The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-05-11
MILES COUNSEL TALKS
W. Il. Probasco Discusses the Beef
Investigators Report.
IT'S ILLOGICAL AND UNCERTAIN.

and Rlamas seoratarv AIper ana Gem
.,., r.u,,. w.. o...u,.u ,,u..
A ' opp'SH ~
Cincinnati, May 1.-THE Enquirer
prints an interview with H. r. Probas-
co. ex-United States district attorney
here a relative NJ ex-senator Sherman.
and rocontIv o,nnsoI ,or nanorol MiIaa
",.,han ~. $50. ss.nsnsa ,a,,,rg
'., 'ne oo.'. n'en'. 20, s
previously se'Veo ueneral Miles 40
counsel IN otnef matters. ! was asked
TO go to washington and confer with
him regarding the proceedings before
the court of inquiry. It was deter
mined that, inasmuch as General Miles
was not in the attitude of one accused,
1t would be Ill advised to introduce
lawyer. ard Major J. M. Lee was Sc
lected by General Miles to aid the
court and the recorder.
Did you take any active part be-
fore the court?"
my only connection with the case
was comforting with General Miles ana
Major Lee regarding the summonlng
of witnesses and the examination OF
the most important ones"
What Is your opinion as to the re-
port OF the court of inquiry?
Il have not read the full report, put
have seen the synopsis OF 1t. l was
amused that three intelligent army
officers, sitting as court for weeks.
and examining several hundred wit
nesses, should have rendered such an
illogical and uncertain decision. The
decision amounts to the court finding
that the beef packers were saints sent
to our soldiers with mama from
Heaven, and that General Miles was
careless because he did not report the
first vague rumor which came to his
ears that this food was bad. Every
witness condemned in unstinted terms
the so-called canned roast beef as an
unit ration. The chief clerk of the
commissary generals Office testified
that canned roast beef in 1878 was an
unfit ration"
what about the embalmed beef?'
Before bids were received by the
commissary general he was advised
by EXPERT cattle and beef men that
fresh beef would not hold up "a hours
after delivery from the refrigerator
in the climate that prevailed in Flor
ida and the West Indies, and that the
best course to pursue would be the
purchase of beef on the hoof. He told
these gentlemen that the parties who
desired to furnish the fresh beef had
process which they said would enable
them TO deliver meat which would
keen sound and fresh for 70 hours af-
fer delivery from the refrigerator. The
dav after the bids were onened attor-
nevs In Washington addressed COM
municat;on To fhe secretary Of war.
mailing the argument that notwith-
standing their clients hid somewhat
hiober Than tho others thew ought To
he awarded the contracts because Of
their ability to nerform their contract
hv means of the Powell process for
The nreservation Of meat which thew
cont roiIod and which had heen SAT-
isfactorilv tested, under the auspices
of the government This letter was re-
fcrred Inv the secretary of war to the
conn m,assrv general for his considera-
tion who returned II to the secretary
with his endorsement in which he
said. .These testa arc not the only
testa which have heen made leaving
the Main Inference that the other bid
ders also had processes for the preser-
yation Of meat which had been tested,
"This letter was returned nv the Sec
retary Of war, Mr., Daly's testimony
that he had found bv chemical analy-
ais of meat furnished the soldiers that
n contained chemicals was in no wise
contradicted. Three witnesses, Ser
Reant Mason. Lieutenant Gampher and
DR., Castle, testified that the agent at
Lakeland, Fla, had told them that
they had found 1t impossible to COM
ply with their contract to deliver fresh
meat which would remain sound and
sweet for u hours after delivery from
the refrigerator without the means of
a chemical process, which process was
secret even to him. If the court