The record-union., 1899-03-01
The Army Court Of Inquiry Adopts
a New Mode
To Test Witnesses as 10 Quality Of Meats
Furnished the Soldiers.

l &Ae%SA
Yet He Did Not Feel Like Rec
| ommending It a Good Thing to
Feed Soldiers.
| WASHINGTON, Feb. 2S-The fea-
ture of the court of inquiry into Gem
eral Miles beef charges to-day was
an object lesson in canned meats pre-
pared by the court and served to the
non commissioned men who testified at
yesterdays hearing. The court had
prepared eight plates of beef, fresh
beef, canned beef that had been to
Cuba, and canned beef fresh from the
factory Four plates wera prepared
| hot in a stew and four cold as they
came from the can, the fresh beef being
boiled to make it resemble the others.
The enlisted men were ordered to sam
pie each and say which was the sort
they had had in Cuba. 1t was a try
ing ordeal for the men, most of them
declaring that none of the plates looked
like anything that they had eaten in
Cuba. But upon repeated assurances
that there was campaign beef in two
of the plates, and after being urged
that they should at least choose to the
best of their belief, the court succeed
ed in getting an expression of opinion
from each of the men. An army sur
geon, DR.. Bowden, kept tally on the
guesses of the men, and changed the
positions of the plates after each wit
ness left the room. The result Of this
record was not made public, however.
and will be reserved till DR.. Bowden
|testif1es, probably some time this week.
The most interesting witness of the
day was Lieutenant Ramsay, Ninth IN
fantry, who had served as a commits
sary officer at Baiquiri and Santiago,
and who characterized the canned
roast beef as IAN unpalatable and I'M
inviting grade of inferior meat" which
he would not willingly feed to any
man. sick or well.
The court convened to-day with only
officers present. 1t has been reported
that Governor Roosevelt, who was in
the city last week, and to whose ap-
pearance there has been much popular
! interest, would not be called to testify
This was officially denied at the court.
1t was said that Roosevelt had been
sent letter requesting him to name a
day when it would be convenient for
him to appear, but that he had not yet
replied one way or the other
! The first witness to-day was Lieuten-
ant Ramsay, Ninth Infantry, who act
ed as company comnlissary at Tampa
and depot commissary at various times.
He was also one of Colonel Weston )
assistants after the capture Of Santi-
ago He told in some detail of the sup
plies at Baiquiri and Siboney, and the
transportation to the front. So far as
| he knew no complaints came from the
front as to- the sort of rations that
were sent out.
After minute inquiries from the re-
corder intended to develop whether any
protests were made from the front
against the canned beef, the witness
said that he received requests for as
much bacon as he could stand"
Colonel Davis then had a can of beef
opened, and asked the witness to in
spect it, saying that it had come from
Cuba.
Lieutenant Ramsay s1nelled it, tast-
ed it and pulled some of it apart, say
ing that it was decidedly better beef
than any he had seen in Cuba. It was
more like that he had handled at his
barracks, but he still did not feel like
recommending it as good thing to
feed soldiers.
| Witness said he had seen great
many cans of beef rejected among a
five car lot at Tampa. The cans had
burst and the stencil in the cars was
terrific. The contractors replaced the
spoiled cans in this instance, but there
was the same stencil from more de-
fective cans when the cargoes We're
broken out in Cuba.
| Asked by Colonel Davis as to his per-
sonal experience with canned roast
/ beef, witness said he had used it only
once at Baiquiri. He called it unpal-
atable and an inferior quality of badly
! boiled beef Witness said he had seen
canned roast beef frequently in his
own post canteen and in the CONSOLE
dated mess of which he had been in
charge.
| WAS it the same in the canteen that
| you had in Cuba?'' asked Colonel Da-
Wis.
THE outside of the package was the
same, but not inside. The beef we lad
at the canteen at Madison Barracks
was quite popular for picriics and the
like 1t was beef that could be sliced
down. 1t was good and palatable That
saw in Cuba was evidently from the
plates, chucks and necks. don't think
| in the cans I saw there was a single
piece that would weigh an ounce
| Colonel Gillespie questioned the wit
ness with some asperity when he VEN
| tured to- say the meat was unfit for sick
men to use. but witness replied that
he considered it unfit to feed men-siclz
| or well. He considered it responsible
| in considerable part for the sickness
and stomach trouble among the men.
| He had it frequently on his table, but
never tasted it but once. Neither did
his Sergeant eat it more than a few
times.
| Lieutenant Colonel A. T. Smith, chief
commiseary at Havana, testified in
some detail as to the purchasing ar
lrangements of the Commissary De-
partment when the war broke out.
| Colonel Smith did not go to Cuba with
| the Shafter expedition, but he saw a
great deal of the loading at Tampa He
| had seen two cars of Armour's canned
| meat rejected because of the stencil
arising from the cars The contractor
| had asked leave to go over the cars
| and remove the defective cans. This
was done, so he understood, and The
cars afterward accepted. He opened