The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-11-08
PRAISE FOR 81 HEY.
Capt. Parker Takes Up the Argu-
ment in Defense Of the
Admiral.

Schley court of inquiry convened at
II o'clock Tuesday morning.
Mr.. Hanna briefly reverted to the
cruise of the flying squadron from
Cienfuegos to Santiago for the pur-
pose of showing that neither the Vixen
or the Merrimac had been the cause of
the delay on the voyage.
He then continued his discussion of
the retrograde movement, saying that
but one explanation had been given for
it in Admiral Schley's dispatch, name
ly, the inadequacy of the coal supply.
"There is" he said. mo suggestion OF any
other reason in this dispatch In his testi-
mony before this court Admiral schley
gave four rea sons for leaving his station
off Santiago, but no one of these four rea-
sons appears in his Geographic report
made at the time"
Mr.. Hanna then took up SPECIFICATION i've,
| of the precept, relating to the circum-
| stances attending and the reasons for the
| disobedience by Commodore Schley of the
| orders of the department contained In its
| dispatch dated May %. 1898, and the pro-
prlety of his conduct in the premises.
| Mr.. Hanna took issue with Admiral
Schley that the dispatch: THE depart
ment looks to you to ascertain fact and
| that the enemy, If therein, does not leave
without a decisive action was a sugges-
| ton and not mandatory order. Mr.. Han
ma quoted Admiral Schley's dispatch of
May Z. In which he expressed regret over,
| not being able to obey orders. saying that
| as 1t was written after the Cotton dis
patch had been received it was an explicit
| confession that the Cotton telegram was
| an order
| Taking up the coal supply of the fleet as
required by specification six of the precept,
| Mr.. Hanna said:
| ~ nd
| other officers of the Brooklyn, the Iowa. the
| Massachusetts,, the Marblehead, and the
| executive and other officers of the Texas,
and from the steam logs of those vessels
| it has been established that the flying
squadron was on May q, 1885, fairly well
| equipped with coal.
Specification seven was next considered.
This requires an inquiry as to whether
| every proper effort was made to capture
| the Colon as that vessel lay In the harbor
| at Santiago. and referring to 1t Mr.. Hanna
| said:
with respect to this specification it
seems sufficient to say that when the fly
ing squadron arrived off Santiago on May
20 the Colon was discovered in plain sight,
lying about 1000 to 1900 yards inside of
| the MORO, moored stem and stern, appar-
| emily, with awnings up, and that she so re-
malned during the 18th, Both and 31st of
| May and until the morning of June IL In
this connection Mr.. Hanna referred to the
reconnaissance of May 81, during which the
| Colon was bombarde6 and said that dur
ing this action not one of our ships had
| the Colon under fire for total period of
more than five minutes, and the Colon was
not struck
Mr.. Hanna said that beyond the Brook
| lyn's turn the battle of Santiago was not
| involved in the inquiry. He said that ac-
cording to the weight of the testimony no
disposition was manifested by the Span
ish ships to ram the Brooklyn. With ref
erence to the testimony concerning the pos
| sibility of collision with the Texas Mr.
Hanna called attention to the fact that the
two vessels in closing in moved on con-
vergiEg lines. He said that Capt Cook
/ and Navigator Hodgson evidently haGsob-
served Commodore Schleys movements on
the day of the battle from different stand
points. Mr. Hanna said beyond peradven-
ture the progress of the Texas was seri-
ously iEterferred with.
Capt. Parker, junior counsel for Admiral
Schley, then began his address in support
Of Admiral Schley. He stood at counsels
table and spoke in clear and distinct tones.
Il doubt" said Capt. Parker, "if the naval
history of the world presents or ever has
presented case of the Importance and
character of that in which we have SO long
been engaged. l doubt II tribunal more
exalted in the character of the persons who
compose it has ever sat in Judgment upon a
brother officer. l doubt If an officer, with
the lifelong character and standing and
conduct that Admiral Schley has always
| displayed, was ever called upon before to
ask an investigation, of his conduct as a
victorious commander of fleet
There is no accuser here" he said; mo
body is on trial, and yet the case has been
conducted as though Commodore Schley
were on trial. We get it," he went on, 'in
the order of the argument now being made
here. So that we are compelled to cons;d-
err the inquiry as trial"
Taking up the events of the campaign in
their sequence Capt. Parker spoke of the
interviews between Admiral Sampson and
Commodore Schley at Key West, saving
that he, would not give Admiral Schley s
testimony on this pomt He pointed out
however, that Schley was not then in
formed that the Spanish fleet had left
Curacao notwithstanding Sampson had
been in possession of this information for
three or four days.
He then quoted Sampson's orders 70
Schley to proceed to Cienfuegos and there
establish blockade and quoted Schley's
testimony to the effect that Sampson told
him he had at that time no advlces as to
the whereabouts of the Spaniards.
AS for the Cienfuegos blockade, he hello
that 1t was sufficient that no vessel mad
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.
Taking up the question of the progress:
OF the flying squadron from Cienfuegos t.
Santiago. Capt. Parker said that if the
court will take the trouble to look at the
logs OF the various ships the members will
see that there is nothing in that charge 90
prefer to take what the officers wrote a
the time rather than what they may sa,
now"
Capt. Parker had not concluded his argu
rent, when, at four o'clock the court ad
Journed until Wednesday,
Ex-"Boxer" Leader Honored.
Picking, Nov. 6.-Na Tung, Boxe,
leader, has been appointed to the
Chinese foreign Office by an edict re
ceived Tuesday. He recently re
turned from, Inra. ..L