Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-26
WAS nervous
Further Testimony on schley's
Action Before the Fight With
Cervera.
The Admiral's Conversation With
Dispatch Bearers Detailed
by Witnesses.

One Thought He Acted Nervous
..Knew Location Of Span.
ish Fleet.
Washington Sept, 26.-The schley
court of inquiry began its session today
with the intention of holding one sit
ting, having decided to forego the after
noon session In order to permit the
members of the court and counsel to at
| tend the funeral of Judge Wilson.
Counsel for the navy department today
continued its efforts to show that Schley
had information of the presence of Ger
lvera's fleet in the harbor at Santiago,
and introduced for this purpose addt-
tional officers Of the auxiliary cruisers
which We're at the time doing duty as
scout boats in West Indian waters.
Schley's COUNSEL, on the other hand,
maintained its purpose of trying to hold
the testimony down to the requirements
of civil courts.
| Capt. Wise. commander of the Yale
during the war, continued his narra-
| tion of the retrograde movement of the
flying squadron toward Key West, May
81. He told of the breaking of the haw-
ser on the Merrimac. which caused de-
LAY, but said 1t was due to improper se-
curing of the hawsrr on the Merrimac,
and not to boisterous weather. He said
he reported to Sampson on the way to
Newport News that the flying squadron
was thirty miles west of Santiago, but
didn't know what 1t was doing there.
Hanna read the following extract from
Schley's reort of Feb. is, beginning;
after having been informed by
scouts commanded by such officers as
Sigsbee. Jewell and Wise that altho
they had all been off Santiago de Cuba
for week they had sem nothing
OF the Spanish fleet and knew nothing
| of its movements or Whereabouts, etc"
He then asked Wise IL he made such
communication to the admiral. II
didn't" Did you give Schley any in
formation respecting Spanish squad
ron ?. "Only thru Sigsbee. gave SiSs
bee all the information had" Did
| the commanding officer of the flying
Mt any time??,. no. Wise said from
the morning of May % until the arr
rival of the flying squadron on the
evening of the goth he had been trying
to get in touch with the enemy. but
saw nothing In Santiago harbor, ex-
cept the masts of small vessel. He
couldn't distinguish what 1t was.
Raynor read from the report made May
80 to Sampson, in which he stated
tAat Wise told him he believed San
tiago harbor to be strongly fortified" !"
rs that true?" Raynor asked. 1T is. !"
He also said even tho he had been.
n scout officer while OFF Santiago on
the arrival Of Cotton he had not COM
manded Sigsbee to give to Schley in
formation which he CWise) had given
to Sigsbee. Wise was then excused.
ECotton was recalled to make verbal
lcorrections in the testimony previously
given by him.
Cotton said on the morning Of May 81,
after arriving from Kingston, he had
gone aboard the Brooklyn with dis
patches for Schley. Asked by Lemley
to relate the conversation with Schley
on the occasion OF that visit, he said:
He Informed me 1t had been ascer-
tanned that some, at least, of the ships
OF Cervera's s squadron We're within the
harbor of Santiago; that they had been
seen and were in sight, and, as a matter
of fact, one at them was then in sight
at the entrance to the harbor. In Lam
guage as nearly as can remember he
said: After dinner am going to hois.
my flag on board the Massachusetts,
<ol-< a no Tov, ND on In nd
have pot shot at those fellows
William c. Gray, chief machinist on
the Texas during the battle off Santia-
go July 8, testified that on that date he
had been on duty at the throttle of the
starboard engine of the battle ship.
Witness said the reversal was very
brief. the revolutions not exceeding 100.
the time being short. He had heard af-
terward the reversal was because they
were passing the Brooklyn.
Lieut.. Spencer S. Wood, who command
ed the dispatch boat Dupont during the
war, was the next witness.
Wood related the particulars OF his
mission as a dispatch carrier from
Sampson, lying at Key West, to Schley,
off Cienfuegos He had left Key West
May 20, carrying disatches OF which the
Iowa carried duplicates, and had
reached Cienfuegos several hours in adj
vance of the Iowa. ION my arrival
witness said. II went aboard and per-
sonally delivered the dispatches to
SchIey. He asked me SIMPSONS idea
about where the Spanish squadron was;
also of Sampson's intentions. I told him
/ did not know. He told inc he thought
the Spanish squadron there. He had
heard firing and was almost con-
vinced they were there. The conversa-
tion was on the line of endeavoring to
find out from me what SIMPSONS plans
We're could give no Information.
schley Impressed me as being very ner-
vous EIe would get up and walk
around and come back and sit down"
Before Wood had concluded his testi-
mony the court adjourned for the day.
MASON CITY BONDS.
Talk of lsuins $4,000 of s1a Per Cent
For Paving.
Mason City, Sept. 26.-For the past
eight and perhaps more years the cor
poration and streets and alley funds
l,o q,