The Globe-republican., 1899-01-19
BITTER ATTACK on MILES,
commissary General Eagan Calls
His Superior Officer a Liar.
APPEARS BEFORE WAR BOARD.

General Charles +. Eagan yesterday
reappeared before the war investiga-
ton commission to answer the charges
of General Nelson A. Miles concerning
the commissary supplies furnished the
army during the recent war. General
Eagan's statement furnished the sensa-
tiOn of the war commissions history,
and was regarded by old army officers
as one of the most remarkable attacks
ever made in the history Of the service
Eagan read his testimony from a
large written statement He denied
numerous statements of General Miles;
charged that the latter's testimony
constituted severe reflections upon the
commanding generals of the expedi-
tions. He referred to Miles as this
same commanding general, Nelson A.
Miles," and said whoever called the
beef furnished ''embalmed beef was
liar"
General Eagan referred to the fact
that General Miles had refused to be
sworn and commented on the fact that
he was the only one of 500 witnesses
who had so refused. General Eagan
said he himself preferred to be sworn
General Eagan referred to the mys-
terious manner in which papers disap-
peared from the files of the War de-
partment.
General Eagan's testimony regard
ing the embalmed beef was as follows:
General Miles was asked by your
committee how timed fresh beef be-
came part of the army ration. His
answer is: You had better ask the
secretary of war or the commissary
general. think they can tell you. 1
know it was sent to the army as food
and the pretense is that it was sent as
an experiment.
General Miles in saying that this
food was sent to the army as a pre-
tense for an experiment says that
which implies corruption, which nine
ty-nine out of every 100 people will
understand to mean corruption, be-
cause it was "a pretense of expert
ment,' he says, not even giving credit
to me for furnishing it as an expert
ment, but that l furnished it under
the 'preterse of an experiment
This is serious charge. and should
not be made by any man lightly nor
without ample evidence to support it,
Taking the statement in the sense it
was probably intended. the sense that
will be accepted by the country at large
the sense that already the press almost
wholly of the United States has accept
ed it-indeed some Of that press be-
cause of it, called for my dismissal
from the army and my court-martial-I
answer that it was not furnished un-
der the pretense of experiment, nor
even as an experiment, and if when
General Miles charges that it was fur
nished as 'pretense of experiment
he lies in his throat, he lies in his
heart, he lies in every hair of his head
and every pore of his body; he lies will :
fully. deliberately, Intentionally and
maliciously.
''if his statement is true that this
was furnished under 'pretense of an
experiment. then 1 should be drummed'
out of the army and incarcerated in
prison with ether libelers.
His statement is a scandalous libel,
rejecting upon the honor of every Off
Ger in the department who has con-
tracted for or purchased this meat, and
particularly on the commissary gen.
eral-myself.
I'm denoupcing General Miles as
liar when he makes this statement
wish to make it as emphatic and as
coarse as the statement itself. wish
to force the lie back into his throat,
covered with the contents of camp
latrine
Il wish to brand It as falsehood of
whole cloth, without particle of
truth to sustain it, and unless he
can prove his statement he should
be driven out of the clubs,
barred from the society of decent
people and SO ostracized that the
street bootHack would not condescend
to speak to him, for he has fouled his
own nest, he has aspersed the
honor of q brother officer with
out a particle of evidence or fact to
sustain in any degree his scandalous,
libelous, malicious falsehoods-viz.,
that this beef or anything whatever
was furnished the army under pre-.
tense of experiment
General Eagan made vigorous at
tack on the inspector generals de-
partment in connection with this
investigation. He asked why were
not those inspections made while the
armies were in, the fields.
General Eagan referred to the re-
ports from officers, and submitted by
General Miles. concerning beef fur
,ished, as irresponsible statements.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-THE war in
vestigating commission passed to-day
a resolution Of censure of General
Eagan for the language he used yes
terday, and returned to him the care
fully prepared typewriter statement
which he left with the commission
after reading it to that body. With
its return was sent a letter. explaining
the reason for this action and a copy