The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-17
THREE COURSES PROPOSED
WAR DEPARTMENT is ACTING
VERY SECRETLY.
The Commissary General Revises His
Testimony and Writes Letter
to the War Inquiry
Commission.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 16.-In answer to
a direct question Secretary Alger, at the
close of the official day, said that the
War Department had taken no action in
the case of Commissary General Eagan,
but when the inquiry was pursued he de-
clined to say one word as to his inten-
tons in the matter. 1t was apparent dur
ing the day that this matter was receiv-
ing attention and, in fact, the commits
sary general himself spent some time
closeted with the Secretary. Three dis
tinct lines of action were talked of as
within the line of probability. The first
was a strong letter of reprimand, to be
addressed by the President himself to
General Eagan, stating that but for the
immunity he had promised all witnesses
before the commission he would have
court-martialed him. The second line
was an actual court-martial, while the
third was court of inquiry. The pur-
pose of the latter would be, 1t was said,
to place upon a military tribunal the
responsibility for deciding whether or not
General Eagan should be tried by court
martial.
OF course the court of inquiry might go
long way into the matters which led
up 10 the attack contained in General
Eagans statement, possibly involving a
determination as to the correctness of the
charges touching the character of the
army beef preferred by General Miles
though this would appear to be appoint,
ing a second tribunal to investigate the
methods and results of the first engaged
already on that work.
1t was stated that General Miles would
not prefer charges against General Eagan
for the utterances delivered by him before
the war Investigating Commission last
Friday, but intends to let the War De-
partment deal with the matter in its own
way. Touching these charges, it is said
that there is really no absolute neces-
slty that any one shall follow them, al
tnough the judge advocate general of the
war Department would be called upon
to put them in shape If ii should be de-
cided to order court-martial
1t Is suggested that the War Invesigat-
ing Commission had deprived itself of the
power to make out a real legal present
ment against General Eagan. if it was so
disposed, by returning the Objectionable
paper TO him. So far as is known the
statement delivered last Friday is not now
In the hands of the commission, and the
judge advocate who could prosecute Cen
eral Eagan in case of court-martial might
be under the necessity of taking second
airy evidence in the shape of newspaper
publications of his statement, all of which
are admittedly nothing more than alb
stracts. Perhaps this fact would not
have much weight with a court-martial,
but in ordinary legal practice 1t would
advantage.
Commissary General Eagan to-day sent
to the War Investigating Committee q
revised statement in place of that origin.
ally made in response to. General Miles
charges. The revised statement is about
80 per cent shorter than that which was
ordered withdrawn because of It's violent
and abusive character. The commission
went into secret session to read the docu-
ment and to decide whether or not, in its
present form, 1t had been expurgated suf-
ficiently to permit 1t to be made a part of
the commissions records.
Following is the text of the letter sent
by General Eagan to the War Investigate
ing Commission with his amended AZ
ment:
WASHINGTON. January "A, 1899.
To the Commission appointed by the Presi-
dent TO investigate the conduct of the war
with Spain-Gentlemen: I have the honor to
hand you herewith my testimony which is
now resubmtted and revised in accordance
with the views expressed by you in your letter
to me Of January ID. The Objectionable sfea-
lures and what is considered irrelevant mat
ter by you, in which opinion I entirely agree,
are eliminated In this connection I desire to
state that there never a thought or
intention on my part of any disrespect what
soever TO your commission but, in explana-
ton Of the language used by me heretofore l
beg to invite the attention of the commission
to the fact that l have been accused prac-
ticaliy of feeding the soldiers poisoned beef
which made them sick 'embalmed beef" So
called; that l have furnished meat to the
army under the pretense of experiment, which
charge in effect, is corruption and worse, be-
cause 1t jeopardizes the lives of soldiers sent
to the front in tropical climates, and who
dependent on such food sent them; that
these statements have gone TO the whole coun-
try uncontradicted; that they have been pub
lished and / have been ploried in the press
of the country as a man who has fed the
army on poisoned meat, and corruptly so; that
for about three weeks time have kept silent
for the that l was debarred. after talk
ing with the honorable Secretary of War, from
preparing charges because of the immunity
granted by the President to witnesses before
YOUR commission, notwithstanding the gravity
of the accusations that it is unreasonable to
believe that such monstrous charges could
have any other effect than to work upon
honorable man in such a way as to goad him
to a species of desperation, and that it was but
given him. TO meet and refute the charges, that
he should characterize them IN harsh language
and in terms that ARE deemea no
withdraw the language and matter so objec-
tionable and resubmit to you now my sworn
statement with the abiding faith that your
commission, having all the facts before you,
will decide the points ga At 5TsEe Justly Very
Commissary General of Subsistence.
The commission, after brief secret ses-
sion, decided for the present to make pub
lie only General Eagan's letter and not
the statement accompanying 1t.
General Charles Humphreys, who was
in charge of the water transportation at
Tampa for Santiago, and chief quarter
was with General Shafter prior to General
Miles arrival, was the main witness be-
fore the War Investigating Commission
to-day His testimony was not important.
Prior to his appearance Captain r. j.
C. Irvine, Eleventh Infantry commissary
on the Panama at the time that trans
port was in charge OIL 0uTSeOH LAZY, WHO
wrote a report on the beef, condemning
1t in the most sensational language, testi-
fled that the vessel sailed from Ponce on
September l or 2 and on the 7th there
was well marked odor as of something
that had been closed up" He was not
prepared to say that the odor was like
that emanating from dead human body
injected with chemical personalities, as
Surgeon Daily had reported. AS. soon as
complaint was made of the beef he said
it was examined and found to be very
odorous The beef was thrown overheard
The men were then put on the rest of the
rations, living without fresh beef