The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-09-09
BREAKDOWN is EVIDENT
A Description of His Daily fife at
Lake Sunapee.
he TALKS IN MEANINGLESS SENTENCES
His Physical Condition Alone Not Such as TO
Keep film FROM the Trial That Be-
gins in Washington on
7 thursday.

Thursday.
Baltimore, Md. Sept S-The Ameri-
can today publishes q two-column ar,
ticle concerning the mental and physical
condition of Rear Admiral Sampson. r
correspondent of the American made a
journey to Lake Sunapee. N r., where
Admiral Sampson is staying, for the pur-
pose of learning that officers real condi-
ton, and the article presents the result
of his investigation
Admiral Sampson" says the CORE
spondent. will not appear before the
Schley inquiry board in person. IL the
board should seek him in Boston, he
would not be permitted by his friends to
submit to the examination OF law
yers. He has probably already made a
statement or deposition to be read by the
board, and he has employed counsel TO
defend his interests. The certificate of a
surgeon in the Boston Navy Yard saying
that Admiral Sampson is physically un-
able to appear in person as a witness be-
fore the board will be handed in, to-
gether with some statements as to the
cause of his illness"
After stating that it is no longer pos
siblo for Admiral Simpsons friends to
conceal the distressing facts as to his
condition, the correspondent asserts that
Sin his present mental condition Admiral
Sampson is scarcely able to maintain
any conversation whatever. His CORE
spondence is conducted by Mrs. Samp-
son, while the admiral himself. being
treated entirely like child, has not
spoken for more than a minute at a
time to any boarder at the hotel. The
latter, it is stated, is situated amid sur
roundings conducive to recuperation bun
as matter Of fact there has been scarce
ly any Improvement in SIMPSONS con-
dition since he arrived The correspon-
dent then continues:
MY first view of Admiral Sampson
since my arrived here was obtained
about o'clock in the afternoon. I had
arrived shortly before, registered my
name and address, and took a seat upon
the hotel piazza. Soon carriage drawn
by two white horses was driven up to
the hotel entrance. 1t contained two
women, Admiral Sampson and the
driver. of course. The features of Adj
miral Sampson were easily recognized.
although his face is so drawn as to give
him a haggard and very istless appear
ance. His eyes seem to rest on nothing,
and when the ladies had alighted Ad-
miral Sampson was helped from the
carriage. He leaned heavily upon the
shoulder of a friend who had volun-
teered to help the ladies' Of the party out
of the carriage. When Admiral Sampson
took the first step from his carriage to,
ward the hotel piazza the first impress
sion was that he was Il sufferer from
locomotor ataxia. His hating STEP his
bent form, and his unsteadiness on his
legs suggested that malady.
But a more serious suggestion. that of
complete mental breakdown, came when
the admiral reached the hotel piazza.
Standing at his side was a lady, who, 1t
was afterward learned, was a friend of
Mrs. SIMPSONS. Gazing in a vacant sort
of way at this lady, and leaning with his
arm upon the piazza railing, Sampson
said: Where are you going? I, don't
understand it at all To these ques-
tions the lady made the answer that
she would make to a child which she
wished to humor. am not going any
where, admiral. Come sit down and
rest.
"The stare in Admiral samrson's- face
the drawn features and the air of alb
straction told only too plainly what his
friends have attempted to conceal hither-
to, and that is that Admiral Sampson S
dire malady is more mental than physical
and that he stands upon the brink OF
utter collapse 1t is not his physical con-
dition which causes the doctors to prevent
him from appearing personally at the
Schley inquiry. for the physicians are
not in regular attendance upon AdsniraI
Sampson. They come here occasionally
take look at Admiral Sampson, tnd ga
away His physical condition alone
could not reasonably be urged as a reason
for his refusal TO testify in person. 1t is
the admiral's mental state which Will not
only prevent him from testifying, but
which would render him as a witness
perhaps the most sensational in naval
annals.
1.-THE physical condition of Admiral
Sampson permits him a pretty free rou-
tine which I shall describe, and from
which it may be seen that a trip to Wash
ington and the mere physical exertion OF
giving testimony arc picayune Admiral
Sampson arises about o'clock in the
morning and comes directly to the break
fast table, where for several days he sat
within hearing distance Of the writer
For three meals Admiral Sampson did not
open his mouth 10 speak, nor did he
/ sreak to single individual as he enter
ca and left the dining room. Not WORD
escaped his lips from the time he entered
the dining-room until the time he left
| it on the first day Of my visit Break
| fast over, the admiral. assisted by his
wife, goes down 10 the lake front, which
is a distance Of perhaps leo yards, and
there boards a steam launch, spending
the time until noon cruising about the
waters OF Sunapee Bay. Friends are very
seldom taken ON these trips. After
luncheon the Admiral Invariably takes 3
drive to some Of the neighboring towns
The favorite drive is to Newport. ". H..
which is ten miles away As the Admiral
, invariably drives behind two n,ilk-white
horses the neighbors easily identify him
But 50 far as can be learned there is