Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1901-09-27
mot TOLD FOES LOCATION
Wise Did Not Deliver Message at
Santiago.
LONGS ORDER IGNORED.
motto From Sampson Advising Flying
squadron's Chief to Stay ut Cienfsegos
Is Before Tribunal--Records Found
AItered-AdmiraI Cotton's Testimony.

Ia before Tribunal--Records Found
Altered-AdmiraI Cotton's Testimony.
Washington, d. G., Sept. 27.-In the
sSchIey court of inquiry captain w. c.
Wise, who commanded the scout Yale
during the Spanish war, admitted un-
der oath that, Notwithstanding positive
orders from the Secretary of the Navy
directing him to inform the flying
squadron" that the Spanish fleet was
in Santiago harbor, he did not do so.
Captain Wise merely notified Captain
Philip of the Texas, just as the lying
squadron was starting for Key West
to coal, and, so far as was developed
today, this important fact was not
communicated to Commodore Schley.
Slowly but surely it is brought out that
. important papers have been suppressed
and that official charts and reports
nave been altered.
Suppressed Letter Introduced.
A sensational development was the
introduction, as evidence, of the sup
pressed letter written by Sampson to
sSchley. directing the latter to remain
of Cienfuegos. Sampson had received
a dispatch fom Secretary Long which
said that, according to the best 1ntor-
zmation of the department., the Spanish
-s1ect was in Santiago harbor. Sampson
s9hen wrote Schley, under date OF May
20: |After fully considering this tele-
gram (the one relating to the Span
-ish feet, have decided to make no
change in the present plans; that is,
hot c}, fr1
Eienfuegos. If the Spanish ships have
put into Santiago they must come eth
er to Havana or CienfuegoS to deliver
the munitions of war which they are
said to bring for use in Cuba. am
therefore Of the opinion that our best
chance of success in capturing the
ships will be to hold the two points,
aCienfuegos and Havana, with all the
force we can muster. II later it should
develop that these vessels are at San
aiago we could then assemble off that
port the ships best suited for the pur-
pose and completely blockade it," This
and another dispatch relating to the
belief that the Spanish fleet was in
Santiago were the only dispatches re-
Aceived by Schley until May 81, when
Tthe flying squadron was off Santiago.
~ schley's Dispatch Is Altered.
The correct version of Schley's dis
lpatch, in which he Informed the Secre-
stary of the Navy that it would be i'm
possible to ODE" orders with regard to
scoaling the flying squadron was in
3Eroduced as evidence. 1t was shown
10y this copy that number of changes
N1ad been made in Schley's dispatch as
ut appears in the official records. The
copy, as printed, does not show that
;Schley said the sea was boisterous and
prevented coaling. In addition to sup
pressing this the department, in its
official report, inserted the words
every difficult to tow the collier. I'm
sabls to get the cable to hold" This
sentence does not appear in Schley's
Original dispatch. In the departments
version of the dispatch appear the
words. much to be regretted, cannot
obey orders Of the department. Have
sstriven earnestly" The original dis
patch, however, as it appears in
tSchiey's letter copy book, reads: ''It
lis to be regretted that the departments
orders cannot be obeyed, earnestly as
we have striven to that end Rear
admiral Schleys attorneys contend
that the correct copy Of his dispatch
gives an altogether different appear
iance to the incident.
Harvards Commander Confused.
Rear Admiral Cotton, who command
ed the Harvard during the war, upon
direct examination said positively he
had delivered dispatches to Commodore
Sehley on May 81 from Secretary Long
and Acting Admiral Sampson, inform
ing Schley that the Spanish feet was
in Santiago harbor. BY referring to
the official records and after refresh
ing the memory of Rear Admiral Cot
ton, Attorney Rayner demonstrated
-that one of these dispatches, which
Cotton claimed to have delivered to
-Schley on the afternoon of May q,
was not sent from Washington until
that day 1t was impossible, therefore,
Ho deliver this dispatch to the COM
mander-i n-chief of the flying squadron
at the time as first sworn to by Cot
81 ton.