The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1901-11-14
NEWS IN GENERAL
scHLEY COURT OF INQUIRY

Washington, Nov. THE climax OF
the Schley court of inquiry came yes
terday afternoon when Mr.. Rayner,
the chief counsel for Admiral Schley,
continued a brilliant argument of over
three hours with a ~peroration so elo-
quent and impassioned that all within
the sound of his voice were profound
ly touched. This remarkable trial,
he said, sought to condemn the man
who had brought to a successful term
ination as a great naval triumph as
was yer won. In vivid colors he
painted the picture of the Brooklyn,
with Commodore Schley on the
bridge, fighting the entire Spanish
fleet until the Oregon appeared out
of the smoke.
The thunders of the Brooklyn, mu-
sic for the ear of his countrymen,
he said, aroused Admiral Schley's en-
vious foes. He pictured the victorious
sailor suffering as few have suffered
for three long years while the fires
of persecution leaped around him,
and now awaiting tao hour of his vim
dication in the verdict of the court.
And when it comes," he continued,
che can, from the high and exalted
position he occupies, look down upon
his traducers and maligners and with
pride exclaim: Il a not for the
venomous gossip of clubs, drawing
rooms and the cliques and poisoned
shafts of envy and of malice. I
await under the guidance of divine
providence the verdict of posterity.'"
The scene in the court room as he
finished with these words was thrill
ing. The attendance had peer large
all day and at the morning session
a lady had tainted from excitement.
AS MIR. Rayner began his eulogy Of
Admiral Schley, those in the audi
ence, many of whom were ladies',
learned forward on their seats. The
spell of his oratory was over them,
and when he described the admiral's
gallant deeds and the long persecu-
ton to which he had been subjected,
many of them broke down and wept.
The members of the court dis
played evidences of emotion, and Adj
miral Schley himself was plainly
moved. He sat, leaning back, with
his hands between his head. His
chin twitched, and as his counsel said
he could afford to await the verdict
of posterity, two big tears rolled
down his cheek. He moved uneasily
to conceal his emotion and, under the
pretense of adjusting his glasses,
brushes the tears aside. Fol fully
thirty seconds after Mr.. Rayner clos
ed there was not a sound. Then the
tension broke in a loud burst of app
plause.
Washington, Nov. s.-After sittings
covering forty days, and with a rec
ord which, when completed, will cover
about 1000 pages, the schley court
of inquiry yesterday at 3:45 p. m. adj
journed its last public session. To
Capt. S. G. Lemly, the judge advocate,
had been assigned the duty of making
the closing argument in the case, and
soon after he had completed his
speech, Admiral Dewey, bringing his
gavel down upon the big fiat table,
said: "Ihere being no further bust
ness, the court is adjourned"
AS was the case yesterday, when
Mr.. Rayner spoke, the attendance was
large. There was only one session
during the day. 1t began at 2 o'clock,
and the entire time was devoted to
Capt. Lemly's address. He read his
speech in clear and distinct tones
and was given careful attention. The
speech in the main was an ANALYSIS
of the testimony, but occasionally a
conclusion was drawn, and frequent
ly there was a criticism of the course
pursued by Admiral (then Commo-
dore) schley. Speaking of Commo-
dore Schley's conduct, Capt. Lemly
said:
"From my knowledge of the man,
having served under his command on
two cruises. / have never believed, nor
do l claim from the evidence, that
personal misconduct-or, to call a
spade a spade-cowardice, was exhib-
tied by Commodore schley in any part
of his career as commander-in-chief
of the flying squadron. But I submit
with regret that in the passage from
Key West to Cienfuegos, while at
that latter port, en- route to the
southwark of Santiago without set
tied destination, in the retrograde
movement, in the return to the vicin-
ity of Santiago and in the affair of
May 81 the commodore exhibited UNI
steadiness in purpose and in push,
and failure to obey orders"