Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-09-28
NOT IN THE CASE.
Sampson Requests Repre-
sentation in Inquiry Court,
But the Court Refuses--Dispatche
from Sampson to SchIey
Principal Subject Of Discussion. at Fridays
Session oil Court.

Washington. Sept. 21.-In the Schley
court of inquiry a letter was presented
from Rear Admiral Sampson asking
permission to be represented in the
court by counsel. but the court refused
to grant the request on the ground
that the court does not ct this time
regard you as a party to the case"
The principal witnesses of the day
were Lieut.. John Hood. who command
ed the dispatch boat The Hawk during
the Spanish war, and Capt. Bowman
H. McCalla. who was in command Of
these officers dealt with the delivery of
dispatches from Admiral Sampson to
Commodore Schley and both related
conversations with the latter. Capt.
McCalla described in detail his part in
arranging code of signals with the
Cuban insurgents and his commune
cations with them near Cienfuegos on
May "a. 1898, when it was learned def
nitely that Cerveras fleet was not in
the harbor there. He said that Capt.
Chadwick. who was Admiral Samp-
sons chief of staff. was the only per-
son at Key West to whom he had
communicated the signal code.
Capt McCalla expressed the opinion
that coaling was feasible off Santiago
at the time Schley began his retrosrade
movement.
AS usual, Admiral Dewey lost no
time. today, in bringing the Schley
court of inquiry to order. Captain
Lemly and Mr.. Hanna. the navy de-
partment's representatives. had been
in the court room for an hour or more
preparing the details for the day S
work They consider the present stage
of the inquiry an important one. re-
curing the most careful attention.
Captain Lemly estimates that he viii
be able to conclude the presentation
OF the governments side Of the case by
the close of next week, if no unfore-
seen contingency arises to cause de-
lay He says he will have about 10 or
20 more witnesses to introduce.
one of the regular attendants upon
the court is Mr.. William II. Stayton,
the attorney who is understood TO be
prepared to represent other naval DILL
GERS than Admiral Schley. He sits out
side the rail and does not in any way
participate in the proceedings. He
said, yesterday, that so lonS as Ad-
miral Sampson was kept out Of the
case he would have nothing to say
Today's session began with the re-
call of Captain Wise to make verbal
changes in the official copy of his tes-
timony. He altered his previous state
ment concerning the order of the navy
department of May 20, 1888, in which
NJ
sci off Santiago that the flying squad
ron is off Cienfuegos, saying that ne
desired to correct his response to the
courts question as to why this order
was not carried out, by stating that IL
had been carried out. The lylhS
squadron was ordered to proceed with
all possible dispatch" he said. and
added: Il did not desire to inform the
commodore of the flying squadron or
his own movements. The order was to
inform commanders of the movements
of the flying squadron.
The court then asked: Did you al
rect Capt. Sigsbee to give Commodore
Schley the information contained in
the dispatch from the navy depart
ment regarding the whereabouts OF the
Spanish squadron
II did not"
Lieut.. Spencer S Wood, who COM
manded the dispatch boat Dupont our
ing the Spanish war, was then caiied'
and continued his testimony, peSun'
yesterday. Mr.. Rayner resumed ms
crosse examination. The witness SAID
that while off Cienfuegos he had been
on picket duty two miles from shore
on the night Of May % and had been
instructed to signal the squadron WIN
two red lights in case the enemy 'oi-
pedO boats came out of the harpor'
Mr.. Rayner then read from the tes-
timony of Captain HARDER OF me
Texas. saying that there had been i"
picket vessels within the line OF me