The times., 1899-03-30
EAGhN THE PROFANE
BEFORE THE COURT
His Agreeable View of Food
discipline.
''God D-n Them. I'd Have Made
Them Take lii"
The Suspended Commissnry Pain
fully Ratified i'm His Memory of
Antecedent Matters.

At the beef enquiry hearing yesterday
Major Black. who was chief commissary
on General Miles staff during the Porto
Rfcan campaign, was asked by Major Lee
to detail a conversation he had with Gen.
eral Eagan. at that time Commissary
General. after his (Black's) return to
Washington last fall.
Il called upon Eagan." Major Black be-
gan by saying. ito confer with him con-
corning the conduct of our affairs at Ponce.
He asked me why the refrigerated beef was
not issued at Ponce. and / replied that it
was because the issue commissaries did not
want it, as they were getting native beef
Thereupon Eagan became very much ex-
cited and exclaimed: God d-n them they
have right to refuse it. i consider ii
the best beef in the United States, and,
God d-n them, I'd have made them take
it"
Charles Patrick Eagan, who was con-
yicted by a court-martial of conduct un-
becoming an officer and gentleman in
vilifying his commanding general, and
who is now serving a sentence of six years
suspension from rank and duty. appeared
witness before the Beef Court yes
terday
He appeared before the Court in the ia
tgue uniform of brigadier general Pend
ing the arrival of the official stenographer
Eagan sat and chatted with Colonel Davis.
Recorder of the Court. When the Court
was opened and the members had read
jUsted themselves in their chairs the Re
corder faced Eagan preparatory 10 asking a
question, but before his lips could frame
one word Eagan said:
4 desire at the outset
Colonel Davis did not heed the speech
of the witness. but said:
viii you state for the benefit of the
Court the gist of conversations which you
had r-f-h +s-~ rer-c-- --atf,--r ~ S--if- 4.
Co. before the conclusion OF the Santiago
beef contracts 90
Eas.4-- a. - impossible for me TO do
that | desire TO correct the testimony I
gave at previous session of the Court in
relation TO the twenty-four hour
clause
after awhile. Can you recall the CONVEX
saiion which you had with the contractors
before the signing of the contracts?
EagHn-I cannot recall any conversation
with those representatives especially.
had great many conversations with beef
men about that time. They were in my
Office every day. They were looking for
business. / want to explain that my in
tention was to procure, If possible, re-
frigerafed beef. because / was convinced,
and / am still convinced that this is the
best meat for soldiers 10 feed on. Failing
10 get refrigerated Deei- lNlenueu 10 get
beef on the block or on the hoof and as
a denier resort intended that the Govern
ment should own its herds. But my first
choice was refrigerated beef and no one
with whom | talked on the subject of beef
could have any doubt about my preference
for refrigerated beef / talked with a
great many beef representatives, but /
cannot recall conversations i had with par
iicular persons.
Colonel Dayis-Can you not recall any
conversations you had with the represen-
iatires of Swift & Co.?
Eagan-Yes. / recall In a general way a
talk l had with Mr.. Swift, who came
down from Boston.
Colonel Davis-Did he make any sug-
gestions or recommendations to you con-
cerning the contract?
Eagan-I do not remember all the de-
tails, but / do know that he objected to
some of my views being hard and un-
reasonable.
Colonel Dayis-Did he object to any of
the clauses in that contract?
Eagan-My impression is that he OBJ
5scted to some of my stipulations as being
burdensome and unreasonable.
Refrigerated Beef.
AT this point in the proceedings Colonel
Davis asked the witness when it was that
he determined to employ refrigerated beef
to the exclusion of beef on the block or on
the hoof
The witness replied that he had never
had any doubt as to the efficiency and de-
STABILITY of refrigerated beef. He was
not certain, though. that the beef men
would enter into satisfactory contracts to
supply the Army. There was no time for
making separate advertisements. so in the
same proposal he invited bids on cold
storage beef and beef on the block and on
the hoof.
Colonel Davis stated that he desired
the witness to interpret two clauses of the
contract, and he proceeded TO read the
contract.
Eagan answered: 1T seems to me TO in
terpret Itself"
Colonel Dayis-What l want you partic-
ulariy to interpret is the clause relating to
seventy-two and twenty-four hours.
Eagan-In my own mind had concluded
that il would be good plan to have ships
with meat ply up and down the Cuban
coast. The army's plan OF campaign had
not been determined on, and no one at that
time knew where the troops would be. This
Was why wanted the ships 10 move from
place to place. The idea of seventy-two
hogrs was with view OF giving time for
a ship to make delivery of beef at one
place and go elsewhere in time to make
another delivery. When it was determined
that the American Army would be concen-
frated at or near Santiago this plan was
abandoned and the twenty-four- hour
clause was inserted When / was asked
when / was before the Court when IL was
here before, about the twenty-four- hour
clause / had totally forgotten that / had
changed my mind as TO the condition from
seyenty-two TO twenty four hours | have
recalled since in thinking IL over that | was
impelled to change the time limit so rs to
make il twenty-four hours from the time
the beef left the shore refrigerator. I felt
that the time limit would be enough To
permit the meat 10 reach the troops. | had
a great many things TO think Of / kept
the seventy-two-hour clause in the con-
tract because ! thought the meat under ia
vorable conditions would endure that
length Of time. and / thought that its en-
durance in that respect might be tested
now and then, because did not know how
far OF shore transport might have to lie
10 discharge its cargo.
Colonel Davis asked the witness II he
had entered in any official conferences with
the Navy Department in the matter OF
chilled. refrigerated, or frozen beef Eagan
answered that he conyersed informally
with officials of the Navy Department. but
had held no formal conferences
At this point the eross-examination OF