The evening times., 1899-10-19
rHB ROW over SAMPSON
Ierseymen Now Protest Against
Giving Him a Sword.
Discovery That the Rear Admiral
Deprived the states Naval Reserve
of Credit for Their Services on
Santiago The Presentation Very
Likely to BE "a Political Affair.

CAMDEN, N. J., Oct. 19--Cn the 18th of
this month Rear Admiral Sampson viii, at
Trenton, n. j., receive a sword valued at
50 ,oO0. voted to him last winter by MEM
bers OF the Legislature As Simpsons
family resided in New Jersey at the time.
the taxpayers entered no objection, and
things were running smoothly enough
until it was learned that Sampson was the
one man who has secretly been fighting
against giving any recognition TO the MEM
bers of the New Jersey naval reserves, who
were OF Santiago when Cervera's fleet
tried to escape, and who manned the Res
olute when she notified Sampson (who was
ten miles away that the vessels under
Schley were annihilating the Spanish
ships.
The discovery that Sampson was doing
his level best TO turn down" some OF the
most reputable business and professional
men in the State, who left home and ey-
erything dear TO them TO fight for the flag,
was purely the result OF an accident On the
part of an inquisitiVe man, who, falling 10
find the Resolute on the official map en-
dorsed by Sampson, notified former OFF,
Ger OF that vessel. This led to a thor
ough investigation. with the startling dis
closure that Sampson, while processing TO
be the friend OF men whose fellow-citizens
were paying for a sword, was really guilty
of an attempt TO disgrace them.
The Resolute, il seems, was entitled TO
prize money for participating in the cap
ture OF the Adula in Guantanamo Bay, and
her captain forwarded his claim at once.
AS acting commander-in-c chief, il was
SIMPSONS duty TO send the same, if he
approved il, TO Washington. IL he did
forward it. the Navy Department has no
recollection of the occurrence. The result
was that lawyer was called in just in
time TO file an intervening petition with
the court now sitting in Savannah, Ga
Two prize lists resulting from the battle
of Santiago were forwarded by the captain
of the Resolute TO the Navy Department.
After many days much correspondence,
and, IL is alleged. several threats, the de-
partment acknowledged they could find
one copy, but no record of its transmits
sion had be9n kept. Was the hand OF
Sampson in this, too?
By refusing TO acknowledge that the Res
olute participated in the Santiago fight
Sampson has officially proclaimed that the
men who were really in the fray were not
there"
Peril of the ResoIute.
in this matter, a naval officer of high rank,
whose name, for obvious reasons, cannot
be revealed. said:
As a matter CT fact the Resolute was
exposed to infinitely greater peril in the
Santiago engagement than was the New
York. Loaded as she was with powder
and gun-cotton. if one of the Spanish shells
/. doh I II.
would undoubtedly have been blown up,
that Simpsons ship was at no time in
danger. as she did not arrive on the scene
until after the Spanish squadron had been
defeated Perhaps this is one of the rea-
sons for SIMPSONS attempt to disgrace the
men on the Resolute. Ii iss easy TO under
stand the humiliation which he would have
felt when he realized that a mere converted
merchant ship, largely manned by volun-
teers had played a more conspicuous part
in the battle of Santiago than his own
powerful cruiser, oiticered and manned
by naval veterans, with himself at their
head
As has already been said. there is MOTH
ing in SampGon's map of the Santiago fight
TO show rnaI such ship as the Resolute
ever existed. But there is another map,
tort it to suit personal ends, which indi-
cafes the position Of the Rcsolute very
plainly. This map was prepared by two
Spanish naval officers, and shows the DO
sltion OF the American vessels as seen by
them on board the CristoDai Colon, looking
out to sea. The Spanish map corresponds
with SIMPSONS, except that il tells the
truth about the Resolute
IL is unfortunate for Sampson also that
ships keep what are known as logs. for
tie log OF the Resolute still further di-
minishes SIMPSONS reputation for truth
and justice. The log of the Reso. .uts for
July 3, 1898. is plain, unemotionai rec
ord Of the ships experience during that
historic day, but il is an eloquent resuta-
tion of SIMPSONS statement that the Reso-
lutte and the New Jersey Naval Reserves
were not there"
When the Evacuation Commission went
TO Havana Sampson sailed on the Reso-
lutte, and during his sick spells a noted
New Jersey physician, who is a member
OF the Naval Reserves, and who served on
the Resolute. attended him. The doctor
also went ashore and examined the quar-
tiers Sampson intended 10 occupy. Yellow
fever was raging al the time but the ply
sician with a wife and children in New
Jersey went over the ground carefully to
see that the rear admiral's life would not
be placed in jeopardy. Sampson exp. essed
his appreciation OF the service, but at the
same time he was seeking TO infiict a most
cruel injustice upon the man who rendered
1t, by withholding from him and his fellow
Jerseymen the credit to which their work
in the war entitled them. Among the fifty
men sent by New Jersey to help man the
Resolute were several physicians, num-
Der of lawyers practicing at the Phiiade,-
.l.s -.
of departments in large Philadelphia
stores, bank clerks. and mechanics, who
lay down their tools to go to the front
Sampson's Cold Reply.
Several weeks ago number of inf1uen-
tial men approached Sampson and asked
him what his object was in robbing these
men of their regulations in conjunction
with the prize money that the vessel was of
no assistance, yet the fact remains that
she was commanded by captain in the
regular navy. and helped TO take on board
hundreds OF Spanish prisoners after the
American feet had sunk the enemy's feet.
Perhaps one OF his reasons for not wanting
10 recognize the Resolute can be found in
the fact that Sampson declares in his re-
port, and also in magazine articles that
when the Spanish ships came out he was
seven miles away, whereas he was fully
ten The log Of the Resolute also shows
that Sampson ordered that vessel TO at once
proceed TO Guantanamo thirty miles dis
tanD and notify the Massachusetts and
Marblehead TO start for the scene OF battle. |
slboney with telegraphic facilities, was |
only a short distance away when Sampson
gave that order.
BY telegraphing to Guantanamo the Mas |
sachusetts and Marblehead could have baen |
ordered 10 proceed to Santiago at once. but |
instead the Resolute was instructed hv |