Show I BEE WAS t ALL RGHT Soldiers Who Made Complaints Had Disordered Livers Lvers + MAJOR OSGOODS STORY + C02OIISSAJ3Y OFFICERS DEFEND THEIR CANNED REFUSE + General Eagan Says the Boast Beef Was a Incidental and All Officers Of-ficers Pronounced It Good Why He Used Refrigerated Beef Colonel Western Testifies 4 + Washington Feb 23The testimony of Colonel J F Weston who was at the breaking out of war assistant commissary com-missary general and now is the successor succes-sor of General Eagan together with the appearance of General Eagan was the feature of todays proceedings of the court of inquiry investigating the charges of General Miles as to the beef supplied to the army while In Cuba and in Porto Rico Each contended that the roast beef was a wholesome and nutritous compo and took issue nent of the army ration ad tok it Regarding with those who have criticised i I garding the refrigerated beef the testi I mony of today tended to show that it was satisfactory General Eagan took Issue with General I Gen-eral Miles in regard to the beef on the hoof being the best supply of fresh beef to the army Insisting that such source was Impracticable in Cuba and especially espec-ially undesirable In any country where the animal heat in the beef could not disappear before cooking Colonel J F Weston who was General Gen-eral Shatters head of commissary in the Santiago campaign and succeeded General Eagan a commissary general the whole of the army testified that subject of fresh beef was considered thoroughly in Washington prior to the army going to Cuba and the conclusion reached that canned roast beef was the best thing obtainable He was then and is still of the opinion that next to refrigerated beef and beef on the hoof canned roast beet Is the best meat supply sup-ply 1 Conditions In the Santiago campaign made refrigerated beef and live cattle I impossible Under Cuban trying heat j canned beef became uninviting in appearance i ap-pearance but remained very palatable I in stews The complaints he attributed i to the fact that the men were run down 1 by the time they reached Santiago I and were kept up by excitement When the campaign ended the excitement relaxed re-laxed and they went to pieces I ARMOURS EXPERIMENT Speaking of the Ponce preservative I process experiment Colonel Weston said the commissary department had it nothing whatever officially to do with I Mr Edwards he said representing Armour Co came to him and said I some beef was coming that would be treated and he asked witness if he would not put it on ship and see how I long it would keep The beef arrived and witness asked I Powell what had I been doheto the beef and the latter rhinbefnj Joew tf I replied that nothing Injurious was In I the treatment he had furnished beef I for years to Florida hotels and he believed be-lieved the beef in question would keep seventy two hours and if so and the government would contract the full process would be explained Six or seven quarters were taken and put on the ships Some was in canvas and some not The former held out seventy odd hours while the uncanvassed beef I went up pretty quickly I I Colonel Weston declares emphatically that the government had no connection i with the experiment i Canned roast beef in Cuba was not spoiled but the heat made It uninviting uninvit-ing In appearance However It was wholesome and excellent for stew purposes pur-poses Replying to Colonel Glllespie witness wit-ness said he did not know whether any I beef furnished the army had been treated treat-ed chemically TIED HOOF BEEF I Major Henry Osgood acting as assistant assist-ant commissary general prior to the outbreak out-break of the war and subsequently assigned I I signed to uuty with General Miles and I I who went to Santiago early In August where he looked after the issue of beef I said he had to use some beef on the hoof but it never became firm and did not I compare favorably at all with the refrigerated refrig-erated beef nor did I give such satisfaction erte I gve tion Major Osgood said he formerly favored a beef on tho hoof supply for the II army In Cuba but he was forced to take water on that after seeing the use of refrigerated I re-frigerated beef I I Responding to General Davis witness declared his opinion that many of the I claims of officers that refrigerated beef I I was spoiled were false The beef he said I I often appeared offensive when merely viewed whereas If a knife was used to cut off the outside the best beef you could find anywhere would be found Snap judgment was taken often on that I beef the witness declared Speaking of the men and their complaints com-plaints he said All their livers were out of whack I estimate that 9 percent I per-cent of them had enlarged livers and they were ready to complain at everything OfeoR h imv W Ice I wanted to be fed all the time t delicacies delica-cies I Captain G L Scott Sixth infantry served in Porto Rico and declared the native beef was unsatisfactory while the refrigerated beef was highly pleasing EAGAN TESTIFIES I was nearly 4 oclock when Former Commissar General Eagan who had arrived ar-rived from New York was presented to the court Proceeding In response to questions he said that in Introducing canned roast beef it was the Intention to use It as an I Incidental so that the men could take It or not as they liked The first complaint about this beef came from Captain Philip Reed of the commissary department witness Wit-ness was surprised and at once ordered all officers who had this beef to examine and report The responses endorsed the beef General Earns said that when the war came there were three plans for a fresh beef supply refrigerated beef beef on the hoof to be furnished by contractors and for tho government to own its own herds all his experience taught him the unde slrablllty > f the government owning Its own herd Refr S ra ed beef he considered first choice and when the beef concerns offered It and guaranteed its preservation he accented I Without concluding the hearing of General Gen-eral Eagans testimony the court adjourned ad-journed until tomorrow morning |