New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-02
"yVar Department.
"Onlce Commlssary Of Subsistence
"WashInetOn. July 26. 1895

"Washngton, July 26. l@S
"Sir: Only to-day. in fact this minute. have /
seen your dlabollcal. Infamous, scandalous false,
ubelous letter addressed --. I for one do not
propose to let any liar. whatever his position or
whatever society he may belong 10. 20 escape the
lust censure that all right-minded people VIII heap
upon him when he is proved TO be scandal-mon-
ger, a vllner and a falsAer. This IS bad enough
In Itself but when II goes far as 10 accuse some
OF tho most honorable men In the Army or out ~
It. and alege that they are corrupt, as you nave
done in this letter then IT passes patience ana
your status or standing and the society you belong
10 can prove no excuse whatever. You must bear
the consequences. and mean you shall
In denouncing your letter as tissue OF false
hoods I'm denouncing you as lar an uhWiNsa'e'
and Infamous lar. one who stirs mp the "hol'
ountry with his lies and brings misery ana woe
TO The relatives OF soldiers at tho front by his lies
who quotes his position "a --- 10 give himself
character and to sustain his Hes merely deserves
the greater censure. | demand from you AN
apology for your letter though I VIII Willingly
await the investigation which you suggest nut u
you do not cause that investigation TO be made
and you do not apologize FOR your Infamous raise
hoods I shall bring suit against YOU In New-l orN
and proye what now charge you 10 be
II wish to add that II you were my age should
make IL my business to personally wrcak upon you
the chastisemeut you deserve. Tor do not heliev"
there Is within the confines or this country to-day
ANYBODY else low and Vile as "a man VINO Won 81
make such UNANIMOUSLY false charges against men
who are doing their best. doing Il successfully.
doing II better than you done. better than
YOU would admit II you and knew Il.
you say among other things, 90 make your
statement bear out the semblance of truth 10 con
vince and worry the wife, the sister. the brother
the mother and the father Of the man At the front
that I'm one case n lleutenant-co colonel wrote 10 me
that he has had nothing but hardtack and bacon
since he has been bctore santiago defy you 20
produce the letter containing this statement and n
YOU do I will prove the statement 10 be am uu-
initiated falsehood. and hold tho officer rcspon-
sIble The proper criticism OF an officer does not
Justify falsehoods OF whole cloth
MY anger and Indignation IL lsic) because OF the
distress wantonly Gin my opinion solely FOR notori-
ETY. for yoursolO given 10y you TO relatives OF sol
ders at the front. and your contemplate enort to
take away the regulations Of men The lachets Of
whose shoes you not ~ 20 tie.
CHARLES L. EAGAN.
"Commlssary General OF subsistence"
This letter written as long ago as July. shows
Clearly what Eagan's ordinary mental haht l'
what his manners were. and what WAS the charac-
ter OF his associates long before n" began To as
NAV his capacity commlssarN Tor ne was
ir ed and convicted by court martini Tor ghmninS,
as we'll as for not paying a gambling dent ot Wv
nj Prescott, in Arizona az long ago as 1873 Ito
was not dismissed from the service. bnl simply
sentenced to be reprmanded IN general orders ana
the commanding officer, General kautI, ln connrn-
sentence We can easily guess the kind of asso-
clatcs an officer had who was tried Tor Samhllns
and no, paying his gambling debts. In Arizona
twenty years ago.