The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1899-07-21
THE HEROES LONELY AccUsER.

Schley, ana 1ts long continued solitude
seems to have made it SO hysterical and
garrulous that it now requires four
column editorial to rehash what it has
twenty or thirty times done much bet
ter in quarter the space. The Philadel-
phia Times says of the Sun:
Its several accusations against Rear
Admiral Schley which it threshed over
in a recent issue through four disjointed
columns may be nutshelled about as fol-
lows
l. That Schley had a conversation
with a subaltern during the Santiago
battle that indicated incompetency and
cowardice.
2. That the sudden turn of his vessel
at the critical period of the Santiago
battle was an attempted retreat from
the enemy and endangered the safety of
his own fleet.
8. That Sampson commanded in the
battle and that Schley is entitled to no
credit as commander of the squadron.
Commenting the Times says: Let us
subject this four-column repetition of
luO Gun D unJlASI ACCUSATIONS n6hihSI
Schley to the compress of truth
l. The conversation reported in the
Sun as having taken place between Com
modore Schley and Navigator Hodgson,
never occurred with any such meaning,
if it occurred at all, as that persistently
attached to it by the New York Sun.
Commodore Schley was on the bridge
outside the coming tower where he
could see the movements of every vessel
of both fleets. Immediately about him,
and within hearing, were Captain Cook,
Flag Lieutenant Seers, Boatswain Hill,
Navigator Hodgson, Mr., Graham, repre-
senting the Associated Press and Yeo-
man Ellis who was killed hard by the
side of Schley. Three of the men pres
ent. Schley, Hodgson and Graham, have
made public denial that such converse
ton occurred, and Captain Cook, Flag
Lieutenant Seers and Boatswain Hill,
all subject to naval orders, have not
been called upon to give their state
ments
The only remote semblance of truth
the SIN has to depend upon is the origin
al statement of Lieutenant Heilner, who
was not present, and the statements of
Heilner and Hodgson when summoned
by the Navy Department before Captain
Chadwick for examination on the SUBJ
ject. Chadwick was the commander of
SIMPSONS vessel and is interested in
manufacturing the theory that Sampson
and Chadwick were in the battle when
at no time were they even near it. Had
the Sun and the Navy Department de-
sired the truth they would have ordered
Heilner and Hodgson to report to Cap
tain Cook for examination, as Cook was
present at the conversation, if there was
any, and neither could have lied in his
presence. The fact that they were sent
to Chadwick and not to Cook shows that
the truth was not wanted.
Thus the accusation that the colloquy
in terms and meaning as presented by
the Sun did take place, is denied by all
who have spoken on the subject, with
three present witnesses in reserve who
dare not be summoned to support this
malicious fabrication against the hero of
Santiago.
2. There was but one man in our
fleet at Santiago who was competent to
determine when the Brooklyn should
change her course, and that man was
Commodore Schley, who was in RESPONSE
BILE command of the fleet and would
have been courtmartialed and dishonor-
ed if he had failed in his duty He was
first in the fight, closest to the enemy,
and rushed headlong eastward when the
enemy was fastening westward until he
exposed his vessel broadside to the fire
of the whole four Spanish vessels and
blanketed the fire of one or more of his
own. The order to turn the Brooklyn
was issued without babbling with sub
alterns, was promptly executed without
removing the Brooklyn from close range
with all the enemy's vessels, and in
twenty-nine minutes after the order was
given, four of the Spanish fleet, includ-
ing the two torpedo boats, were destroy
ed. The three men who thoroughly
understood the movement were Commo-
dore Schley himself, and Admiral Ger
vera and Commander Concas, both of
whom have testified, without the knowl
edge of any dispute on the subject, that
the Spanish feet was instructed to des-
troy the Brooklyn, and that at the time
the Brooklyn was turned outward, the
Spanish order was to ram her and thus
destroy her. Against those who knew
the situation and the facts we have the
babbling evidence of mean disappoint-
ments and meaner Misunderstanding
more.
The Sun should not further strain its
reputation as truthful journal by in
sisting that Admiral Sampson had any
command whateverin the naval battle of
Santiago. He was not in sight when the
battle began, and as the Spanish vessels
were steaming sixteen knots an hour and
he starting his at not over eight knots, it
is not surprising that he never reached
even view of the conflict He was
not within SIGNALING distance of simple