Semi-weekly Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1897-1901, 1901-10-04
The schley Case as 1t Now Stands.


been piled in the Schley case from
officers who want to be on the SIDE
that is IN power that Schley might
have coslsd shirs at sea at the time
be started 10 "caitiff fight towards
Kew West, as Sampson in effect charges
| through his mouthpiece, historian
Maclay. 1t is perfectly easy for men
to saw this with more or less real be-
lief, after this lapse of time, when the
same men would never have done IL
themselves il the responsibility had
been theirs at the time. Inc feal
truth of the situation has been devel-
oped from the prosecution own Wit
ncses in the statement of the captain
of the collier that on the least rough
day of all he lost control of his ship
owing to an accident to her machinery
and of Capt Sigsbee-supposiug that
the collier had been controllable that
an the last of the three days Schley
WAS off Santiago it would have been
possible to coal at sea but very dan
perous. Thus the last of the case
against Schley is toppled over by the
prosecution itself.
The Reformer in the last three issues
as we'll as today has very carefully re-
viewed the evidence as it came IN It's
hearings on the accusations against
Scbley. Briefly they we're:
Loss of five days of Cienfuegos
where he was sent to find out whether
Cerveras feet was in that h arbor ana
to hold it there if it was. The reason
he did not find out WAS the fact that
deliberately OF by some inexplicable
blunder he was not Informed OF the
signal code by which it was arranged
that the Cubans should give the IL
formation.
Slowness 10 proceeding from Glen
fuegos to Santiago, which proves te
have been necessary unless be was &c
leaye his slowest sh Ups behind, which
would not have been tolerated under
Itbe depsrtnent's orders on the state
of public oplnion at that time.
Failure to destroy or prevent com
pletion of Spanish batteries at Clen
lfueeos. Which was under department
lorders not to risk the disabling of any
ship until after decisive battle VILE
the dreaded Spanish fleet and which
was also Sampson S course at SAM uan'
Failure to destroy the Cuban, as she
Law in sight 10 Santiago harbor by
close fight with her and tie batteries
, Easily explained in the sa ne way 81
above Also met by the fact tina
, Sam pson had the same chance for nal
day after he took command aud die
nothing.
Looseness and inefficiency OF San
tiago blockade while Schley was II
. command by keeping too far out t.
sea. Proof that distance was substan
tally the same as Simpsons and th
formation as close, considering tina
. he had only half the force.
. The Brooklyn loop 10 the battle, en-
daupering the Texast an extent NOR
f or less disputed Schley, With character
, istic manliness, has defended this NOV
/ ment on its merits as the decisive on
: of the battle, without trying to avolt
responsibility. But it turned out
: even before this inquiry began, tina
l whether right or not. be was not re
8 spousihle but that it was the work
D Capt Cook.
r With the proof on the coaling ques
Y ton left as it now, is it is to ne re
D membered that the prosecution g cas-
r is demolished by its own witnesses
n We have not begun to hear Schley
!. case vet. though Lieut. Doyle's testi
e mopy Wednesday showed ns what T.
z expect. All that remains to be ex
n nlsined ia why after starting for he
= West to recoal and proceeding par
t way. Schley turned back. Probably tn
D reason will turn out to be that IN
= trouble with the Merrimac had bee
2 overcome, and the sea moderate'
: enough so that he was satisfied that re
t coalipg could be safely done at sea.
= The failureto know positively instea'
t of disbelieving it, that Cervera was Il
the harbor. This turns out to be an
+ other case of failure of the depart
msnt or Sampson or subordipates t
: communicate information thew had t
: the man they viciously attack for no
y acting on it,