St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-23
HIT HIM AGAIN.
Mr.. Linden Kent Writes Caustic Let
ter to Gen. W. B. Hazen,
Exposing the Incompetence and Duplicity of
That Signal Fraud.

WASHINGTON, July 22.-Mr. Linden Kent,
counsel for Lieut.. Darlington before the
Proteus court of inquiry, has written letter
to Gen. W. b. Hazen, the chief signal officer,
which is in part as follows
''The world now knows that the sad fate of
the eighteen victims of Greey's party was
due to the failure to deposit proper guam
tity of stores at Cape Sabine. You say that
'the rations which Lieut.. Garing ton left at
Cape Sabine were in accordance with Lieut..
Greely's Instructions OF &, course
II more provisions had been left more lives
would have been saved.'' The legitimate in
ference drawn from this is that, while a few
stores left by Darlington saved the lives of
six OF Greely's party, the loss of the others
was due to his failure to leave larger sup
ply. Whose fault was it that there was not
sufficient deposit OF stores at Cape Sabine!
Ii Garlington's let him answer for it. If
not you would not wish that he should re-
main longer under such suspicion. In 1882
the Beebe expedition, under your instruc-
ton, was organized for the relief of Lieuten-
ant Greedy. 1t was transported north in the
sulp INeptuHe. LII dccOTuauce VIII ueT III
structions," derived from you, cache of
provisions was established upon Litteton Is
land, and another on Cape Sabine
of $50 rations each. The rest of
her stores were, by your order, brought back
to st. Johns and landed for future use.
There was every opportunity to establish
cache of 10000 .rations instead of $50 at
Cape Sabine, hs you SO directed. In your
testimony beforeEhe court of inquiry on the
18th of November, 1883, you approved of
Beebe's course in thus making the depots,
as in accordance with your instructions,
court on the goth of November, in relation
to the propriety of leaving stores at Cape
Sabine, you say, II have regretted very
much ever since, that such instructions were
not given, and that his supplies were not
all left at Cape Sabne.'' Surely it was
not Darlington s fault that the stores of the
Neptune were deposited at st. Johns instead
of Cape Sabine or Littleton Island, nor can
believe that it was Greeley's, as you sug-
gest in your memorandum of the 10Th inst.
referring to relief expedition under CARING
ton.
Kent reminds Hazen that under his in
structions Darlington had neither permits
sion nor orders to leave provisions at Cape
Sabine, and the court of inquiry justified his
course in not doing so. He also calls Ha-
zen's attention to the fact that he especially
emphasized the necessity of not permitting
Darlington to deposit any stores on the
northward journey, and continues:
You seem to be in doubt whether the re-
sponsibiity should be fixed upon Greedy or
Darlington. These facts recalled to your at
tention, think, viii release you of any
doubt as to where it should in fact rest. |
may add that the court took occasion to note
that from July, 1882, to August, 1888, not
less than so, 900 rations were taken in the
steamers Neptune, Yantic and Proteus up to
or beyond Littleton island, and yet of that
number 1000 only were left in that vicinity,
the remainder being returned to the United
States or sunk with the Proteus. This
was provisionxsmade under your instruc-
tions for Greely's arrival at Cape Sabin
Notwithstanding the fact that Lieut.. Greedy
himself, in letter addressed to you from
Lady Franklin bay, bearing date of Aug. IS,
1881, said 81 feel it proper here to state
that in my opinion retreat from here south
ward to Cope Sabin in case that no vessel
reaches us in 1882 or 1883, will be safe and
practicable Thus foreshadowing to you
his chief charged with his rekef, the very
course that he subsequently pursued with
such terrible results. If a strict obedience
to orders be the highest duty of a.soldier, to
let Darlington have the credit which the
court accorded him of having faithfully ex
ecuted yours, that regret over the fatal con-
sequences to him and his expedition in hay
ing done so may be in some degree assuaged
with the reflection that as a soldier he could
have done nothing else.
Pardon me if express my surprise at
your attempt, in your memorandum of the
10Th inst, to shift the responsibility of Gar
lingtons instructions from yourself to
Greedy. When the court says Darlington
carried out your orders you in substance
answer ''they were Greely's instructions, not
mine.n does il not occur to you that the
country may think if Greedy is to be respon
sible for the orders that issue from your high
office, he should also enjoy its emoluments
and dignities. Amid the expression of the
worlds admiration for the heroic conduct OF
Lieutenant Greedy and his courageous band,
the one word of reproof and criticism from
his chief will be an unexpected greeting to
him, emerging from an arctic night of suf-
fering and starvation. Very respectfully,
LINDEN KENT.