The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-06
DRAWING TO A CLOSE.
fcontinued from First Page.)


Continued from First Page.)
q in the order of the argument now
hsing made here. So that we are
Compelled to consider the inquary as a
trial"
Taking up the events of the cam
paign in their sequence Capt. Parker
spoke of the interview between Ad
n1iral Sampson and Commodore Schley
at Key West, pointing out that Com
modore Schley was not then inform
ed that the Spanish fleet had left Gu
racoa, Notwithstanding Sampson had
been in possession of this information
for three or four days.
Speaking of the cruise to Cienfuegos
Capt. Parker said it was inconsistent
to criticise Admiral Schley for stop
ping to take Capt. Chester on board
while at the same time criticising him
for not calling Capt. McCadla on
board.
1--WE can't" he said, blow hot and
cold in the same breath. The truth is
there was no real delay in the voy-
age"
held that it was sufficient that no YES
sci had gone in or come out without
permission. Moreover, the admiral had
taken all the steps possible to take to
ascertain whether the enemy was
there
oTo send ashore in an enemy's coun.
trv TO find out whether the enemy was
there would have been foolhardy, and
AZ the commodore had sent a boat
ashore and lost it he would have been
Justly censured for so doing.
II contend that up to this time, so
far as the blockade is concerned, so
far as his conduct is concerned, there
is absolutely nothing shown by the
testimony in this case from which the
slightest suspicion of fault can be
placed upon Commodore Schley."
Replying to the claim that Commo-
dore Schley did not obey orders in
failing to prevent work upon new for
tifications at Cienfuegos, Capt. Parker
said that not a particle of evidence
had been introduced TO show that any
work was being done on the fortifica-
tons.
1.-THE court will agree with me,
think. in my statement" said Capt.
Parker, that a commander-in-ch chief
is gifted with some discretion, that he
is entitled to exercise, and it is his
duty to exercise it,
Capt. Parker contended that both the
Dear Schley" letter and No. had
been sent at a later date than had been
suggested by the naval officials. Samp-
son had instructed Schley to remain at
ClentueSOS, the uc-
partment's advice to proceed to San
tiago and in No. discretion had
plainly been given to Schley.
suppose" he said, "he had gone off
and it had been found that the Span
iards were there, he would have been
condemned, and justly and in case of
a court-martial learned friends here
would have Numbered against him.
say that no criticism is deserved for
j. - ut
gos.'
This closed the discussion of the
Cienfuegos blockade, and Capt. Par
ker contended that he had then acted
wisely. showing that the discretion al
lowed him was we'll placed. AS for
himself, he cared nothing for the gos-
sin of the wardrooms or the talk Of
the young officers. "Their talk pales
into insignificance,' he said beside
the achievements of Admiral Schley,
whose name Will continue to shine
brighter and brighter every day"
Capt. Parker commended Commodore
Scheys conduct of the cruise to San
tiago. He had, said the speaker, act
ed according to the dictates of his best
Judgment a judgment which was bet
ter than that of less experienced off,
GERS, an experience which had been
gained in command under circum-
stances of every nature, in the Arctic.
around both capes, on every sea and
under every sun. He was at least as
likely to be as correct as those young
officers who for the first time in their
lives. were given command of a small
boat"
III the absence of information by the
ca9tans Of the Yale and the Mime
apcls, Capt. Parker said, Admiral
Schley had right to suppose that
- h. s,,fn
nation to be had from the scouts.
With the information given, Admiral
Schley had acted wisely in turning
back to Key West. Whether he acted
wisely and his judgment was sound, is
Tor you, gentlemen of the court. to
say-not with the information has come
since, but with the light that the COM
Hodore had at the time"
capt. Parker said the dispatch of
May 70 from the Navy Department
was uncertain.
Quoting from the dispatch Capt.
Parker said:
The department looks to you to as
certain facts Didn't the Commodore
ascertain facts? And that the enemy
therein does not leave without decisive
action, he continued, reading. We'll,
was there not decisive action? The poor
Old Spanish admiral came with his flags
nylng gaily at his mastheads on that
sunday morning and before l o'clock
OF that day he saw his ships on the
beach, burning, blowing up and all de-
stroyed He came on board the Amer
ican ship without shoes for his feet, or
nat for his head, and in pair of draw
ers and an undershirt, Decisive action?
was there anything that was more de-
cisive than that?"
Then he took up Commodore Schley's
dispatch forwarded by the Harvard
ana defended the position taken by the
commodore in that message. He then