The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-21

Washington. Feb. 20-The Miles court
Of inquiry today made a good start II
its work The court was comfortably
quartered in the old meeting room OF
the war investigating commission, the
Lemon building, with accommodations
Tor representatives of the press asso-
Citations and the local papers.
Calls of ceremony on the president
and the general commanding the army
occupied q large part Of the forenoon,
and Immediately thereafter General
Nelson A Miles appeared as the hrSt
witness. he and three other army Of
ncers summoned as witnesses were eX-
amined and disposed of before the court
closed its session at o'clock
General Miles testimony, of couse,
was the feature Of The days proceed
ings. Colonel Frank Micheler, his chief
of staff, and a. gentleman in citizens
clothes, who took a seat by the fire
place and gravely watched the course
of proceedings, retiring with the gen.
eral as silently as he had come, &C
companied the general to the court
room.
General Miles appeared in fatigue
uniform, rather striking in its contrast
with the display of Scarfs, bullion and
buttons on the full dress uniforms of
the court. He submitted to the qUes-
tioning of Colonel Davis, recorder of
the court, with equanimiry, except for
a flash Of mingled indignation and irony
when he informed the recorder that he
was not compelled to report to the
commissary general of the army. This
lyas in reply TO question as to whether
or not he had reported to the commits
Sary department the fact that COM
plants had been made to him as to The
quality Of meat being issued tc the
troops. An instant later General Miles
resumed his cool and carefully consid-
cred replies to the inquiries of the
court.
As indicated by letter of the adju-
tant general, read by the recorder for
the information of the court the scope
of the inquiry was limited to the allie
cations Of General Miles before the war
commission as TO the quality OF the
army beef and the matter DurDorti1
10 have been furnished TO the public
press by the same Official
THE MILES INTERVIEWS
only two interviews were called up
by the court, the first an interview
with d New York Journal representa-
tive early in the beef controversy. In
which General Miles was quoted as
charging that certain chemicals We're
used in the preservation of the army
meat, and one of the New York Her.
aid, under date of Feb. l, covering
about the same ground.
General Miles was very slow and
careful in his replies to the recorders
questions on this point. He called at
tentiOn TO the tact that IN bocil in
stances he was credited in the inter
views with refusing to answer certain
questions, and insisted that these re-
fusals should be given due weight in
considering the questions TO which he
did reply. He said in the case of the
i~terview of Feb. l. that he had a let
Ter from a man who wrote the story.
offering to swear that General Miles
had refused TO be interviewed, and that
the whole story was made Up in the |
office from the writer's general know !
edge of the facts. Notwithstanding this, !
Wien his final answer was asked as to |
the authenticity Of the interview. Gen. |
eral Miles did not specifically deny it, |
but merely said that it did not fairly |
represent his own opinion in the case. |
The same qualified denial as to the |
Journal interview Of Dec. % was made, |
leaving the witness on record as not |
assuming any responsibility for the |
newspaper statements, but lacitly ad-
uniting that there was a good deal in |
teen with which he agreed.
The trend Of questions put TO the
Other witnesses OF the day indicated
that so long as they agreed with Cen
eraI Miles as to the quality of meat
furnished the troops in the field. the
only criticism of their position the
court had to make was why they had
not taken some official steps TO have the
matter remedhsd at the time. In every
instance the reply was that the cir
cUInstances in which the army was
placed, in sicllly foreign country, with
a large amount of fighting and a great
of transportation on hand. pre-
cluded the possibility of any such ac-
ton. In each instance the question
was pushed no further on this line. II
was said after the court adjourned that
Or. DAILY, whose original "embalmed
beer report was the genesis of the
meat controversy, probably would ap-
pear at tomorrow's session.
GENERAL MILES SWORN.
Major General Miles was presented as
the first witness. He appeared in IA
ugue uniform, and was sworn After
stating his rank and Office, he was
asked about his statement before the
war commission. He said he made one.
and upon Colonel Davis submitting
printed report Of that statement, Cen
eraI Miles examined and approved it.
Then he was asked about an alleged in
lei'VleW, which appeared in the New
\ ork Journal Of Dec. %, whether it rep
resented completely or in part what he
said. General Miles read it Then he
said:
L do not recall anything in that in !,
terview that has not been given in my :
testimony or transmitted in my reports !,
\ on VIII observe it contains a number ;
IF my declinations to name officers or }
my authorities, and refusals to answer :
must, therefore, be incorrect in its ]
representations.
He then commented upon the general
slight lnaccuracy Of newspaper inter- c
fiews, owing TO the dependency of {
writer's upon their memories. Hardly a =
lay in SIX months had passed that an +
interviewer had not applied, and be- +
.ause Of the kindness of the press to
he army, and especially the enlisted "
men, he had endeavored to give them Y
iuch information as he thought wiseI {
ma safe, but never, ne said, with a I
lew TO prejudicing any one against a
my person or department. Finally. o
feneral Miles said he did not think the Il
Journal interview represented correctly i
What he had said, because its contents
houid be taken in connection with all c
hat was said. his silence upon some +,
,oints and speech upon others. Then.
,esng asked about an interview in tho
Jew York Herald of Feb. !, he said:
Il have a letter from the gentleman e
,-bo. I understand, wrote this. in which D
Ie says he is willing to swear that 1 fl