Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-10-17
THE SCHLEY COURT.
II Continues TO Drag AIonG-Hodgson
and FoIger Are Among the Wit
nesses who TesIIfJ.

court of inquiry Mr.. Rayner, chief of
counsel for Admiral Schley, asked
Judge Advocate Lemly to summon
Admiral Sampson as witness in the
case. The request grew out of diff
ference in the construction of a SEN
tence in SIMPSONS letter to Schley,
written from. Key West May 20 while
Schley. with the flying squadron, lay
off Cienfuegos. This is known as the
"Dear Schley" letter, and in it, as
printed in the navy department docu-
ments, referred to the senate. the ad-
miral said, expressing his opinion re-
garding the dispatch that the Span
lsh squadron was at Santiago, it
were better to continue to blockade
Cienfuegos and Havana. 1--WE shall
continue to hold Havana and Santiago
until we receive more positive infor-
nation"
During the examination of Com
mander Rodgers, this dispatch was
under consideration when Mr.. Rayner
expressed the opinion that the word
Santiago had been inadvertently used
by the commander-in-chief assuming
that he meant to use the word Cien-
fuegos, as better corresponding with
the context. As the document was
printed there was a parenthetical
nCte, to which Admiral Schley's ini-
tialS were attached, saying that evil
IDENTIFY the wrong city had been men
toned. Mr.. Rayner asked Judge Ad-
vocate Lemly to make this concession,
but the latter declined to do so, say
ing that he would produce the orig
inal of SIMPSONS dispatch to prove
that he had said Santiago. Then
Mr.. Rayner said: II cannot take
that word Santiago to mean anything
but Cienfuegos. / is an imputation
upon Schley and ! cannot permit it
to rest without summoning the au-
thor of that Dispatch" TO which Lem
ly responded: II have told you once
before you can summon any one you
please"
"Then." retorted Mr.. Rayner, "sum-
mon Admiral Sampson"
While Commander Rodgers was on
the stand Mr.. Rayner submitted a
computation of shells from the Amer
lean fleet which had struck the
wrecked vessels of Cervera's squad
ron, showing that at least "a per
cent of them were fired by the Brook
lyn.
Washington, Oct. s.-Lieut. Com
mander Hodgson on Monday occupied
the greater part of the time of the
Schley court of inquiry as a witness.
He was followed on the stand by
Capt. w. NJ. Folger, the commander
of the New Orleans during the
Spanish war.
Commander Hodgson repeated and
extended his story of the battle of
July 3, giving the opinion that Com
modore Schley's conduct on that occa-
sion was such as that of a command
er-in-chief should have been.
Capt. Folger said that the lombard
ment of the Cristobal Colon on May 81
had been successful in developing the
strength of the Spanish shore bat
teries, and had shown them to be very
weak. He also said that if the Span
ish vessels had attempted to escape
at night they could not have been
seen by the blockading feet in bad
weather.
Washington, Oct. 1O.-In the Schley
court of inquiry yesterday Lieut..
Mark l.. Bristol completed his testi-
mOny and three new witnesses were
introduced. They were Rear Admiral
Taylor, who commanded the battle
ship Indiana during the war with
Spain; Lieutenant Commander Potts,
who was navigator of the battleship
Massachusetts during that period, and
Lieut.. Edward f. Leiper, who was on
the New Orleans during the war.
Admiral Taylor related incidents of
the battle oil Santiago on July 3, in
cluding the Brooklyn's famous turn.
He said that none of the Spanish
ships had made any effort to ram
the American vessels when they came
out of the harbor at Santiago.
Commander Potts testimony dealt
with the bombardment of the Colon.
Answering question as to the con-
duct of Commander Schley during
that engagement. he said it was that
Of a man laboring under great men
tai excitement.
Mr.. Rayner secured permission
from the court to introduce as evil
dence the order of Secretary Long to
Admiral Sampson, dated April 6, in
which he was admonished against the
exposure of the American vessels to
the fire of strongly fortified ports.
Washington, Oct. 11.-Just before
the Schley court of inquiry adjourned
yesterday Judge Lemly introduced
Lieut.. j. II. Holden, formerly watch
officer on the Scorpion, as a witness.
Lieut.. Holden signed the entry in the
Scorpions log, giving the particulars
OF the receipt of message for Com
modore Schley from the Eagle which
that vessel had brought from Capt.
McCalla on May 10, 1898, when the
flying squadron, then bound for Glen
fuegos, fell in with Capt. McCalIa's
sub-squadron, which had just left
that port.
The government had sought to
show that by this message Commo-
dore Schley had been notified that
the Spanish fleet was not in the har-
Dor of Cienfucgos, and Lieut.. Com
mander Switzerland, of the Eagle,
had testified that he had megaphoned
to the Scorpion that there were only
a torpedo boat and several cannon
ieros in that harbor. Capt. Lemly