The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1901-09-23
SAMPSON
MAY TESTIFY.


the sshley Court Of Inquiry 10 not plsai
ing to the Navy Department.. The wi,
nesses who havo been heard thus far Co.
tablished the case against Rear Admiral
Schley that 1t was hoped to mako at the
very outset
Judge Advocate Lemly has failed with
tho half.dozen naval Officers brought
forward to set forth clearly the fact that
tho blockade before Santiago was not well
Kept or that 1t was possible 10 coal In The
open sea during tho latter part OF May.
These have been the lines on which the
questioning has been conducted and were
the telling points sought against Schley.
The cross examinations made by Judge
Wilson and Attorney General Rayder
have in every instance served to break
down what seemed to DO evidence tending
to place Schlsv In bad light. Tho weak
ness of the Navy Departments case In
this direction Is said 10 have been unox
pected, and is limited that steps are bsln 9
consider oil to obviatc at once. II possible,
tho danger OF the case falling fiat. sSa
The first movo In this direction Is tho
aummouing OF Rear Admiral Sampson to
tho capital. 1t is difficult, Of course, to
find that orders were actually sent HIM 10
present himself in Washington at once,
but from the Almlral's haste in setting
his face this way when 1t was thought
that no would not appear hore during tho
inquiry leads to Il belief that at least an
unofficial summons hasibeen sent ihiu.
His coming would not nsces avly man
that he would testify before the Court.
Iu fact. il is almost certain that he
would act only In an advisory capacity on
behalf OF he Navy department, ind even
then doing SO outside the sessions Of tho
Board.
1t lies within Schloy's power to call
Sampson as q witness. but IT is not ante
ipateo that this will be done so long his the
three members Of the Court exclude
theories and sick to facts.
1t Is easy to prove tho issuance of tome
SIMPSONS orders from tho records of iho
Department, but there are others thai
only that only tho Admiral hlnse can
set for II in tho light that Captain Lsmly
would bnvc thom.
Tomorrow Judge Advocate Lemly plans
to put on the stand the captains OF the
three big scout ships which were at aud
of Sau iago Il week DO foreA dmirnl Schloy
and his flying squadron cumo down from
Cienfuegos in May, 1898. These men arc
Captain Theodore Jewell OF tho Minnea
polls; Captain W. e. Wise. of the Yale.
and Captain Charles Sissbeo, os tho ST,
Pau. Captain 6igsbee Is known to have
made study of the whole Santiago cam
paign.
BY ruling Of tho Court opinions are
barred ana witnesses are confined TO facts
Thus, all the Advocate General docs is
to ask zach witness In substance WAS
every effort made to destroy tho ColonS'
And all tho witness eau say is No." Tho
attorneys for Admiral scAley pro nii not
to be worried by this testimony, They
say they will abundan ly provo that tho
was eau cl by the neccs ity of tho bi,
ships waiting for thu little slow boats.
They nl.o will att,mpt to provo that the
attack en- the Colon was simply recon.
noissance in force and that SchlCy wa; un
der positive Instructions not TO cuianger
his ships.
A point that has been disposed OF Is tho
statement made by Admiral Sampson in
his magazine article that tho Sch!ey block
ado whs % miles from shore. No witness
has yet boen found who will swear that
the blockade was more than eight miles
out at any time,
1t Is limited that Judge Adyoca Lemy
has something up his sleavs. From half q
dozen questions he has asked 1t has bsen
thought that he Intends to try to prove
hat Admiral Sohley was unlor tho inlll.
tence Of liquor when he ordered the begin
ming and iho end Of the attack on tho
Colon, There hive been several myster-
ioui questions about what uniforms wero
worn and things Of that sort.
s;chey and his attorneys ridiculc any
assertion or insinuation CT this kind. They
say nothing Of the kind coali have occur
red, and that they hnvs abundant proof to
the contrary.