The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-13
Gen. Eag'an Pays His
Respects to Miles.
JUST A sC0RCHER
Is His Testimony Under
Oath.

Washington, Jan. 12.-Commissary
General Charles P. Eagan, today re-
appeared before the war investigating
committee to answer the charges of
Gen. Nelson A. Miles concerning the
commissary supplies furnished the
army during the recent war.
Gen. Eagan's statement to the COM
mission furnished the sensation of the
war commissions history and was re-
garded by old army officers as one of
the most remarkable attacks ever
made in the history of the service.
The statement was a bitter personal
attack upon Gen. Miles, SO entirely I'M
qualified both as to scope and Ian
guage, that the war commission, on
hearing its conclusion, ordered brief
executive session, after which the
doors were reopened, the witness was
recalled and business was resumed in
the usual way
The subject in controversy was Gen.
Miles already famous "embalmed
beef testimony and the letters and
documents supporting it. Gen. Miles
had charged that the canned and re-
frigerated meats sent to the army in
Cuba and Porto Rico were unfit for
use, that they were preserved by the
use of chemicals and that they had
been bought and sent to the army
under pretense of an experiment"
This reflection upon both the ability
and honesty of the commissary de-
partment had angered Cen Eagan and
caused him to request to be recalled
to reply to Gen. Miles charges.
That his statements concerning the
commanding general were not the re-
suit of a sudden outburst of passion
was clearly shown by the fact that
Gen. Eagan read his remarks from
carefully prepared typewriter copy.
Not the least renal kable phase of
Gen. Eagan's statement was the Ian
guage in which it was couched. There
was scarcely phrase that would not
have been characterized as sensational
in an ordinary official utterance.
Gen. Eagan, after the hearing was
over, refused to say whether he had
any further move in prospect in fore
ing an issue between himself and Gen.
Miles. Il have said al l intend to
say for the present he replied, and
if any one wants to bring the matter
to a court martial I am ready for that,
too, as / have already stated before
the commission
AS soon as the nature of Gen. Ea-
gans statements became known, atten-
ton was directed TO army headquar-
tiers to ascertain what move would De
made by Gen. Miles. The latter,
through Col Michler, his chief aide,
beyond saying that he had stood for
the soldiers, declined to make any,
statement, saying that now was not
the time for talk, and that, before TAX
ing any action, it would be only proper
and necessary to wait until he had
had an opportunity to receive through
the regular channels and to consider
He would not talk ABOUT a court mar
tial.
Altogether, the animation conveyed
was that Gen Miles would act with
elaboration, if he decided to take any
action at all; and there was a faint
suggestion that he might decide to
ignore the statement altogether.
Of course, action to that effect on
the part of Gen. Miles would termi-
nate the incident but should he de-
eide to take notice officially of the at
tack, the next step would be for him
to prefer charges with the president
against the commissary general. These
might be based on several technical
grounds, such, for instance, as con-
duct tending to the destruction Of good
order and discipline.
1t would be for the president to pass
upon the demand for a court martial,
and he might adopt one of three
courses, IhaJ is, refuse ii; grant it; or
instead order court of inquiry. In
this latter case, the body would have
power to go into the question Of YER
acity which has been raised, and, in
fact, the conduct Of both generals
would be practically under examina-
ton.
Gen. Eagan appeared unexpectedly
to meet the allegations against the beef
issued in the war He read his testi-
a ant
He denied numerous statements of
Gen. Miles, charged that the latter's
testimony constituted severe retlec-
tions of the commanding generals of
the expeditions, and referred to him
as fthe same commanding general,
Nelson A. Miles" and said whoever
called the beef furnished "embalmed
beef" was "a liar"
Gen. Charles P. Eagan, commissary-
general of subsistence, was then re-
called to answer regarding the charges
of Gen. Miles that "embalmed" and
processed beef was furnished the
troops in the field. Gen. Eagan had
prepared a typewriter statement COW
ering his side of the case, and was al
lowed to read IT,
Cen Eagan began by calling atten-
ton to Gen. Miles appointment Of Maj.
John Black, a civilian, as his chief of
staff, and said that this was largely
responsible for the trouble that tol-
lowed.
He said that. Mai. Black had been
furnished $4,000 before starting for
Porto Rico, and that he had apparent
ly not known enough to provide him
self a checkbook and had rot left his
signature with the secretary of the
treasury nor made any other prepar-
alton for awaiting himself of the funds
at his command. There were expert
enced disbursing officers in the island
who had in the aggregate over 100000
in their possession, and vet Gen. Miles
had 1ccmplained that there were no
paymasters in the island SO that the
soldiers had no money with which to
buy food for themselves. Cen. Miles
had then called on the department to
put $4,000 more in the hands of Maj.
Black, and this Gen. Ea,5an declined to
DO, putting $4,000 to Maj. Blacks cred
1t in New York. Gen. Eagan referred
to the mysterious manner in which pa
pers disappeared from the files of the
war department.
He said that while Gen. Miles was
at Tampa he wired to the commissary
general to know what stores and
supplies were on hand at Tampa and