The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-28
SAMPSON NOT LET IN
COURT REFUSES HIS REQUEST FOR
REPRESENTATION.
WANTED COUNSEL PRESENT.
NOT PARTY TO THE CASE AT
THIS TIME, SAID DEWEY.

The Reply of the Court Significant
in View of the Part the Admiral Is
Likely to Play i'm the Investign-
tion-EVidence Yesterday Was I'm
favorable to Schley-Both Lieut..
Hood and Capt. nIcCsfia give Tes-
timony Tending to show That the
Commodore Did Not Display the
Judgment to BE Expected of "A Man
in His Position and That in the
Matter of Securing information He
Was Very UnIucky, to Say the
least.
Washington, Sept. 27.-In the Schley
court of inquiry to-day a letter was
presented from Rear Admiral Sampson,
asking to be allowed to be represented
in the court by counsel, but the court
refused to grant the request on the
ground that "the court does not, at
this time, regard you as party to
the case
The principal witnesses of the day
were Lieut.. John Hood, who command
ed the dispatch boat Hawk during the
Spanish war. and Capt. Bowman H.
McCalla, who was in command of the
Marblehead.
The testimony of both of these off,
GERS dealt with the delivery of dis
patches from Admiral Sampson to
Commodore Schley, and both related
conversations with the latter.
To-days session began with the re-
aF Safd ha ha n
carried out the order to inform every
vessel off Santiago that the flying
squadron is off Cienfuegos."
Lieut.. Spencer S. Wood, who COM
manded the dispatch boat Dupont,
was cross examined by Mr.. Rayner.
The witness. said that while off Glen
fuegos he had been on picket duty two
miles from shore on the night of May
%, and had been instructed to signal
the squadron with two red lights in the
case the enemys torpedo boats came
out of the harbor.
Mr. Rayner then read from the tes-
timony of Capt. Harber of the Texas,
saving that there had been no picket
vessels within the line of the fleet or
| Cienfuegos. The witness said that the
statement was wrong.
Mr.. Hanna asked what steps had
been taken while the flying squadron
was off Cienfuegos to ascertain if the
Spanish fleet was inside the, harboi
| there.
None that 1 know Of was the re;
sponse.
WAS there any effort to destroy the
shore batteries there?'
The witness replied that he knew of
none He said, replying to another
question by Mr.. Rayner, that the ves-
sells in the inside harbor could not
have been discerned from the outside.
Lieut.. Wood was then dismissed, and
as he was leaving the court room Mr..
Hanna took occasion to-say:
VIII Discuss Altered Dispatch.
at will make an announcement while
we are waiting. There has been intro
duced before the court a question or
the correctness or the identity of
certain very important dispatch sent
by the Harvard May 27 from off San
tiago by the commanding officer of the
Flying Squadron. 1t appears that in
the process of translation from the
commander n-chief to the department
some changes in the language or that
dispatch occurred. / do not desire at
this moment to interrupt the proceed
ings by any discussion of that point,
but l shall merely make the announce
ment here that we do intend to enter
into that matter very fully ana COM
pletely-that is to say, as fully and as
completely as the court may desire De-
fore we leave it."
Lieut.. John Hood, who commanded
the Hawk, said that on May 23, he
had delivered dispatches from Admiral
sampson to Admiral Schley, when the
latter was off Cienfuegos.
His instructions were contained in
memorandum handed him to be de-
livered to Admiral Schley, which was
| read to him.
Lieut.. Hood related the conversation
he had had with Admiral Schley. after
| delivering the orders, saying that he
| 1.-THE witness) had told the admiral that
II was Admiral Simpsons wish that
the fiying squadron should proceed 10
Santiago as his information was very
nositive. His statement was as fol-
lows:
Hoods Interview with schley.
commodore Schley read the dis
patches and then turning to me, SAID
| Captain, Admiral Sampson wishes me
| TO go to Santiago. / cannot do II. l
told Commodore Schley that the ad-
miral certainly expected the squadron
to leave the instant l arrived.
"COmmO0Ore OCHiey lHeh SoiN' IA HN
ly these words, I am not at all salts
fed that the Spaniards are not here
in Cienfuegos, beside my ships all
want COAL l told Commodore Schley
that / had passed a colli& conveyed
by a gunboat only a little before day
light that morning, and 1t would GER
tainly be there with at least 1000 o.
I. 900 tons of coal within two or three
hours. He referred again to his belief
of the Spaniards being in Cienfuegos
and stated that he had heard some
frin gabout forty miles from port
which he took to be a welcome to the
Spanish squadron; he had also seen
some smoke, which he conceived to be
the Spanish squadron, and he believed
they were there l said to Commodore
Schley then that the information which
the admiral had he considered as def
mite; he had no doubt but that the
Spanish squadron was at Santiago.
Commodore Schley then said to me:
Captain Sampson doesn't understand.
He is not on the spot and cannot
Judge also informed Commodore
Schley that they certainly expected the
squadron to leave Immediately and
that had verbal orders from the com
mander- in-chief which did not appear
| in my written orders TO remain with
the Hawk alone at Cienfuegos after
the squadron had left and conduct a
blockade for day or two or as long
as my coal supply lasted"
Can you state whether or not dur
ing the time you were in Cienfuegos
with the Hawk any effort made tc