The age-herald., 1901-09-29

by the department certified by the tele- graph company
 Tt was
 T will ask you whether in cipher those words as they appear in that press copy book are identically the same in cipher as those received by the department, or are there any variations whatever in word or letter?'
 'They are identically the same in word. Three words as I reeollect it. have let ters which are indistinet in one place or the other and might be mistaken, though there is no chance of mistaking the word.'
 "Then I will ask you whether, accord ing to that press copybook, that dispatch left Kingston as it was received at the department in cipher?
 Tt did, If this was the dispatch that was sent of which the exact copy"
 Now, with respect to certain minor variations in words here in the transla- ton you have given and which appear, I will ask you first, Have you compared the translation which you have made from cipher with this dispatch in the ap- pendix?
 "I have not"
 "Why did you not do sop
 "I was asked by the judge advocate not to consult any other codebooks whatever than the secret code and the book from which I took the cipher
 You are familiar with the cipher code and handle 1t frequently?"
 "I am; do.
 "Is 1t part of your duty to do sop
 Tt is."
 Discrepancies.
 MT. Hanna, holding in his hand a copy of the appendix, containing the official print of the schley dispatches, pointed out the discrepancies between that print and the translation made by Lieutenant Barnes from the Harvard cipher book which showed that the principal differ ences were as follows:
 The substitution of the word heavy" for the word helpless" in the appendix translation and the omission of the word leaving in the new translation, refer ring to the departure fom Key West.
 The comparison also showed changes such as the omission of the word the and the witness explained that often in translating cipher messages the name of a country Is generally added after that of a town or locality in order to make the information full and specific. He also gave this as the explanation of the addi- ton of the word leaving, saying that it was done to bring out the sense of the message. With reference to the use of the word heavy for "helpess", the witness said:
 Heavy and helpless are very close to each other in the cipher code A change of single number at the end which would indicate a change of a letter in a word, would indicate a mistaken letter in a word, would produce that sort of change"
 MT. Hanna reminded the witness that at the end of the message as printed in the appendix was the following sentence: "Very difficult to tow collier to get Ill L01l rl,lo appear In the copy of the dispatch as preserved by Admiral Schley in his press copy book. He then asked whether these words. by any translation or any legitimate use of the cipher have been added, or whether they could be due to cipher error or had they been simply added
 They could not have been simply added in cipher" replied the witness.
 By MT. Rayner: No Disagreement.
 "I do not think there is any disagree ment between us. There was a dispatch sent by Commodore Schley, delivered to Captain Cotton on the Harvard That dispatch was translated into cipher on board the Harvard, but not Santiago and Kingston. That cipher translators came here to Washington and made a translation, which I have no doubt Is perfectly correct. That translation seems to accord in most particular with the exception of some trivial things, with the translation you have in the l appendix" MT. Rayner then cross examined the witness. first asking him whether he had any knowledge that the cipher dispatch | in question is a correct translation of the dispatch that Commodore Schey | gave to Captain Cotton. "1 have no special knowledge that 1t | was" the witness replied. Now, in Admiral Schley's letter book I want to show an entry. The word con I firm occurs. Does that not mean that the Navy Department has confirmed that | dispatch by comparing it with the orig | inal?"
 Tt does not mean that to me-" What does 1t mean?' T do not know who put that there" MT. Rayner-I am quite sure we do not know who put 1t there. The Witness-That was there when I | first looked at the book, so also was the word cancelled in some of the other dis- l patches
 "Who has that original dispatch-the | English dispatch of which this is press | copy?"
 "I do not know. I suppose it Is among | his papers. It cannot be found among the papers he has turned in at the Navy Department"
 Mir. Rayner-Then we have here this case: We have a dispatch sent by Ad- miral Schley, delivered by Captain Cot | ton, translated Into cipher and you do not know whether that cipher is cor l rect translation of the original, and you | cannot tell us where we can get that | original dispatch so that we can ascer- l tain whether this press copy does not correspond with the original dispatch de- | livered to Captain Cotton?' "I cannot"
 | MT. Rayner and Captain Parker closed I by stating there was no intention on their | part to cast any imputation on the de- l pertinent. | oo xx,,+,,osa xro. a.,o,so5 o,,a +lo oo,,.4