The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-11

Cincinnati, May 1O-The Enquirer to-
: morrow will print the following inter-
view with Hon. III. r. Probasco, ex-
United States attorney here, a relative
of ex-Secretary Sherman, and recently
counsel for General Miles:
When the court convened, having
previously served General Miles as
counsel in other matters, L was asked
to go 10 Washington and confer with
him as regarding the proceedings be-
fore the court of inquiry. L was deter
mined that inasmuch as General Miles
was not in the attitude of one accused,
that il would be ill-advised to introduce
a lawyer, and Major ]. a. Lee was Sc
lected by General Miles to aid the court
and the recorder"
| Did you take any active part before
the court?''
My only connection with the case
was comforting with General Miles and
Major Lee regarding the summoning of
| witnesses and the examination of the
most important ones"
What is your opinion as to the report
OF the court of inquiry"
Verdict Amuses Him.
Il have not read the full report, but
| have seen the synopsis of it, L was
amused that three intelligent army of
| hcers sitting as a. court for weeks, and
| examining several hundred witnesses
| should have rendered such an illogical
and uncertain decision. The decision
amounts TO the court finding that the
| beef packers We're 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 20 his ears that this food
was bad.
Every witness condemned in I'M
| stinted terms the sO-cdlIed canned roast
I beef as an unfit ration The cher clerk
Of the commissary generals office testi-
fed that canned roast beef in 1873 was
| used as an experimental ration, and
was adversely reported on after a short
! trial. The court was evidently so well
! satisfied as to the proof of the truth of
! General Miles allegations as to canned
roast beef that when. shortly before
/ the testimony closed. they were asked
/ to subpoena. list of 134 additional wit
/ nesses, they declined to subpoena all
except ten, for the reason that the 124
| would give cumulative testimony only
| against the canned roast beef
What was the embalmed beef?"
Beef Was Embalmed
! Before bids were received by the
cOmmissary general, he was advised by
expert cattle and beef men that fresh
| beef would not hold up twenty-four
hours after delivery from the reIrIger-
| ator in the climate that prevailed in
/ Florida and the West Indies, and that
| the best course to pursue would be the
purchase of beef on the block, or beef
/ on the hoOf
| He told these gentlemen that the
parties who desired to furnish the beef
! had process which they said would
| enable them to deliver meat which
would keep sound and fresh for seven
ty-two hours after delivery from the re-
| frigerator. The day after the bids
We're opened, attorneys in Washington
addressed communication to the sec
rotary of war making the argument
that Notwithstanding their clients bid
was somewhat higher than the others.
that they ought to be awarded the con-
| tract, because of their ability to per-
| form their contract by means of the
Powell process for the preservation of
meat, which they controlled and which
had been satisfactorily tested under
the auspices of the government This
letter was referred by the secretary of
war to the commissary general for his
consideration, who returned it to the
secretary with his endorsement, in
which he said:
" These tests are not the only tests
which have been made leaving the
plain inference that the other bidders
also had processes for the preservation
of meat, which had been tested.
1t Was qualification.
This letter was returned by the sec
rotary of war. DR.. Days testimony
that he had found by chemical analysis
of meat furnished the soldiers that il
contained chemicals, was in no wise
contradicted. Three witnesses, Ser
geant Mason, Lieutenant Gampher and
DIR. Castle, testified that the agent at
Lakeland, Fla. had told them that they
had found it impossible to comply with
their contract to deliver fresh meat
which would remain sound and sweet
for seventy-twO hours after delivery
from the refrigerator without the
means of a chemical process. which pro-
cess was secret even to him. If the
court found. in the face of this testi-
mony. that no meat delivered was
chemically treated, it amounts almost
to qualification
Has there been any change in the
manner of supplying troops with fresh
meats since this criticism was first
made?"
Vindication For Miles.
Indeed there has. Cattle on the hoof
are now being delivered in Cuba
slaughtered on the island and delivered
to the troops the following day, and no
complaint has been made. Furthermore.
so-cailed roast beef was dropped as a
meat ration some time. think. during
last August or September all of which
shows that General Miles reference to
the method of supplying the troops with
meat was an experiment, was correct
and that his opinion that beef on the
block or on the hoof is the only suit
able fresh meat ration for troops, was
we'll founded"
rs there anything else in connection
with this matter2'
Yes, the great majority of the pa
pers and of the people, including the
president Il know this from a CONVEX
sation with him about three weeks
since), believe that General Miles would
not m lie a ct a lament CONCERNING .rr-