Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-03-03
CONFLICTING EVIDENCE.
Some Say Canned Beef Was Bad and Others
Contradict Their Stories.

several Interesting development IN the
beef court of inquiry, today. 1t was a
field day for the volunteer army Of
the service, the waiting room being
filed all day with members of the vari-
Gus volunteer regiments which served
in Cuba and Porto Rico. The first of
these. Clarence Walters of the LIST Vol
unteer Engineers, told sensational
story of hardship and inhumanity suf-
fered during his service. describing the
canned roast beef in harsher terms
than have ever been applied to that ar
ticle.
Later in the day, Lieut.. Sewell. U. S.
A., who was major in the volunteer
battalion in which Walters served, con-
tradicted his story completely, saying
there was no canned roast beef aboard
the transport which took the command
to Porto Rico. Further than that he
said Walters had come to him after
landing and asked to be discharged so
as to accept a position as a newspaper
correspondent. and. on being question
ed, said that he had been we'll treated
while in the service and had no COM
plant to make.
An important development was the
denial of the story by one James Far
nan and also attributed to DR.. Maxwell
Christine of Philadelphia. that they
had seen beef injected with chemicals
in the Omaha packing house. DR..
Christine explained that what he had
seen was the pickeling of corned meats.
the brine being injected into the meat
to save several weeks time in the
picking vat.
The question of counsel for Gen.
Miles before the court is still in abey-
ance. some correspondence having
passed between the general and the
court. but both sides decline to give
out the letters till 4 settlement is
reached Gen. Miles has not been ask
ed to be represented by counsel. pre-
sumably because that would put him
in the position of admitting himself on
trial by the court, which up to date
he has declined to admit. On the other
hand the court does not feel able under
the articles of war TO permit Maj. Lee
on any one else to crosS-questiOn wit
nesses until he can be recognized Of
fically as counsel for the defence. 1t
was stated that the matter would
probably be settled, tomorrow. The
court expects to start west, Tuesday or
VI ednesday Of next week.
Clarence Walters of the LIST Volun-
tecr Engineers of New York, was asked
what his experience with canned beef
had been on the voyage of his trans
port to Porto Rico. and replied that the
first can he saw opened had worms in
it and q few minutes after being OPEN
a,1l ax-olnnaI c,,nl, tt,.i1 cd no 7
was impossible to have it about. He
ate some of it and was made violently
sick The men of his company COM
rained of the meat and the commits
sary sergeant refused to accept it.
nearly all of the men of his battalion
were sick throughout most of the voy-
age as a result of eating this meat.
Col. Davis, the recorder. ordered a
can opened and asked witness if it
was the same he had used in the SER
vice. Witness said it bore no resem-
blance to the campaign article. After
reaching Porto Rico he was sick for a
week as a result Of the voyage.
Captain Herbert o. Hicks of Co. NJ.
% Mass. followed with an account of
the canned beef used by his command
in Cuba. His description of the meat
did not make it out quite so repulsive
as that served to Walters in Porto
Rico, but he said it was a Shiny,
ringy mass. nauseating to the taste,
without nutriment and without form
tnat could De recognized as meat eX-
cept by the melted fat with which it
was soaked.
Witness was shown several of the
cans on hand with the commission but
said thev were not the same that he
H., 49,:
Iad seen Ill service.
CAPT. Hicks said his command was all
sick. first and last but he did not at
tribute the general breakdown to the
food. but to the climate. Coming home
u,ith he con,mand thav l;yod On nranareI
sn,1ns houpht in Santiago with funds fur
nished Nv an Individual whom he was not
AT liberty to name. While STATIONED i'm
Santiago after the surrender and while
ca mncd outside Of town thew had refrir-
eratnr heef When If reached them early
ana was cooked PROMPTLY II was good,
otherwise if spoiled very soon.
Lieut. Geo. TAYLOR, late of the 9Th MAJ
sachusetts. who said he was n grocery
man before entering the service. said his
regiment served in Porto Rico. They had
very lille thai they could eat on the
trin down Thev sometimes hao haco'
hui no chance 10 cook ~ and had tn
throw il overheard. They had canned
roast beef which they could not eat and
had Frequently only canned tomatoes
ha rdtack and coffee
Asked if he Thought anA sickness in his
command was caused bv ihe food the men
had to eat, he replied: II think If was