The Penn's Grove record., 1899-02-24
GEN. miles ON THE STAND
The Army Beef Inquiry Calls Him as
the First Witness.
IMPUTED FRAUD TO NO ONE.

tank Conditions Caused Investigations
-He Presents the Reports of His on.
rers Regarding the Quality ofthe Reef.
WASHINGTON, D. C. (Special).-The In
v~esttgation OF General Miles's charges re-
garding the beef provided for the army In
the war with Spain was begun on Monday
by the court of inquiry recently ordered by
the President.
The court formally organized with Major
General James F. Wade as President. The
other members are Brigadier-G General
George W. Davis. Colonel George L. Gil
lespie and Lieutenant Colonel George B.
Davis, the last named being recorder and
Acting Judge Advocate.
General Miles was presented as the first
witness. He was sworn, and after stating
his rank and office, he was asked about
his statement before the War Commission.
He said be made one, and upon Colonel
Davis submitting a printed report OF that
statement General Miles examined and APP
proved 1t.
Then be was asked about an alleged In
teryiew which appeared in the New York
Journal of December 90, whether 1t repre-
sented completely or In part what he said.
General Miles real IL ana SAl1.
81 do not recall anything In that inter-
view that had NOT been given In my testi-
mony or transmitted in my reports. You
will observe 1t contains q number of my
destinations to name officers or my author
tiles. and refuses to answer. 1t must
therefore be incorrect in Its represents.
tlons."
Then being asked about an interview
from the New York Herald on February /,
he said:
81 have q letter from the gentleman who,
understand. wrote this, In which he Gays
he is willing to swear that l declined to be
interviewed, and that, thinking something
had been given out, he had proceeded to
write what he knew were the facts"
He declared the interview an erroneous
presentation OF what he could possibly have
said.
General Miles was then questioned as to
what his idea as to the beef supply to the
army was when the war broke out. He
stated that when 1t was possible beef on
the hoof was the best for the army, and
thought that Cuba and Porto Rico were ex-
eellent grass countries. However, he I'M
derstood that our troops were receiving re-
frigerated beef.
Referring to the canned roast beef, as
distinguished from the refrigerator beef,
Colonel Davis read Il portion Of General
Miles's War Commission testimony, con-
utlUUluk IL III stNtEb lGIhIS. "a
Miles said the canned roast beef was issued
to volunteer and regular troops alike on
the transports and In Cub till the arrival
of the refrigerator beef.
1t was fully tested by both the regulars
and volunteers. The first complaints of 1t
General Miles said he heard at Tampa
from some of the Rough Riders from
san Antonia, but he paid little at
tentlon to 1t at the time, not re-
alizing fully that there had been any
change from the standard ration. He
again heard of it aboardth the Yale. when the
men declared they could not eat it, and he
ordered the Inspector to inquire into 1t.
Again he heard Of it in the trenches at San
tiago, but he was still largely occupied with
the campaign, and he thought nothing
more Of the complaints than he would of
hearing that some man was Kicking
about his coffee or of his bareback.
What finally drew his attention seriously
to the matter were the reports of officers
that the whole Fifth Corps was weak
when a question of q parade through
New York was preached. General
Bates ut that tint reported that
only about one-ffth Of the men
ut Montauk Point were In condition
to march through New York. General
Miles said this seemed to him remarkable,
as there was no yellow fever at the Point,
and he thought the men certainly ought
to be over their malaria. He therefore Or
dered an inquiry into the beef, about which
there had been so much complaint. .
"Did you report it to the Secretary OF
War;" asked Colonel Davis.
General Miles in reply went at some
length into an explanation Of the routine OF
army headquarters, showing why he pre-
ferred to conclude his inquiry SO that he
might AVE something tangible to present
to the Secretary.
General Miles's attacks upon the canned
and refrigerated beef before the War Com
mission were then taken up specifically Col
onel Davis reading the testimony OF the
Commanding General in which he referred
to it as "embalmed" beef and said 1t mad
been sent as "a pretense of experiment
In answer to a question Of Colonel Davis,
General Miles said he thought his use OF
the words "pretense of experiment" was
unfortunate, and he disclaimed any inten-
tion to impute fraud to any one.
"a far as indicating fraud" he said, Il
wish to state that no such inference was
intended. 1t was perhaps an unfortunate
expression, and had my attention been
called to it l might have amended 1t to say
well, 'on the theory OF an experiment.
As a matter Of fact, it was an experiment,
and a very costly one"
General Miles said he first heard com
plants against the beef at Ponce. The
hrst direct statement that 1t had been
treated chemically came, he believed, from
DR.. DAILY, who presented 1t late in Septem'
Der. and appeared subsequently before the
War Commission,
1t was general talk among the officers a
Ponce, General Miles continued, that tn
refrigerator beef must have been subjecte
to some chemicaltreatment to make 1t keel
for eeventy-two hours. DR., Days, how
ever, was the first official report.
General Miles then read a long sum
mary OF 100 letters received by him at Army
Headquarters, giving the various terms 10
which the army meat was characterized
These included "embalmed," "decom-
posed, " injected" "poisoned,' spoiled
aad the like.
In addition, he showed a summary Of re,
ports on refrigerator beef condemned and
thrown overheard from transports. CO.
Yeamans, from the Yosemite, reported the
condemnation OF 5000 pounds, Lieutenant
Colonel O'Neill, OF the steamship Chester,
1000 pounds; Colonel james Hamilton
Lewis, 10, 900 pounds.
General Miles then described the nau'
seating qualities of the canned and refrig-
orator beef.
This practically concluded General
Miles's testimony before the Committee.