The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-21

~. The President also directs special In
Nestgation be made to determine II the beef
good quality and sufficient quantity, and to
inquire with care into the allegation that
Il was treated with acids or chemicals by
made deleterious to the health Of the con-
sumers. If there was bad meat issued to
the troops the responsibility for it must be
fixed with a view to further action"
NEWSPAPER INTERVIEWS.
The court was then sworn and Major
General Nelson A Miles was presented as
the first witness. He appeared in fatigue uni
form and was sworn. After stating his rank
and office he was asked about his statement
before the war commission. He said he made
one and on Colonel Davis submitting a
printed report Of that statement, General
Miles examined and approved it. Then he
was asked about an alleged interview which
appeared in the New York Journal of Dec.
%. whether it represented completely or in
part what he said. Gen. Miles read it and
said: Il do not recall anything in that inter
view that had not been given in my testi-
mony. or transmitted in my reports. You
viii observe it contains a number of my
destinations 10 name officers or my author
tiles and refusals to answer. 1t must, there
fore, be Incorrect in its representation"
General Miles then commented on the gen.
eTal slight inaccuracy of newspaper inter-
views owing to the dependency Of writers
on their memories. Hardly a day in six
months had passed that an interviewer had
not applied and because Of the kindness of
the press to the army and especially the
enlisted men, he had endeavored to give
them such as he thought wise
and safe, but never, he said, with a view
to prejudicing any one against any person
or department. Finally General Miles said
he did not think the Journal interview rep
resented correctly what was said, because
It's contents should be taken in connection
with all that was said. his silence upon
some points and speech on others.
Then, being asked about an interview
from the New York Herald of Feb. /, he
said: Il have a letter from the gentleman
who, l understand, wrote this, in which he
says he Is willing to swear that | declined
to be interviewed and that, thinking some
thing had been given out, he had proceeded
to write what he knew were the facts"
He then pointed out that the interview was
erroneous, in that where 1t represented him
to have said that he had overwhelming evil
dence that the refrigerated beef was treated
with chemicals, the fact was that his only
evidence was what was contained i'm the re-
ports of officers and statements Of men who
claimed that the beef had the odor of an
embalmed body; that they had seen huld IN
Jected into beef, and other indications OF
chemical treatment. He declared the inter
view an erroneous presentation OF what he
could possibly have said.
GOOD BEEF IN PORTO RICO.
Col. Davis, referring to the statement of
Gen. Miles before the war committee. asked
him what his idea as to the beef supply for
the army was when war broke out. Reply
ing, Gen Miles said while his attention was
occupied with weighter matters of mobiliza-
ton and equipment of troops. he felt conf
dent that the usage of a hundred years
would be followed and cattle herds would
be shipped to the army in the tropics and
killed there, just as they had been through
A. C.,4L I,.f.. a. ogtrtI ~-o- ~ A-i7oro
Texas and in Mexico, where it was so hot
that a soldier could not sit upon the rocks.
He understood Cuba and Porto Rico were
excellent grass countries and cattle could
be shipped and kept in prime condition. He
reviewed his action in cabling the depart
ment to send no more refrigerated beef to
Porto Rico while he was there, finding 1t
possible to use beef on hoof. General Miles
said that he understood that our troops in
Porto Rico were still being supplied with
country was as good a grass country as
any in the world and the cattle there We're
plenty and the Spanish troops drew all
their meat supply from this source.
Colonel Davis asked if General Miles knew
whether Porto Rico exported any cattle.
Witness said it did to the number of sew
eral thousand and that they were fine cat
tie. Still, he understood that our troops
were not only receiving refrigerator beef at
the coast, but it was being sent INTO the IN
terror. The situation now, he said, was diff
ferent from that during the war. Now there
were ice machines on shore. Then there was
not ice enough for the hospitals.
Recurring to the expediency of feeding the
troops hoof beef in Porto Rico General
Miles said he was much in favor of It. He
said native beef killed at night could
very well be fed to the men the next day:
do you think" continued Colonel Davis,
shat the native beef would keep as well
as the refrigerator beef, in the absence OF
cooling apparatus on ShOreg'
Il am quite sure it would, unless the re-
frigerator beef was chemically treated with
conservatives. If it was treated so as to
keep for ~seventy-two hours after coming
out of the coolers, of course ii had the adj
vantage of the native beef-so far as keep
ing goes"
fore he advised the department against
sending more refrigerator beef, General
Miles said he had learned of the large sup
ply of native cattle soon after landing and
advised the War Department the next day
after getting ashore.
CANNED ROAST BEEF.
Referring to the canned roast beef, as
distinguished from the refrigerator beef,
Colonel Davis read a portion of General
Miles's war commission testimony con-
demning it in severe terms. General Miles
said the canned roast beef was issued to
volunteers n regular troops alike on the
transports and in Cuba till the arrival Of
the refrigerator beef. It was fully tested by
both the regulars and volunteers. The first
complaints of it. General Miles said, he
heard at Tampa from some of the Rough