The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-10-08
TOLD BY EODGSON.

CONCLUDED FROM FIRST PAGE)
have stated what he thought occurred, was
absolutely mistaken
How far did she go from the enemy's
vessels?"
she must have gone about 600 yards to
the southwest, as that Is about the tactical
diameter of the Brooklyn at that speed"
Did his turn interfere with the Brook
lyn'S ability to keep up her fire."
1T did not. She continued to fire from
her aft turrets."
engagement"
Il did not. The smoke was very dense
in the direction of the Indiana"
AT this point Mr.. Rayner questioned the
witness at length concerning his reported
collOquy with Admiral Schley during the
battle off Santiago in which the commodore
was reported to have said: Damn the Tex
as" Mr.. Rayner asked the witness if it
was not Captain Cook who had given the
order TO port helm"
The reply was that Captain Cook might
have given the order to the man at the
wheel.
Mr.. Rayner then asked: did Commo-
dore Schley give the order to port the
He did," was the reply.
Was the helm already aport?"
Il guess so; Captain Cook says So"
Objection was made by Captain Lemly
to the use of the word guess by the wit
ness, but Admiral Dewey said the form
of expression was immaterial, and asked
that counse should not interrupt.
ILL AAIO0o NOhLOQO l.
Continuing his statement in response to
Mr.. Rayner's. question, the witness said
that when his conversation with Commo-
dore Schley had occurred on the Brooklyn
the commodore was standing on the plat
form around the coming tower and two
or three feet from himself Ohe witness)
and that Captain Cook, a part of the time,
stood in the door of the coming tower four
or five feet distant. He said that Captain
Cook had taken part in the conversation.
Mr.. Rayner then questioned the witness
very closely in regard to the language in
which this c~olloquy was reported by the
newspapers and the language used by Mr..
HodgsOn in his correspondence with Ad-
miral Schley. He read the newspaper YER
sion of Commander Hodgson's statement
of the colloquy, as follows:
"Schley-Hard aport.
"Hodgson-You mean s%tarboard.
"Schley-No, l don't. We are near enough
to them (the S~paniards) already.
""HOdgson-But we Will cut down the
reXas.
"sehley-Damn the Texas; let her look
out for herself"
Mr.. Rayner then had the witness scrutin-
ize the letter which he had written to Ad-
miral Schley on June s, and drew from him
the statement that he had not informed the
Damn the Texas
When the witness was asked if he thought
that there was any suggestion of such an
TO Commodore Schley that there was Ian
ger of colliding with the Texas he said.
Damn the Texas He used the expression
as not in any way condemning the Texas
for being there, but as if he were irritated
as one might be about anything"
Mr.. Rayner asked then also the express
sion attributed to the witness: she will
cut down the Texas"
Commander Hodgson replied that there
was no such expression in the letter and
that he never had said that the Brooklyn
would cut down the Texas. There is a
good deal in that reported colloquy that
did not say" he added. 1.-THE statement
was never made" he went on, but the
commodore did say, Damn the Texas"
Continuing, he said that the dialogue, as
reported, was fictitious, and that he had
denied it's verbal accuracy, while not de-
tina he had told Admiral Schley that he
could not %repudiate the entire statement
and that he had not understood him to re-
quest that he should do more than deny
it's verbal accuracy. He already had before
writing his explicit denial told the admiraI
that he could not deny the whole story.
He had given the newspaper reporter au-
thority originally to quote him as author
ity for the gist of the statement.
AT this point Mr.. Rayner introduced as
evidence the official report made by Captain
of his examination of the wit
ness with regard to this collOquy. for the
purpose, as he said, of showing discrep-
ancies between the statement made in that
examination anu the statement MADE now.
The introduction of this report caused
Captain Lemly TO offer a statement made
by Lieutenant Commander Heilner on the
same SUBJECT. but Mr.. Rayner objected to
this statement AZ not pertinent. and the
court, after a consultation, sustained the
objection.
OPINIONS NOT WANTED.
Other were put in as evidence
without objection. and Captain Lemly Of
fered a letter from Chadwick TO the secre-
tary of the navy in regard to an explana-
ton contained in a letter from Commander
Hcdgson which had just been read and
offered as evidence. Mr.. Rayner called at
tention TO the fact that this letter con-
tanned an expression OF opinion, whereupon
Admiral Dewey said: I'VE don't want it.
We have not taken opinions here"
Captain Lemly said that he had only Of
fered these for the purpose Of
making the record complete. The court at
this point adjourned for luncheon.
The afternoon session Of the court began
with a question put TO Lieutenant Com
mander Hodgson by Mr.. Hanna. lie asked
why he had written his categorical denial
Tor that newspaper report of the COllOquy