The age-herald., 1901-10-05
Compliments to schley.

Compliments to Schley.
 Hodgson adds:
 ''I immediately perceived that your cool judgment at this trying moment had en- abled you to consider the results of your decision, and then as now it seemed to me you had decided most wisely, that 1t was a strat egical move of the greatest importance, and that the result of the battle most fully proved its wisdom"
 Under date of Washington, June 19. 1898, Admiral schley, disclaiming any sense of annoyance from the newspaper attack, says:
 "Of course you did not authorize this, and 1t is this dialogue which should be denied. I have no recollection whatever of anything of the kind, and my memory is exceedingly clear of the events of that day, for I never felt in all my life less excitement or more steadiness of judg- ment, within the distance of their tactical diameter and if 1t had been made to port we should probably have passed into their line, but having them exposed to the uninterrupted fire of all the Spanish ships so important in the early moments of the fight, the proper strategy of bat tie was to avoid interfering with that, and as the sequel shows, we made no mistake. Cook really gave orders which I approved, and 1t is possible that your conversation was with him, but the Suns effort has been to promote the notion that you and had a controversy at the crit ical moment, and this is unjust to me and you. What I desire Is simply your denial that any such colloquy occurred.
 Hodgson Makes Denial.
 Two letters came June Il from the New York navy yard in answer to this let ter. In one, very short, hodgson says: ha rtrhliahnd In hn Vorlx Sun and alleged to have taken place be- tween you and me on the day of the bat tie off Santiago, July 3, 1898, never oc- cured
 The second letter is explanatory. Hodg- son repeats that he told the Sun reporter that the first publication in the Sun was garbled and that when the turn was to be made suggested the proximity of the Texas and the probable danger of getting mixed up with her if we turned to star board, that you said the Texas would have to look out for herself"
 Admiral Schley returns thanks for the denial furnished adding touching the col loquy: Your statement that 1t never occurred is absolutely true'
 Next In the correspondence Is report from Captain Chadwick to the secretary of the navy upon the inquiry he made by the direction of the department into this alleged colloquy. This has been pub liShed hertOfOre, fncludlng ftOdgs0nS statement that he did not intend to con vey in his note of denial sent at the re- quest of Admiral Schley the idea that no such colloquy took place, and that all he sought was to refute the allegation that a controversy existed at critical stage of the battle.
 Hodgson Appeals to SchIey.
 Under date of July 4, 1899, Hodgson writes from New York to Schley calling attention to the newspaper attacks upon his veracity on account of these publica- tions. He thinks that if these newspa- pers were made acquainted with the facts in the case, full and ample apolo- gies would be made for their unjust and abusive trades Therefore he asks Schley to put these facts before the Washington Post and New York Sun or permit him to publish the correspondence that has taken place between them. He repeats that he understood Schey's re- quest for a denial to be nothing else than a request for denial of the verbal accuracy of the dialogue, and I so un- derstood it.''
 He did not think that the denial could be construed by the public as completely and absolutely refuting the entire state
 (Contfnued on Second PaRel