The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-13

some days ago.
Eowison is Interrogated.
Mr.. Raynor asked permission TO in
( terrogate Admiral Howison- The court
f. granted permission, and the examina-
I ton proved to BE one of the most m
teresting features Of the days proceed
ings. Mr.. Raynor pressed hin questions
/ persistently but the admiral did not at
/ any time compromise in his contention
/ that he was competent to sit as
judge in this inquiry.
Before the questioning began Ad-
nairal Howison remarked that he did
not desire to go into any private dis
/ cussion. to which Mr.. RaynOr replied;
Il will not go into any private mat
I tiers at all, admiral; but the matter OF
/ whether or not you had those con-
I VerSations with these gentlemen is one
/ which we will then have 20 go into
will not enucroach at all on anything
] that is improper. l will be very careful
about that, because this is no impeach-
/ ment of your capacity or integrity.
/ either 1t is merely a question OF
whether your mind is made up on GER
tain subjects in connection with TINS
matter
| He then asked the admiral concern
4 ing Mr.. FrostS statement that ne
| (HowisOn) had said that Admiral
| Sampson deserved the credit for win
min gthe battle of Santiago.
/ Il want to know" he added, "wheth-
er or not you ever said that to Mr..
/ Frost?"
/ .Maybe I did" the admiral replied.
rehectively, and continued: IF he was
commander in chief, probably did say
! so-not only to Mr.. Frost, but to otn-
] ers. { am merely talking now OF navy
orders and regulations and the customs
/ and commands of the service"
Being questioned as to his statement
| concerning Mr.. Spons' testimony, the
admiral replied that he did not only
/ not remember Mr. SponS' face, but-Sald
/ that he had no recollection whatever OF
| the incident occurring 10 which that
witness had testified.
Il tried while he was sitting here,
| the admiral said, ito remember IL l
| had ever seen the man before, and
| positively cannot remember ever seeing
/ him, nor do I remember the occurrence
| of any such circumstances as he says
/ did occur at a certain point on board
! the Minneapolis. l did come home on
/ the Minneapolis, but it is not my Gus
/ tom to interfere with peoples talk
when they are talking outside. / have
/ had them abuse me aboardship many
I times when 1 was executive officer;
/ have heard them and recognized the
mems voices, but 1 never went TO the
\ men about it. 1 knew that they never
/ intended that 1 should hear it. / never
/ would interfere with a conversation OF
that kind. 1t would be unreasonable"
Has a Bad Memory.
Mr.. Raynor-And you have no recol-
| lection of your saying aoXthing on
/ that voyage to anyone on the subject
/ of the Sampson-Schley CONTROVERSY
! Admiral HOWison-I do not remem-
/ Der what I said. 1 may have said
something on that voyage; / do an
! swer anyone's questions. if they are
asked politely, where it does not make
any difference.
saying on that voyage to anyone that
g if Schley had done certain things he
/ ought to have been cOurtmartialed.
Admiral Howison-No, 1 do not re-
member making any such remark. But
! if someone, for instance, should come
/ to me and say that certain officer had
| done certain thing, might say that
| under the navy regulations he would be
subject to CONTINENTAL or discipline of
some sort IL he had done a certain
wrong. I would not hesitate to say
that to you at any time. or to anybody
/ else.
Taking up the testimony of Mr.
/ Nichols, Mr.. Raynor called Admiral
! HowisOn's attention to the fact that
in his formal reply he had not denied
the statements of that witness.
The admiral said he had never said
to Mr.. Nichols that Schley had no
| business in the navy, or that a man
! could not remain in the English navy
under such circumstances.
! Il never made any such remark as
that about Admiral Schley< If any
] tninS OF the KIM OCcuTreCly II was Just
/ as I stated in my answe. TO you Aefore;
if he (Nicholls) had stated to me that
Admiral Schley had positively dis
| Obeyed orders or done something that
! he ought not to have done, that was
/ liable TO discipline / would have said
he should be brought before a court
martial That is simply one of the reg
ulations of the service"
Did Not want to Sit in Court
4
surprise that he should feel this way
/ towards Schley: and he said: You
would not if you were In touch with tie
sentiments among naval officers -
! Rear Admiral Howison said: We'll,
how in the world could a stranger to
me, coming to my house IN his own
/ business, get me to speak in such a way
/ as that unless it were to answer some
/ question, or unless he misinterprete,l
/ my answers to him2 I have not the
/ slightest desire to force myself on this
! court. 1 do not want TO sit on il. II
is not agreeable duty for ma. l have
no desire whatever to do il, aud I am
/ not making any excuses FOR myself Or
for any Of my private discussions with
anyone. I think that IS my own af-
fair. and nobody else is asked about
these private discussions. Il is only
this one Objectionable man. ] am per
fectly willing to get out as 1 say in
my letter"
Mr.. RaynOr-BuC are you &uunS 70
ask the court TO relieve you2
Rear Admiral Howison-I cannot ash
the court to relieve me, because they
have got to do that upon the merits Of
the case.
Then ensued a long controversy be
tween Mr.. Raynor and Admiral Howl
son as to the qualification as Judge Ct
one who recognized Sampson as COM
mander in chief at the battle of San
tiagC and entitled to credit for the vic
tory
The judge advocate-May ask whai
feature of the precept is referred Il
with regard to winning the battle OF
Santiago?
Mr.. Raynor-It is involved in three
of the specifications. / think if you vii
look at these specifications The first
specification directs the court to in
Quire into his conduct in connection
with the events of the Santiago cam
paign.' Now, if the conduct of Ad
miral Schley at the battle of Santiago
is not an event in connection with thu
Santiago campaign, I would like L
know what is.
The Judge Advocate-The conduct o.
Admiral Schley is in question. not only
at the battle of Santiago, but in th'
whole Santiago campaign. But / ma,
as well say here, Mr.. President anc
members of the court. that the ques
ton of Admiral Simpsons conduc
upon those occasions is not before THU
court in any way. This is not a com
/ paratiVe question as to- whether some