issued
In the war. vigorously arralgned Major
General Miles. commanding the army.
He read his testimony from a written
statement
I Commlssary-General Eagan's testimony
I was In part as follows:
Miles was asked by your commission
how timed beef became part Of the army
ra;ions. His answer Is You had better
/ ask the secretary OF war or e0mmlssary-
general / think they can tell YOU. I
know Il was sent TO the army as food
and the pretense Is that It was sent as an
experiment Miles. in saying this food
was sent to the arm as "A pretense for
an experiment. says that which implies
corruption, which . out OF every 100
people viii understand TO mean corrup-
tion. because II was a pretense OF an
experiment This he says. not even Civ
ing credit to me for furnishing II as an
experiment. out that furnished II under
'pretense OF experiment. This serious
charge should not be made BY any man
lightly, not without evidence to support
II. Taking the statement in the sense
that Il was probably intended. the sense
that viii be accepted by the country at
large. the sense that already the press OF
the United States has accepted 1t lin
deed, some OF the press because II called
for my dismissal from the army and my
courtmartiaD. I answer that II was not
furnished under pretense OF an expert
ment. nor even as an experiment. and
when Miles charged that It was furnished
as a pretense OF an experiment he lies
in his throat. he lies in his heart, lies in
every hair Of his head. and every pore
Of his body. He lies wilfully. deliberately.
Intentionally and maliciously.
"If his statement is true that this beef
was furnished under pretense OF an ex-
pertinent then should be drummed
out OF the army and incarcerated in pris-
on with other libelers. His statement IS
a scandalous libel. rejecting upon the
honor OF every officer in the department.
who has contracted for or furnished this
meat. and especially and particularly on
the commissary- general. myself.
I'm denouncing Miles as liar. when he
makes this statement, wish to make ii
as emphatic and as coarse as the state
ment itself l wish to force the lie back
into his throat. covered with the contents
OF camp latrine. wish to brand II as
a falsehood OF the whole cloth. without
less he can prove his statement. he should
be driven out of clubs. barred from the
society Of decent people, and 30 ostracized
that the street bootblack would not con-
descend TO speak to him. for he has
fouled his own nest, he has aspersed the
honor of brother officer without par
ticle Of evidence or fact TO sustain in
any degree the scandalous, libelous. ma
licious falsehood. viz: That this beef or
whatever was furnished the
army under 'pretense Of an experiment. g,
General Eagans's statement furnished
the sensation of the war commissions
and was regarded by old army
officers as one of the most remarkable
attacks ever made in the history Of the
service. 7- ~ s" DAG ,,sa,
General Miles. through colonel Michel
err his chief aide, beyond saying that he
had stood fo- the soldiers, declined q,
make any statement, saying that now
was not The time for talR, and before
taking any action Il would bs, only proper
and necessary to walt until he had an
TO receive thfough the regu-
lar channels and consider the testimony /,
6y General Eagan, He would
60fI taIk 0N1onf alcourtmarsialg soni'