Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-09-26

The order of Admiral Sampson.
much is the letter known as the dear
Schley" letter was then read.
On cross examination the witness
| identified one dispatch printed in the
appendix 10 the report of the bureau
of navigation May -, 1898. The court
at this point adjourned for luncheon.
| When the court reconVened Mr.. Rey-
| ner resumed his cross examination of
Admiral Cotton. His first effort was
| to reconcile certain dates, saying that
| il was most important that they should
be corrected. He would admit the de-
! livery of one dispatch on the eth, but
The contention was that the other dis
patches We're delivered on the 31st.
The admiral said he was certain that
| he had delivered more than one dis
patch to Commodore Schley on the
| 9th. He said: Il delivered to Com
modOre Schley two dispatches on the
| morning of May y. | think it prob
| able that among the dispatches which
spoke of handed him on that date
| there may have been some which were
| addressed to me and not to him which
contained information such as l
thought he should have OF the dis
| patches addressed to him one was
from Admiral Sampson and the other
from the navy department.
You stated you could have coaled
| from the Nerrimac on that day. why
didn't you do so?"
In the first place I had no authori-
| ty to coal. In the second place | was
going for coal, which l could receive
within "A hours, and in the third place
coal was more needed by the fleet than
by the Harvard"
Did you ask the commodore for per-
mission TO coal?"
Il did not
Mr.. Rayner attempted to have Ad
| Iliral Cotton say that his ConVcrSa-
ton with Admiral Schley concerning
Lieut.. Bcall's proposition to 20 ashore
and communicate with the insurgents
had occurred on the 3lst instead Of the
18th of May The witness said that to
lis best recollection the conversation
occurred on the 18th. Mr.. Reyncr eX-
planned that Admiral SChley had on the
3lst sent another man ashore 10 com
municate with the insurgents. which
would explain Admiral Schley's deci-
nation Of Lieut.. Bealls proposition.
The witness said that up to May
"A he did not know of the presence of
the Spanish feet within the harbor at
Santiago nor did he know Of any other
officer who had that information at
that time
| On redirect examina ton Admiral
Cotton said he was satisfied that he
had told Admiral Schley of Lieut..
Eeall's proposition on the 9th because
he would have considered that he was
remiss in his duty if he had not given
the information at the first opportun-
ity He had then had before him the
order of the department to Commodore
Schley to ascertain the facts concern
, ing the presence Of the Spanish fleet
in the harbor.
Mr. Hanna asked Admiral Cotton con-
corning dispatches received by him on
May %. He said he had received a
dispatch on that date from Admiral
Sampson telling him that the Spanish
squadron was at Santiago and to pro-
coed there and communicate with Ad-
miral Schley. The witness read copy
of the dispatch which he had retained
and said that if ne had ever given it
to Admiral Schey it had been on May
, 81. Mr.. Rayner here raised the point
, that the document read was a copy
and not the original. He also called
attention to the fact that the docu-
ment had not been printed in the Off
cial reports of the navy department.
An animated controversy followed in
= which Mr.. Rayner commented upon
! the Gn his opinion in accuracy OF
a the department reports. He demand
ed the original dispatch, saying: This
is an inquiry and not a prosecution,
d and you are here to protect and vindi-
n cate Admiral Schley as much as we
o are
|. Ultimately the original cipher dis
il patch was found and Mr.. Rayner then
|, said that he would accept the cOp!'
g which Admiral Cotton said had been
n made by Lieut. Beall.
n AT 3.25 Admiral Cotton was excuse
and Capt VIM. c. Wise. who was in
command of the auxiliary cruiser Yale
Q was called. He told of his reconnoi
al tin about Santiago harbOr on May 90
q previous to the arrival of the fiyin-
squadron. He said he had not been
g 9ble to see anything of the Spanisl,
Al fleet. Capt. Wise said that when o,
ii May - he approached the fvin
e squadron p miles off Santiago. the
G heet had started upon its retrograd.