Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-06-01
New York SUMS Charge Against
SchIey,
PHILADELPHIA Times.l

The New York Sun has repeatedly pub
lshed and accredited what it should know
to be a most malicious scandal against
Admiral schley relating to the movement
of his vessel in the battle Of Santiago.
When the Spanish feet came out Of the
harbOr and turned westward. Commodore
Schley and his flagship. the Brooklyn,
were at the western end OF our fleet ano
nearest shore, and he rushed Immediately
toward the harbor, while the other YES
sells made their rush from their different
standpoints to engage the enemy
In a little while the Brooklyn masked
the fire of one or two of his own vessels,
and he was compelled to act upon the
instant to turn his vessel seward AS
he could turn in nearly half the space
by moving from the Spanish fleet dis
lance of a few hundred yards that still
| left him i'm very short range OF the whole
Spanish squadron, he made the movement
with the utmost CELEBRITY, and without
ceasing his fire upon the enemy for
moment
This movement Of Commodore Schley
| that FASTENED the destruction of the Span
! ish feet. has been criticised most malig-
nanty as an act OF cowardice, and the
New York sun has repeatedly published
the following as the conversation be-
tween Schley and Hodgson when the or
der was given TO turn his vessel:
Schley-Hard a-port
Hodgson-You mean starboard?
Schey-No, l don't. We are near
enough to them 0he Spaniards) already.
Hodgson-But We will cut down the
! Texas.
Schey-D-n the Texas. Let her look
out for herself.
The conversation before quoted from
the New York Sun OF yesterday, where
IL has frequently appeared, never took
place. No such remark was made by
| Hodgson, no such answer was made by
Schley, and It has been published and re-
published without a single responsible au-
thor. 1t is simply an invention of malice
and fortunately. we are not left TO con-
lecture as to the falsity of the report.
| The one person who was close by the
side of Commodore Schley from the be-
| ginning to the close of the Santiago bat
| tie is George Edward Graham, who rep
resented the Associated Press, and who
was the only civilian on the vessel during
the battle. In a quite recent interview,
Mr.. Graham refers to this malicious false
hood. and oontradicts it in the most posi-
tive terms. He says:
The conversation accredited to Schley
/ Oll lIit bllQ5t VI Al4t plOOhlyu, III
! he is made 10 say: Let the Texas take
| care OF herself" never took place. / was
| at his side continually and an indication
Of his bravery and thoughtfulness can be
obtained from his message to Captain
| Cook during the hottest part OF the fight:
, Keep the men below informed of every
advantage. 1t will cheer them up"
To those who criticise Schley's turn on
the ground Of cOwardice, l commend the
statement of Captain Eulate, of the Viz
caya: IF the Brooklyn had not made
that beautiful manoeuvre in turning,
could have rammed and sunk her"
To those who criticise upon the ground
that the Texas was stopped for minute
or so, let me say that a little later the
Oregon crossed the bow of the Texas and
BANKED her fire for ten minutes, but
certainly no none will say that the Ore
gon, in view of her splendid fight and
chase. was not justified,s
The New York Sun has reputation to
lose. and in no way has It strained its
reputation so severely as by its persis-
tent, malignant, and often false attacks
upon Admiral Schley and General Miles.
1t could readily attain the truth as TO the
scandalous remarks imputed to Commo-
dore Schley when he turned his vessel at
Santiago. but the truth would not serve
its purpose, and it seems determined to
persist in misrepresenting the one man
whom the people, almost as with one
voice, honor and cheer as the hero of
Santiago.