The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-24
CHARGES AGAINST EAGAN.
Specifications Upon Which The Court
martial Will Act.


| Washington, Jan. 23-The charges.
| and specifications upon which Commits
| sary General Eagan is to be tried this
week, have been given to the press.
| The charges and specifications are as
| follsw:
Charge /. Conduct unbecoming an
| officer and a gentleman.
Specification: In that Brigadier
Charles P Eagan, commissary general
of subsistence, u. S. A., did, while tes-
tifYing as witness before the commits
tee appointed by the president to in
vestigate the conduct of the war de-
partment in the war with Spain, submit
submit and read as a part of his tes-
timony a certain written statement in
which he did make use of and thereby
publish the following disgraceful, gross
ly insulting and ungentlemanly IAN
guage with reference to Major General
Nelson A. Miles, commanding the army,
namely: If, and when General Miles
charges that it (meaning timed fresh
beef was furnished as a pretense of
experiment. he lies in his throat he
lies in his heart. he lies in every hair
of his head and in every pore of his
body, he lies wilfully, deliberately, IN
tentionally and maliciously.
In denouncing General Miles as a liar
when he makes this statement: I wish
to make it as emphatic and as coarse
the lie back into his throat covered
with the contents of a camp latrine.
This, at Washington, D. c., January
IL. 1899.
Charge 9 Conduct to the prejudice
of good order and military discipline.
Specification: In that Brigadier
General Charles p. Eagan, commissary
general of subsistence, L. S. A., did.
| while testifying as a witness before the
| commission appointed by the president
| to investigate the conduct of the war
| department in the war With Spain, sub
| NIT and read, as a part of his testi-
| mony, certain written statements, in
| which he did make use of and thereby
| publish the following grossly abusive
and unmilitary language with refer
ence to the major general commanding
| the army. namely: If, and when Cen
eral Miles charges that it (meaning
| timed fresh beef was furnished as a
| ''pretense of experiment. 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 Wilfully, deliberate
ly, Intentionally and maliciously. If his
statement is true that this was furnish
ed under 'preteEse of an experiment."
then l should be drummed out of the
army and incarcerated in state prison.
If this statement is false, as | assert
it to, be, then he should be drummed
out of the service and incarcerated in
prison with other libelers His state
ment is a scandalous libel, rejecting
upon the honor of every officer in the
department who has contracted for or
purchased this meat. and especially and
particularly on the Commissary general
| myself | wish to make it as emphatic
| and as coarse as the statement ITSELF
| I wish to force the lie back into his
| throat covered with the contents of q,
camp latrine. | wish to brand it as a
| falsehood of whole cloth, without par
| he can prove his statement he should
| be denounced by every honest man,
| barred from the clubs, barred from the
| society of decent people, and so ostra-
| cised that the street bootblacks would
| rot condeScend to speak to him. for he
| has foued his own nest he has aspersad
| the honor of brother officer without a
| particle of evidence or fact to sustain
| in any degree his scandalous, libelous,
| malicious falsehood. viz, that this beef
| or anything whatever was furnished the
army under pretense of experiment.
This at Washington, D. c., Jan. II,
| 1S99''
The precise nature of General Eagan's
| plea to these charges and specifications
has not yet been determined upon So
far as the charges are concerned Ii is
| understood that General Eagan will not
plead guilty to either of them. A strong
legal contest is looked for in the pro-
ceedings before the court martial