The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-02-21

pertinent" was unfortunate. and he dis
! claimed any intention to impute fraud to
/ any one.
As far ga indicating fraud" ne said.
Il wish 10 state that no such inference
| was intended IL was perhaps an unfOr-
tunate expression. and had my attention
been called TO IL l might have amended u
| 10. say-well. 'On the theory or an expert
ment' As a matter OF fact, II was an
experiment. and a very costly one.
| With that disclaimer remarked Col
Davis. of course We viii pass TO the re
| frigerated beef"
Then. repIyinE TO a question. Gen. Miles
said he first heard complaints against the
| beef at Ponce The first direct statement
| that IL had been treated chemically came,
he believed. from Or. DAILY, who press mt
| Ell Ii late in September. and appeared sub
| sequently before the War Commission. He
said he did not recollect whether Dr..
/ Days report was volunteered or whether
/ he had been ordered to investigate and
| report on the meat.
Talk About Chemical Treatment.
| II was general talk among the officers
at Ponce. Gen. Miles continued, that the
refrigerator beef must have been sub
| Jected 10 some chemical treatment TO
make Il keep for seyenty-two hours. DR..
Days, however. was the first official re-
port.
Gen. Miles then read a long summary
OF 100 letters received by him at army
headquarters. giving the various terms in
| which the army meat was characterized.
IhsSe included 'embalmed,' ''deeompos-
/ ed, injected" poisoned" spoiled
and the like.
/ In addition he showed summary OF
| reports on refrigerator beef condemned
/ and thrown overheard from transports
/ r.
| ported the condemnation of $500 pounds:
| Lieut. Col. O'Neil. of the steamship Ches-
| ter. iUN pounds and Col James Hamilton
| Lewis. 1900 pounds
Gen. Miles said that he should fix Sep
/ TENDER Il tthe date of Dr. DaIy's re-
porO as about the earliest at which the
question or chemically treated meat had
| been brought 10 his notice so as to COM
mand his fun attention.
| COl. Gillespie took a hand in the in
/ curry when Gen. Miles finished. describ-
ing the nauseating qualities Of the can
ned and refrigerator beef
Did you, General, ever eat any OF this
| beer Col. Gillespie asked
Il presume / did, about the time we
We're at Ponce said Gen. Miles with
| some hesitation. yes. / presume 7 did -
Then. said Col. Gillespie, cit has not
such characteristic qualities as would per-
mlt you 10 detect 1t off hand?'
| mo, sir"
-" hofHt experience.
Gen. Miles then left the witness chair
ana Lieut.. Col Van Horne, OF the Thir-
teenth Infantry, was sworn. He said he
was, at the outbreak of the war. Major
or the Twenty second Infantry and was
| through the entire Cuban campaign.
Witness said he had used all kinds
canned. Corned, refrigerator. and canned
| roast beef. He said the criticisms of the
I canned 10 II
made often. 1t was objected 10 on the
score of its lack OF nuIriment. its taste.
and its appearance. After the men got
| cooking utensils they stewed their canned
beef. Before that they ate it from the
can. Either way of serving it was bad
enough, and though none of IL that wit
ness remembered was actually spoiled IL
was unpalatdble, and the ground of con-
slant complaint
Witness did not recOllect that the large
sick list of his regiment in Cuba had been
! laid at the time to the canned meat The
men were very debilitated, but he could
not say whether the meat ought to be
blamed or not. When the refrigerator
/ beef arrived d large part of it was spoil
ed. and the men continued to use the
canned meat.
The spoiled refrigerator beef was laid
out on the hill for the buzzards Several
issues were lost in this way. Witness had
eaten some of the refrigerator beef which
arrived in camp untainted. and found that
good. The men ate it without complaint,
and he had no reason to believe it was
any different from the beef he had gotten
at army posts in the States.
Col. Minor Saw Bad Beef.
Lieut.. Col. Charles W. Minor, of the
Sixth Infantry, was the next witness.
His regiment was among the first to leave
Camp Thomas and to camp at Tampa.
They reached Cuba and disembarked on
June D. Canned roast beef was issued as
travel ration when they left Tampa, and
Until the end of the siege 1t was re-
placed with refrigerated beef after the
surrender. Meantime. he said, absolutely
no other fresh meat could have been fur
nished during the siege.
Complaints against the canned beef be- |
came general and marked about July
He said he was using 1t, and when opened
it was apparently fresh, but stringy and
ABSOLUTELY without nourishment. and when
cut 1t fell 10 pieces. The men could not
and did not eat it,
II believed then and believe now" he
said, that that beef had been used Cor
making beef extract. end the nutriment
taken out IL appeared to have been
boiled TO pieces"
Col. Minor said he knew nothing of tba
method OF canned beefs preparation
His regiment was in good condition until
about July 3. after which It deteriorated
suddenly and generally. When the -
came weak and sick the men did not want
meat
Asked II during the siege he had made
an EFFORT to get other meat. he said he
had not; mat there was not a piece of
paper IN the command, and they merely
waited for what was brought from he
hind, distance OF eleven miles. They
had no discretiOn-no choice in the mat
ter of ratiOns
Examined as to refrigerated beef. ne de-
clared II was excellent and satisfactory.
and no complaints about IL were heard.
only oRe-quarter was spoiled. He was
unable, he said, to detect any difference
between the refrigerated beef issued en-
Cuba and that which had been issued at
the posts in this country at which he had
been stationed.
Meat Was Stringv and UnpaIatable.
Maj. Henry Jackson. Third Cavalry.
who Was with mis- regiment throughout
the Santiago campaign, was called. He
said his experience with the canned roast
beef began aboard the transport en- route
for Cuba and continued till his return to
Montauk Complaints commenced on the
way down and continued without inter
mission. The men complained Of the
meat being stringy, tasteless, and un-
palatable. The officers had remarked ne
same thing 10 him. and he agreed with
them fully.
Col Davis asked If witness had made
any effort TO get different meat for his
men. He replied that there was nothing
10 do but take what was issued. There
was no requisitiOn or other Formally. All
the r4tiOns that could be sent 60 the
front with the limited transportation ia
ciiities were sent The men simply took
what was sent them and officers and men
Jared alike
When the fresh or refrigerated beef be-
gan 10 arrive after the capture OF Santa
go IL was issued 20 the men So far as
witness observed 1t was good
A Deadly Parallel.
From the Philadelphia Ledger
History" Saws Senator Hen sns.Lfn1