The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-16
CONVINCING TESTIMONY Is GIVEN
HIGHLY SENSATIONAL DEVELOP
MENTS BEFORE ARMY BEEF
INQUIRY BOARD
SOLDIERS WERE MADE SICK
officer of Regular Army Tells the
Suffered After Having Partaken
of Canned Roast Beef-Nauseat-
ing to Taste and SmelI-Expert
Packer Testifies.

Packer Testifles.
CHICAGO, March 15-The last witness
called before the army beef court of in
quiry today proved to be sensational
He was an officer of the regular army,
First Lieutenant L. NJ. Davis, of the First
cavalry, called at the request of Maj.
Lee, the representative of Gen. Miles.
Lieut. Davis testified that in Cuba one
half the canned roast beef issued to the
. soldiers was thrown away because it was
unfit to eat. He testified that he had
opened one can himself and found mag
gots in it.
Maj. Lee asked: How did the mag
gots get In there?"
''They were canned in there" the wit
ness replied.
Col. Davis: Are you aware that In the
process of canning this meat undergoes
such an intense heat that no animal life
could survive in it?''
Il don't mean to say they were alive;
they were dead"
The evidence brought out todav was
largely cumulative in It's nature, mainly
with reference to the condition of canned
and refrigerated beef when issued to the
troops on shipboard and in Cuba and it's
effect upon the soldiers.
Dr Shaw, regimental surgeon, who
was the first witness, said that he was
called out one night to look after the men
of Company A, a company who were re-
ported to have been poisoned by eating
canned roast beef They were sick for
some days afterwards He expressed the
view that the men who ate the timed
ST
When the men ceased eating the
canned roast was there any improve
<ment?" asked Maj. Lee
Yes the canned roast beef generally
gave them diarrhoea and gastro-enteri-
It's"
Did you, in an official way, recon-
mend its discontinuance2''
Yes, sir, to my immediate comman-
der"
Did the commissary come around and
find out how these things were?''
ORDERED TO EAT IT.
He came several times and told us 1t
was all right. 1 think it was Capt Piper
He told US it was all right and we would
have to eat it. Sometimes we substituted
what they called bacon, but great deal
condemned If we had depended upon the
army rations the troops would have
starved to death. They spent all the
money they got to buy things to eat,
either at the commissary store or in the
city"
when the beef was eaten from cans
did you order it taken out of the can i'm
mediately."
XTn ~iOl A.
ly, but under the intense heat putrifica-
ton would set in almost as soon as the
can was opened. 1 think ptomanes were
developed almost Immediately after the
opening of the cans
The next witness was Col Fred Ben
nitt colonel of the Third Illinois volun-
teers. He spoke of the voyage from
Newport News to Porto Rico There
We're great many complaints, he said
BEEF WAS NAUSEATING.
THE complaint about the canned roast
beef was that it was nauseating. Speci-
mems were brought to me for examina-
tion, and 1 found them very repulsive.
The meat had a disagreeable odor 1
made frequent Representations to Gen
Grant about the canned roast beef, but
he insisted that the trouble was lack Of
knowledge on the part of the cooks"
Maj. Joseph A. Sanborn, of Chicago
major of the First Illinois volunteers, tes-
titled that the roast canned beef was un-
palatable. He inspected the refrigerated
beef. Two issues out of three were in
fine condition, but the third was con-
demned because decomposition had set
in. The witness attributed the spelling
of meat to the neglect of those charged
with the duty of issuing it to the men,
George Lees, the next witness, said he
was familiar with the classes of cattle de-
livered in Chicago.
What are 'canners?" asked Mai.
Lee.
What are generally termed Gamers
are a very inferior class of cattle 1
think one-third of them would be con-
demned in any English market. Chucks,
and some times meat scraped off the
plates, are used for canning"
About what per cent of nutriment
would be left in the meat that goes in
the can?'
Little or none"
The board left for Omaha tonight In
spection of the stock yards will be made
at Omaha and Kansas City, and at the
latter city some evidence will be taken.
The intention of the court is to return to
Chicago by next Tuesday to proceed with
the examination of witnesses here
Is A TRADE LIE,