Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-01-18
EACAN COURT MARTIAL
President Mckinley Announces One
Will BE Held.
THAT REVISED STATEMENT.
Made Public by War Board, 1t II
Found to BE Greatly Changed
From Original One-Is
Thus Accepted.

Washington, Jan. 1S.-President Nc
kinley announced to the cabinet at It's
regular meeting that he had determin-
ed to court martial General Eagan.
Secretary Alger was not present at the
cabinet meeting, but was, with Adjutant
General Corbin, at the White House In
conference with the president on the
subject before the cabinet session.
Just prior to the cabinet meeting Gen.
eral Miles made a rather unusual call
upon two of the members of the cabi-
net, Secretaries Hay and Long. He had
just returned to the city from New
York, and when spoken to with refer
ence to the Eagan case adhered to his
original declaration that this was not a
time for him to act if at all, leaving
the implication that if the commission
or the administration did not act 1t
would then be time for him to take
some step.
The commissary general was on duty
as usual at his office, and business was
apparently going along in the usual
way, although it was noticed that there
were more callers upon General Eagan
of the official class-namely, officers OF
his own corps-than is usually the case
Prior to the cabinet meeting he said
that he was prepared to accept loyalty
whatever action the president might
decide to take.
The war investigating commission has
decided to make public the amended
statement filed by Commissary Cen
eral Pagan. The commission permitted
the representatives of the press to read
the statement, and 1t was formally an
n
General Eaean had eliminated all OBJ
jectionable statements, and therefore
the document would be accepted off,
cially by the commission as evidence.
Mainly Excisions.
AS already stated, the changes made
by General Eagan in the document are
mainly in the line of excelsior. yet the
phra scology has been also altered fire.
quently. He refers to General Miles as
"the senior major general, Nelson A.
Miles" and While keeping strictly with
in the line of proprety in the judgment
of the commission in a negative manner
at least he resents any assumption OF
General Miles superiority and asserts
that he is as good, as old and as expe-
rienced a soldier as General Miles, He
also criticses the latter's attack on the
beef industry as infamous 1t is be-
lieved that so far as the commission is
concerned the incident is now closed.
Another witness was heard in the
person of Colonel Gibson, the dstribu-
ting agent of the national relief commits
sion at Santiago. He testified that he
carried supplies to the sick there on the
Resolute. He had great difficulty in
landing these supplies owing to the con-
fusion. General Shafter had refused
him assistance, and it was with great
difficulty that he was able to hire
horses. He succeeded in this finally,
and with the assistance of General
Wheeler the supplies were carried in
land
Respecting the quality of the beef
furnished the troops, Colonel Gibson
said the canned corn beef was bad, I'M
fit for use and should not have been
issued 1t was repulsive in appearance,
stringy, and he himself had been unable
to eat it. The refrigerator beef was
likewise bad, being covered with a
green beard caused by exposure to the
suns rays. The commission then ad.
jOurncd.