The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-01
DONS WRECKED THE SHIP
THE HAVAL COURT FORCED TO COME
TO THAT CONCL USiON
No'hihg 10 Show There Was an In
tern.I Explosion, Says One of the
officers Who Was on the stand
at Key West-Proceedinu of
the Court.


officers Who Was on the stand
at Key Neutrality-suspicious. os
the Court.
KEY WEST, Feb. 2S.-Tbe naval
court, investigating the disaster which
wrecked the Maine, held it's first ses-
sion here today. Several officers and
IeW OF the men who survived the
explosion were on the stand. AS usual
no details of the testimony were made
public.
After the court room was cleared for
the day Capt. Sampson held a short
interview with Rear Admiral Sicard.
and then returned to the Iowa Cant
chadwick and Lieut.. Commander Pot
ter were taken on board the New York.
Few know more than was known this
morning. An officer of the Maine,
however, who had been examined by
the court during the day, talked at
| length with the correspondent of the
Associated Press
II can't tell YOU" he said, what line
OF questioning was adopted, but the
court will find. L believe, that the
Maine was blown up by design. though
| don't think it will be able to ascer-
tam exactly how. The courts findings
! VIII be based on negative rather than
| positive evidence
/ BY this, 1 mean that all of the
! testimony heard so far has, bit by bit
upset the theories of those who think
| the explosion was of internal origin
This negative evidence is so strong and
SO general that I see no possibility Of
the court deciding that the explosion
| was internal
THE only alternative then left for
| the court is to fall back on evidence
which points to the intentional blowing
| up OF the Maine. This, l think, will
! be done, unless the court formulates a
theory of its own or declares that IL
| does not know how the disaster occur
red, both of which conjectures l think
| improbable"
Possible Prejudice.
AS bearing on the value of the opin-
lon Of the officer in question, it must
be borne In mind that he was before
the court for about fifteen minutes
only, and that he has at all times ex-
| pressed himself as confident that the
explosion was not due to an accident,
Members Of the court, when the sub
stance of the interview was brought to
their attention, declined to have any
thing to say. All the high naval and
military officers here, when asked cru
cial questions, politely profess ignor-
ance.
AN 4ie@' Gil SOui It's StSS4OHS
this morning. The first witness called
was Lieut.. John Blandin, the officer
| who was on watch when the explosion
occurred. He was on the stand for an
| hour. The naval officers sat in Judge
Locke's private chambers. No marines
were on guard, but all the doors were
| closed. The officers of the Maine
| loUnged around the big court room un-
| til Snnlmnnp6 ciNa.
| who were called as witnesses before
| the luncheon recess were Lieutenants
| Blandin, Hood, Jungen and Blow, and
! Cadets Bronson and Boyd. No enlisted
men We're examined at the morning
| session.
The court Of inquiry reconvened at
O'Clock this afternoon. Lieut.. Hol-
man, who testified at Havana, was
again called. Lieutenant of Marines
! Catlin gave his evidence quickly, and
! was followed by Boatswain Larkin,
| Gunner Hill and Carpenter Holmes.
time of the explosion and could tell lit
| tie of value.
AT $40 the court adjourned until to-
morrow morning at 10.
Judge Advocate Mark said: THE
stenographers have all they can trans
crtbe in record form, and there is no
use of our working longer today"
|
! could be done with a witness when no
! longer of service to the court, he said
| no decision has been reached on that
point, but one would be shortly.
Capt. Sampson seemed satisfied with
the days work, but said nothing could
| be given out.
All the Names dead that remain un-
| buried will be laid at rest in Key West.
Orders to this effect were received from
the navy department yesterday, and
! the coast survey boat Bache will bring
| here any bodies found. Fifty coffins
have been ordered from Key West un-
| dertakers.
The navy departments order is said
| to have been issued under the pressure
| of public sentiment against burying the
remains of the sailors on Spanish soil.
| Stir at Key West.
| Orders were issued this morning at
the army barracks prohibiting enlist
ed men from leaving the reservation
without special permit. The order was
rescinded this afternoon. No eXplana-
| ton has been furnished, and there
| seems to be some mystification at this
alleged unprecedented occurrence. 1t
| appears that the order not only forbade
| the enlisted men from leaving the roser-
| vation, but it confined them to their
| quarters.
| At the regular muster and inspection
| held early in the day, particular at
tention was bestowed by the post COM
| mander on the mems marching kits.
| Those officers and civilians here who
| believed the reports from Havana say
| ing that the court had already decided
that the loss of the Maine was due to
| treachery have apparently changed
| their minds, for today the universal
| question is What has the court found
| out?" while last week one heard all
| around: when will war be declared?"
Brought face to face to the court,
| men realize for the first time how un-
| likely it will be for the court to allow
] any inkling of its conclusions 10 be
| known out of due season.
An unusual hustle pervaded this town
| today. The torpedo boat Gushing went
| over to the New York and brought to
| shore Captains Sampson and Chadwick
| and Lieutenant Commander Porter.
| Lieutenant Commander Mark, the
| judge advocate. who is staying on the
island with Conimandant Forsythe, was
already at the federal building directing
the preparations for the sessions of the