Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-01-13
frigerator steamers, and of good quail
ity.
AIMED AT MAJOR GENERAL MILES.
Most Extraordinary Statements Ever Made
Before Such a Body.

before Sucn a ISOdy.
Washington, Jan. 13. - Commissary
General Charles P. Eagan yesterday re-
appeared before the war investigating
commission to answer the charges of
General Nelson A Miles concerning the
commissary supplies furnished the
army during the recent war. General
Eagan'S statement furnished the sensa-
tion of the war commission history, and
was regarded by old army officers as
enc of the most remarkable attacks ever
made in the history of the service. Gen.
eral Eagan's statement to the commits
sion was a bitter personal attack upon
General Miles. so entirely unqualified
as to scope and language that the war
commission on hearing it's conclusion
ordered a brief executive session. after
which the doors were reopened. the wit
ness was recalled and business resumed
In the usual way. The subject in con-
troversy was General Miles already
famous "embalmed beef" testimony,
and the letters and documents support
ing il. General Miles had charged that
the canned and refrigerated meats sent
to the amy in Cuba and Porto Rico were
unfit for use. that they We're preserved
by the use of chemicals and that they
had been bought and sent to the army
under Dretense OF an experiment"
Commissary General Was Ansered.
This reflection upon both the ability
and honesty of the commissary depart
ment had angered General Eagan and
caused him to request to be recalled to
reply to General Miles charges. That his
statements concerning the commanding
general were not the result of a sudden
outburst Of passion was clearly shown
by the fact that General Eagan read his
remarks from a carefully prepared type
written copy. And here are some of the
most vigorous statements: General
Miles was asked by your committee how
timed fresh beef became a part of the
army ration. His ansewer is: You haG
better ask the secretary of war or the
commissary general. L think they can
tell you. know it was sent to the army
as food. and the pretense is that it was
sent as an experiment. This
is a serious charge; should not be made
by any man lightly nor without evil
dence to support il. / answer
that it was not furnished under the pre-.
tense OF experiment, nor even as an
experiment.
Red Hot in Denunciation.
when General Miles charges that Il
was furnished as 'pretense of expert
ment' he lies in his throat, he lies in
his heart. he lies in every hair OF his
head and every pore of his body; he lies
willfully, deliberately, intentionally and
In denouncing
Generols Miles as a liar when he makes
this statement 1 wish to make it as EN-
phatic and as coarse as the statement
itself I wish to force the lie back into
his throat covered with the contents of
a camp latrine. wish to brand IL as
falsehood of whole cloth, without a par
ticle of truth to sustain it. and unless
he can prove his statement he should
be driven out of the clubs. barred from
the society of decent people and so os-
tracised that the street bootblack would
not condescend to speak to him; for he
has fouled his own nest. he has aspersed
the honor of a brother officer without
particle of evidence or fact 10 sustain i'll
any degree his scandalous. libelous, ma
licious falsehoods, viz: that this beef or
anything whatever was furnished the
army under 'pretense OF experiment.
Another statement of General Eagan
was that either he or General Miles
should be drummed out of the army.