The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-02-01
STATEMENT BY GEN. MILES
OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE TO
 SUPPORT REEF CHARGES.
from ders-EmbaImed Beef Was Cured With Chemicals-The Can- ned Roast Beef Was the Beef liter Ex- tract Had Been Boiled Out.

New York, Jan. 31.-General Nelson A. Miles gave out a statement tonight
 after having denied several published interviews attributed to him. He pre- | faced his statement by saying: "I have | been most freely quoted without author
 ity from me or without any utterance
 on my part. It has been a source of
 great annoyance to me-" His state-
 ment is as follows:
 "On the 2Oth of last September I is-
 sued an order to regimental command
 CTS ordering them to report to me con- cerning the beef which had been issued
 to their men. At the time that I went
 before the war board Investigating com- mittee I had received reports from only
 fourteen of the commanders. Now I
 have thirty reports. They all tell the same story. The evidence proving the truth of the statements which I made is abundant and overwhelming. Tn addi-
 tion to the reports of the regimental commanders I have a great mass of evidence consisting of communications affldavits, etc, from officers, soldiers and civilians Every part of the coun- try has contributed to the mass of cor respondence which I have received in reference to the beef served to our sol diers and the evidence is corroboratlve of what have said The great publ- city which the press has given to the matter has brought all the correspond ence of which I speak upon me.
 T have overwhelming evidence that the embalmed beef was cured with chemicals. I have evidence from men who saw the beef undergoing the treat ment, or embalming process. Now as to the canned roast beef, that was diff ferent from the embalmed beef The canned roast beef was the beef after the extract had been boiled out of It. You have seen the advertisements beef extract, one pound contains the sub stance of from four to five pounds of prime beef.' Well, this is the beef at- ter the extract has been taken out of It. They put this beef pulp up in cans and label it canned roast beef The sol diers report that the canned beef was nauseating.If swallowed it would not be kept on the stomach
 It was pointed out to General Miles that he had been quoted as having said that if the men who supplied the beef would deposit thousand dollars in such a way that it could be made to pay the cost of the proceedings he would furnish absolute proof of his as- sertion. He was asked what tribunal he had in mind, or to whom he would furnish this proof, and in reply said: T made that statement in response to the offer of the beef men to pay $100,000 for evidence of the truth of my allega- tions against their product. I looked on their offer as a bluff and took that way of answering it. I have the greatest abundance of evidence to support the charges I made and do not think that any part of the thousand dollars need be spent in more investigation" Gen. eral Miles has received telegram from Colonel A. A. Pope of Boston requesting General Miles to draw on him for a thousand dollars to prove that chemi- calls were used to embalm beef furnish ed to soldiers, but this offer will not be accepted for the reasons already given.