The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-03-16
BEEF HAD MAGG0TS IN IT
RATIONS SERTED TO SOLDIERS
 UNFIT FOR FOOD.

Startling Testimony Taken To-day
 Before the Court of Inquiry-The
 Reef Was Spoiled Before 1t Was
 Placed in the Cans by the Packers
 Who Had Government Contracts.
 Chicago March 15.--The last witness
 called before the army beef court of in-
 He was an officer of the regular army,
 First Lieutenant M. F. Davis of the
 First cavalry, called at the request of
 Major Lee, the representative of General
 Miles, Lieutenant Davis testified that
 in Cuba one-half of the canned roast
 beef issued to the soldiers was thrown away because it was unfit to eat. He
 testified that he had opened one can himself and found maggots in it.
 Major Lee asked: How did the mag gots get in there?"
 ''They were canned in there," the wit ness replied.
 | Colonel Davis-"Are you aware that in the process of canning this meat un- dergoes such an intense heat that no animal life could survive?'
 T don't mean to say they were alive They were dead.'
 The board left for Omaha tonight. An inspection of the stock yards will be made at Omaha and Kansas City. At the latter place some evidence will be taken. The intention of the court is to return to Chicago by next Tuesday to proceed with the examinaton of wit nesses here The evidence brought forth to-day was largely cumulative in ist nature, mainly with reference to the condition of canned and refrigerated beef when issued to the troops on ship board and in Cuba, and its effect on the soldiers.
 Under cross examination Dr. Shaw told about being called out one night to look after the men of Company A, who were reported to have been pois- oned by eating canned roast beef. He said they vomited fearfully and 1t seem ed that hypodermic injections of mor- phine would hardly relieve the pain They were sick for some days with great deal of darrhoea and intestinal trouble.
 When the men ceased eating the canned roast beef, was there any inn provement?" asked Major Lee.
 Yes, the canned roast beef generally gave them diarrhoea and gastro-enter- itis"
 Did you in an official capacity recom- mend it's discontinuance?
 Yes, sir. to my immediate command err
 Did the commissary come around and find out how these things were?"
 He came around several times and told us it was all right I think it was Captain Piper. He told us it was all right and we would have to eat it. Sometimes we substituted what they called bacon, but great deal of that had maggots in it and had to be con- demned. If we had depended upon the army rations the troops would have starved to death. They spent all the money they got to buy things to eat, either at the commissary store or in the city"
 What was the brand on this canned roast beef?"
 T think it was Libby McNeill and Libby, I am not sure I tried to eat some of it but could not; it was abso- | lutely revolting."
 When the beef was eaten from cans did you order it emptied out of the can immediately"
 We tried to have it served immedi- ately, but under that intense hs at putre- fication would set in almost as soon as | the can was opened I think ptomaines were developed almost immediately af ter the opening of the cans"
 ITO what do you attribute the condi- tion of the bread?"
 "I think it was the bakers them- selves, perhaps the ovens; the natives took the same flour and made it into fair bread"
 The next witness was Colonel Fred Bennett, colonel of the Third Illinois vol unteers. He spoke of the voyage from Newport News to Porto Rico.
 "There were many complaints about the canned roast beef" he said. '"The about the canned roast beef was that it was nauseating. Specimens were brought to me and I found them very repulSlNe. IUe meat Ildu d ulSd- | 3reeable smell. l made frequent repre- sentations to General Grant about the canned roast beef, but he insisted that he trouble was lack of knowledge on he part of the cooks"
 In answer to General Gillespie, the witness stated that he did not eat any if the canned roast beef nor the refrig- rat tor beef He was not sick at all. He bought some canned bacon and fresh ish He noticed that the canned roast ,eef bore the label of Libby, McNeill md Libby. Major Joseph A. Sanborn of Chicago, major of the First Illinois, testified that he roast canned beef was unpalatable. Two issues out of three of the refriger- ted beef were in fine condition, but the hird was condemned because decompo- f ition had set in. The witness attrib- . ted the spelling of meat to the neglect f those charged with the duty of issu ng it.
 William H. Reploge testified that he I erved in the hospital corps at Porto ,ico and that canned roast beef was g requently served to the corps. He had cen three or four cans opened with a laggots running out of them. At iuamo he saw cooked fresh beef which | ad maggots in it, Witness told of the | cl.nece of one ThOmpson who had 1, e