The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-03
He Tells About the Shoot
ing on the Boat.

Boston, Nov. 2.-At the continued
hearing of the board of inquiry, inves-
tigating the conduct CT Lieut. jeremiah
G. Fennessey, quartermaster OF the
Ninth regiment, Z. S. ", in Cuba, to-
day, Sergeant O'Connor was recalled
and produced list of 55 names, who
were on board tho Harvard July 1 to
July S.
In the course of the examination, it
was learned that So men were detailed
and the remainder were termed skull
kers.' Private John f. Reynolds, com
pany o, Fifth regiment, of the detail on
the Harvard, testified that he l-new of
no neglect of duty or cowardice on the
part of the quartermaster. Harry At
wood testified that Lieut.. Desmond was
a personal friend; had received letters
from him. The letter which was pub
lished was not authorized by Des-
mond
A number of letters were read to the
court by Judge Dewey One from C.
,. cotton, captain, L. 5. N, and in COM
mand of the Harvard, and Secretary
Long, We're in part as follows.
In referring to your personal letter
dated the 9Th instant to me, and which
received on the evening of the 18th
inst, in relation to the attacks upon
Lieut.. Fennessey of the Ninth Massa-
chusetts charging him with cowardice
and with having been lacking in duty.
remaining on board the Harvard from
July l to last
I beg leave to transmit herewith
under cover to you letter which will.
| none. n
sey from the grouudless and unjust
imputauons upon his character. and it
gives me pleasure to be able to bear
testimony to the efficient manner in
Whlch that officer performed all of his
duties while on board the Harvard"
A letter from Capt. Cotton 10 Lieut..
fennessey was then read. IN part it
was as follows:
IL gives me pleasure to bear testimo
ny TO the faet that from the time the
prisoners from CeRveras fleet were
brought on board the Harvard to the
GATE OF your departure from that ship.
you performed your duty as officer of
the guard in charge of the large nurn-
Der of prisoners of war on board. be-
ing associated with important and del
lcate duty with Lieut.. Roach, 34th Mi
| chlgan, and Lieut.. Hine, o. S. M. c.,
the commanding officer of the marine
guard of the Harvard, in a manner to
meet my hearty approval and com
mendation"
Lieut.. jeremiah G. Fennessey was
then called to testify in his own be-
half. He said: THE men left Boston
for birmingham May IA, went to Camp
Alger, Virginia, and arrived off Sib-
| oney July l at 9 a. m. / received verbal
| orders from Col. Began and the ad-
| Jutant to remain on board the Harvard
until all the stores had been put ashore.
A detail of five men from each compa-
/ ny was ordered to remain with the
men, three to get the stores off the YES
| sci and two to receive the stores on
! shore.
From that date of the Sth of July I
received no order whatever from any
| officer except from Captain Cotton and
Lieut.. bunker of the Harvard
When the men of the 9Th were leav-
ing the vessel they adj took their blank
| ct rolls and accoutrements with them.
| On July 2 we worked removing the
| stores. On the Sd the work was sus-
| pended because of the attempted es-
cape of the Spanish fleet"
Continuing, the witness then gave a
| detailed account of his work in trying
to secure the stores from the Harvard
to the camp, From July rs to August
| % witness went IA times to Santiago in
| search of transportation. Said he: Il
| left nothing undone to get the property
| up to the regiment. The commanding
officer of the regiment never called me
to account for any action of mine, and
| [ have never been reprimanded, cen
sured or reproved, directly or indirect
| ly in any capacity, during all my con-
nection with a military organization. "
! In answer to a query as to the out
| break among the prisoners, and as to
what he was doing at the time, the
witness said Il was asleep in my
stateroom, No. II, amidships, on the
port side. I was officer or the day
each day from a. m. to 5 p. m. This
night / went to bed at 1910, and al
| 11.40 heard a shot and screaming.
jumped out of bed instantly, took my
revolver and rushed out on deck in my
night shirt, and without my shoes.
| saw some of the men with their rifles
| raised toward the afterpart of the ship
/ and / said Boys, or men-I don't re-
member which--'for Gods sake don't
| shoot your comrades I stood in front
| of the rifles, and then went toward the
| prisoners. A couple of shots came out
of the armory, one of them piercing the
wall of the arInory. I put my head
through the window and ordered then
to lower their rifles and stop firing
This was on the port side and nobody
was killed or wounded on that side
The Spaniards were killed on the star
| board side. Captain Cotton came or
deck, and we investigated the shooting
| remaining on deck till 2 o'clock, anC
for an hour without my boots or trou-
sers."
With regard to the testimony of Pri.
vate Mahoney yesterday, in front o.
| Colonel Bogan's tent, witness said
"Adjutant Kelley, and, l think, Sur
| geon Shea, came to Colonel Began.
tent and told us that somebody hai
| written to Boston for the purpose Of
| running me. ] said, My God, why ruiz
! me and disgrace my wife and children?
I! Colonel Began said: Don't pay any
| attention to it, The boys are sore ant
sick up there, but you are doing tn,
| best you can"
In answer to the query if witness
used the term murder" in describing
the shooting of the Spanish prisoners
on the Harvard, he said, mo; to the
best Of my recollection never had
word of conversation with Major Muir
| tween Captain Murray and myself
have been unfriendly for six years past
and never considered Lieutenant Des
mond a friend of mine. I reported
Desmond to Colonel Began and Lieu
tenant Colonel Logan for not perform
ing his duties in proper way in Cam
| Alger, and again on the way to Cuba
and believe he knew of it."
Adjutant Joseph H. Kelly recalled
corroborated Lieutenant Fennessey a.
to the conversation with Colonel Boga1
about the letters having been writer
| home about Lieutenant Fennessey'i
| performance of his duty. It was DR.
Shea wo told the witness about tn,
/ !