The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-13

ruption because it was a pretenSe OF
experiment.
This is a serious charge; should not
be made by any man lightly nor with
out ample evidence to support 1t. TAX
ing the statement in the sense that was
probably intended, the sense that will
be accepted by the country at large,
the sense in which already the press
almost wholly of the United States has
accepted, l answer that it was not
furnished under the pretense of ex-
pertinent, nor even as an experiment,
and when Gen. Miles charges that it
was furnished as 'pretense of expert
ment,' he lies in his throat, he lies in
his heart, he lies in every hair of his
head, and every pore of his body: he
lies willfully. deliberately, intentionally
and maliciously.
IF his statement is true that this
was furnished under 'pretense of an ex-
pertinent then l should be drummed
out of the army and incarcerated in
states 2rison.
"If this statement is false, as I as
sert it to be, then he should be drumm-
ed out of the service and incarcerated
In prison, with other libellers. His
statement is a scandalous libel reflect
ing upon the honor of every officer in
the department, who has contracted for
this meat, and especially and partic-
ularly on the commissary general
myself.
I'm denouncing Gen. Miles as liar,
when he makes this statement, / wish
to make 1t as emphatic and as coarse
as the statement itself. / wish to force
The lie back into his throat, covered
with the contents of camp latrine.
wish to brand it as a falsehood of
whole cloth, without a particle of
truth to sustain it, and unless he can
prove his statement he should be de-
nounced by every honest man, barred
from the clubs, barred from the society
of decent people, and SO ostracised that
the street bootblack would not conde-
scend to speak to him, for he has
fouled his own nest, he has aspersed
the honor of a brother officer without a
particle of evidence or fact to sustain
any degree his scandalous, libelous,
malicious falsehood, namely, that this
beef, or anything whatever was fur
nished the army under 'pretense Of eX-
pertinent
Gen. Eagan referred to the published
interviews of Gen. Miles and CORES
pondence between them as to their au-
thenticity, Gen. Miles having made a
non committal reply and the witness
then said:
when a man refuses to deny a IL
bel or falsehood or a statement attrib-
uted to him, it Is well known that he
assumes responsibility in the matter.
When he avoids the question, the sup
position is that he cannot deny it. My
question is not answered yet. He has
not yet denied the interview published
In the New York Journal, dated Dec.
%, 1885, and having refused to distinct
ly deny 1t, he should be held to the
strictest accountability for it. If he
made these statements as set forth
then. then he lied again, and IL he
made the statement that pretense is
the precise term to be used Gas he said
then, referring to the experiment., then
he lied with as black a heart as the
man who blew up the Maine possessed,
and he deserved to be characterized
and known in America and Europe,
where his statements have gone, as be-
ing the colossal prodigious liar of the
18th century.
II submit to this COMMITTEES and to
the whole country, that this account of
an interview with him in the New
York Journal going uncontradicted, I'M
denied, and when the opportunity was
given him refusal to deny 1t in terms,
places upon him the onus and respon-
sibility for the statements of that in
terview. which statements ! here and
now denounce as an unmitigated false
hood vile and slanderous, so slanderous
that it can only be called filth"
Continuing, Gen, E,agan said:
when was commissary general, in
May last, Gen. Miles had already Sc
leoted for his staff as chief commissary
one of the ablest commissaries of the
regular army, Maj. IL. B. Osgood. Judge
Of my surprise when one day Gen. Gil
more, the adjutant general for Gen.
Miles told me Gen. Miles wished to
have Maj. John Black, recently APP
pointed from civil life as a volunteer
commlssary, made his commissary on
his staff. | expressed my surprise
that the senior offieefAo of the army
should so veleet a volunteer ohlcer to-
tally devoid of experience in the sub
sistence department, and therefore in
competent for such an important
duty.
Shortly after and about June z,
Gen. Miles sent a very ordinary, COM
monplace telegram to the adjutant gem
eral at Washington, inquiring what
subsistence stores the subsistence de-
partment had at Tampa and some-
where else. some such similar inquiries
to the Quartermaster general and chief
Of ordnance.
u made a formal written reply to
this and to my amazement, the next
morning / saw it published in the press
of the country that Gen. Miles had sent
or found it necessary to send seri-
Gus reprimand to the quartermaster
general, the commissary general
and chief Of ordnance for con-
ditions that he found there. No such
reprimand was ever received, and
Gen. Miles has no authority in his COM
mission or his position under the law
or regulations TO send such reprimands
TO me.
This uncontradicted story of such q
reprlmand to the heads of departments
Of the army aided as much as anything
in exciting the yellow journal press, the
knaves of so-called journalism, to ha-
rass and libel the conscientious, able
and hard working officers on duty Il
Washington.
Since asking that an investigation
be made to learn who gave out this
garbled and alleged reprimand, / have
instituted inquiries to find my request
with the newspaper clipping enclosed
The adjutant generals department,
however. reported their inability to find
it."
Gen. Eagan, referring to newspaper
attacks. asserted that the secretary of
war had nothing to do with the fur
nishing of refrigerated meats or timed
meats. Nor had he attempted to con-
troll the contents, awards or purchases.
In heated language, the general at
tackled three New York newspapers and
their editors and proprietors, whom, he
said, should be indicted and tried for
treason. as having given aid comfort
and information to the public enemy
for the sole purpose of gain.
Were man of means" he said,
II would take this subject up myself.
would put journalistic knaves, pur-
loiners of the secrets of the govern
ment, behind the bars, where they be-
long"
Gen. Eagan vigorously attacked the
inspector generals department in CON
neotion with this investigation. He
said the principal officers Of that de-