The Portland daily press., 1899-02-21
GIN. MILES on STAND.
General Of Army Tells About Bad
Beef.
MODIrIEs HIS STATEMENT ABOUT
TIE 'TxPERIMENT.,

Says He Did Not Intend TO Intimate
Fraud on Part of Anyone--Other
witnesses Testify Against tho Beef
Washington, Feb. 20-The court Of In
quiry to examine into the beef controversy
Assem- bled ut the Lemon building shortly
after 10 O'Clock this morning. prep sratory
to Its first formal session.
At 10 35 the court In full dress uniform
proceeded to the White House, where II
paid its respects to the President and then
to the war department, where II called
upou Secretary Alger and Major General
Miles.
Meantime representatives Of the press,
who were accorded places In the court
rom had assembled and on the outside
were many other correspondents and a
number of artists specially detailed to at
tend the inquiry.
The court returned at 1906 from Its
visits of courtesy and after two official
photographers made pictures Of the court,
Colonel Davis announced readiness to
proceed AMI read the order converting the
court, and Its instructions.
Following the reading OF the order
which has been published already, Col
Davis read letter from Adjutaut General
Corbin in response to letter from Gen
eral Wade, president Of the. court, ex-
planning more specifically the lineaAlong
which the court was expected to- investi-
gate
The court was then sworn and Major
General Nelson A. Miles was presented
as the first witness.
He appeared in fatigue uniform and
was sworn.
After stating his rank and Office he was
asked about his statement .befors the war
commission. He said he had made one
and upon Colonel Davis submitting
printed report of that statement, General
Miles examined and approved It Then
be was asked about an alleged interview.
which appeared in the New York journal
of Deoem Der 20, whether Ii represented
completely or in part what he he said.
General Miles read IL.
General Miles said:
Il do not recall anything in that inter
view that had not been given in my testi.
mony as tran smitted In my reports You
will see that it contains number OF
declinations to name officers and refusais
10 answer IL must therefore he incor-
rect in It's presentation. The general
then commented upon the general slight
inacouraoy of newspaper interviews
owing to the dependency OF writers
upon their memories.
Hardly IA day in six months had apassed
thnt an interviewer had not applied TO
him and because of the kindness of the
press to the army and especially TO the
enlisted men he had endeavored TO give
them such Information as he thought
wise and safe, but never he said, with
a view TO prejudicing anyone again ST any
person or department.
think the Journal interview represented
correctly what WAS said, because Its con-
tents could not be taken in connection
with all that was said. his silence upon
some points and speech upon others.
Then being asked about an interview
from the New York Herald OF FEB. l. ne
said:
II have a letter from the gentleman.
who understand, wrote this In which he
SAYS he is willing TO swear that i declined
to be interviewed and that, thinking
something had been given out, ne had
proceeded to write what he. knew w'ra TIE
facts
He then pointed out that the interview
was erroneous in that it represented him
to have said that "a had overwhelming
evidence that the refrigerated beef was
treated with chemicals.
the fact was that his only evidence was
what was. contained In the reports OF
oib GERS and statements OF men VINO
claimed that the beef had the odor OF az
emhalme1i body and that they had seen
fluid injected into the beei. He declared
the interview an erroneous presenta-
ton of what he could possibly have said.
Col. Davis, recurring to the statement
of Gen Miles before the war commission,
asked HIM what his idea as to the be,f
supply for the army was wheh war proAe
out
Replying, Gen. Miles said while his
attention was occupied with weightiei
matters of mobilization and equipment
of troops, he felt confident that tn usag4
of hundred years woul lie followed
and cattle herds would he shipped to the
army in the camps and killed there jus.
as they had been through the south uur-
ing the Civil war.
He reviewed his action In cabling the
department 10 send no more refrigerated
b Of to Porto Rico while lie was there,
nnding 1t possible to use beef ON The
hoof Gen. Miles said that be under
stood that our troops in Porto Rico were
still being supplied with form OF re-
frjpsrated beef, although the country
was as good grass country as any IN
the world.
Col Davis asked II Gen Miles knew
whether Porto Rico exported any cattle.
Witness SAID IL ulu, W thc nulNer vi
several THOUSAND and thut they were
fine cattle. Still he understood, that our
troops were not only receiving refriger-
atsd teef at the coast, but 1t was being
sent into the interior. The situation
now, he said, was different from that dur
ing the war Now there we're ice ma
chimes on shore. Then there was not Ice
enorgh for the hospitals. Recurring to
tho expediency of feeding tne troops on
hoof beef in Porto Rico, Gen. Miles said
he was much in favor of 1t.
"Do you think" continued Col. Davis,
that the native beef would keep as
we'll as this refrigerator beef In the All
senoe Of cooling apparatus on shore
Il am quits sure il would unless the
Refrigerator peef wss chemically treated
with preservation. II IL wa, treated so as
| to keep for - hours. after coming out
of the coolers, of course 1t had the ad
vantage of the native beef SO far as keep
| Ing goes
Asked low long rs Was in. Porto Rico
before he advised the department against
| sending more refrige rated bsef, Gen. M.lss
said he learned of the large supply OF ma
tive cattle soon after landing and ad