The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-21
MILES ON THE WITNESS STAND
WOULD NOT FULLY DENY THE
NEWSPAPER INTERVIEWS.

10 his ChnrEes Ihnt the Meat was
Bnd-Testimony From Others ms to
Character of Meat.
Washington, Feb 2O.-The Miles court OF
inquiry to-day made good start in its
work The court was comfortably quar-
tered in the old meeting room of the war
investigating commission in the Lemon
building. with accommodations for repre-
sentatives Of the press associations and
local papers,
Calls of ceremony on the President and
the general commanding the army occu-
pied IA large part of the forenoon, and
Immediately thereafter Gen. Nelson A.
Miles appeared as the first witness.
lie and three other army officers sum-
moned as witnesses were examined and
disposed of before the court closed it's
session, at 3 o'clock.
Gen Miles testimony, OF course. was
the feature OF the days proceedings. Col.
Frank Micheler, his chief of staff, and g
gentleman In citizens clothes. who took
a seat by the fireplace and gravely watch
ed the course of proceedings. retired with
the general as silently as he had accom-
panied the gentlemen to tho court room.
Miles Grows IronicaI.
Gen. Miles appeared In fatigue uniform.
rather striking In its contrast with ths
display Of scarfs. gold braid and buttons
OF the full dress uniforms OF the court.
He submitted 10 the questioning of Col.
Davis, recorder of the court. with equa-
nmlty except for fash OF mingled in
dignation and irony when he informed the
recorder that he was not compelled to
'report" TO the commssary general of the
army. This was In reply TO a question as
to whether or not he had reported to the
commissary department the fact that
complaints had been made 10 him as To-
the quality of meat being issued to the
troops.
An instant later Gen. Miles resumed his
cool and carefully considered replies to
the inquiries OF the court
As indicated by a letter OF the adjutant
general. read by tho recorder for the in
formation of the court, the scope OF tho
inquiry was limited to the allegations OF
Gen Miles before the war commission as
TO the quality of the army beef, "and
the matter purporting to have been fur
nished 90 the public press by the same
ofiicial"
Only two interviews were called up by
the court, first an interview with New
OIh JOuiUdi fGDoTltI early IN the DGeE
controversy In which Gen. Miles was
quoted as charging that certain chemicals
were used in the preservation of the army
meat, and another of the New York Her
aid under date of Feb. l, covering about
the same ground.
Did Not Deny Interviews.
Gen. Miles was very careful in his re-
plies to the recorders questions on this
point. lie called attention to the fact
that i'm both instances he was credited
In the interviews with refusing 20 an
swer certain questions, and insisted that
these refusals should be given due weighr
in considering the questions to which ha
did reply.
He said In the case of the interview of
Feb. that he had a letter from the man
who wrote the story Offering to swear
that Gen. Miles had refused to be inter-
viewed, and the whole story was made
up in the Office from the writer's general
knowledge Of the facts. Notwithstanding
this, when his final answer was called for
as 10 the authenticity of the interview,
Gen. Miles did not specifically deny 1t.
but merely said II did not quite fairly pre-
sent his own opinion in the case. The sams
qualified denial as to the Journal inter-
view OF Dec. % was made, leaving the
witness on record as not assuming any re-
sponsibility for the newspaper statements,
but taclty admitting that there was q
good deal In them with which he agreed.
Why Reports Were Not Made.
The trend OF questions put to the other
witnesses of the day indicated that so
long as they agreed with Gen. Miles as
to the quality OF the meat furnished the
troops IN the field the only criticism OF
their position the court had 10 make was
why they had not taken some official
steps 10 have the matter remedied at the
Tsa tpct rof.Ixr mas .
that the circumstances In which the army
was placed in a sickly foreign country
with a large amount of fighting and q
great scarcity Of transportation on hand,
precuded the possibility of any such ac-
ton. In each instance the question was
pushed no further on that line.
Gen, Miles during his testimony as to
the Herald interview, pointed out that the
interview was erroneous in that where it
represented him 20 have said that he had
overwhelming evidence that the refrigerat-
ed beef was treated with chemicals. The
fact was that his only evidence was con-
tanned In the reports of officers and state
ments Of men who claimed that the beef
had the oder of an embalmed body, that
they had seen fluid injected into beef and
other indications OF chemical treatment.
wanted Cattle ON the Hoof.
Col. Davis recurring to the statement
of Gen. Miles Sefore the war commission,
asked him what his idea as to the beef
supply for the army was when war broke
out
Replying, Gen. Miles said while his at
tention was occupied with weGghtier mat
fers Of mobilization and equipment OF
troops he felt confident that the usage of
an hundred years would be followed ana
cattle herds would be shipped TO the army
IN the tropics and killed there just as they
had been through the South during the
civil war, IN Arizona, Texas and In Mexl-
CO. where It was 80 hot that a soldier
could not sit upon the rocks. He UNDER
stood Cuba and Porto Rico were excellent
grass countries and cattle could be shipped
and kept IN prime condition. He review
ed his action In cabling the department to
send no more refrigerated beef to Porto
Rico while he was there, finding Il irnpos-
sibe to use beef on the hoof.
Cen Miles said that he understood thar
our troops in Porto Rico were still beng
supplied with a form of refrigerated beer.
although the country was as good grass
In fH., II