The Monticellonian., 1901-11-08
.IS NEARING IAt NINDUP.
The Schley Court of Inquiry Will Soon Have Passed Into
 History.
TESTIMONY IS ALL IN AND CORRECTED.
Two or Three Days VIII Now He De voted to Argument and Then the Court Will Retire to Digest the Testimony and Prepare Its Con cEusions.

Washington, Nov. 1.-Two witnesses were called before the SchleY court of inquiry and both of them were called in the interest of Admiral Sehley They were Frank B. Richards and George Lynch, both of whom went through the Cuban campaign as news paper correspondents. Mr. Richards was on the press boat Premier and was to testify as to the interview with Capt. Sigsbee while the latter was in command of the St Paul oil Santiago in May, 1898. MT. Lynch was on the Somers \. Smith, and was called to relate his recollection of Capt Sigsbee's communication to that boat, concerning which Photographer Hare and Correspondent Scovel al ready have testified. Both, however, were ruled out. Capt. Sigsbee, was recalled for the purpose of reviewing his former testimony. Admiral Schley also was called for this pur- pose, and his statement occupied good portion of the time of the court. The admiral was suffering from cold and his voice was quite hoarse. 1 He began his corrections at the very first of his testimony. Most of these corrections were of typographical er- TOTS or the changing of words to make sentences read more smoothly. | In referring to his testimony re garding the arrival of the Harvard, on May 27, with dispatch from the secretary of the navy informing him | that all of the departments informa- | ton indicated the presence of the | Spanish squadron at Santiago which dispatch, he had said, he declared had never reached him, and therefore he had never seen or heard of it until recently, Admiral Sehley corrected this portion of his testimony by stat l ing that neither his flag lieutenant nor his secretary had ever seen the dispatch nor remembered it. He had previously included his first heuten- ant in this statement.
 Referring to his testimony regard | ing the reconnaissance of May 31, the admiral changed his statement that ..iftS. if not more, shells passed over the feet to read that "a number of l changed his evidence concerning sus- picious movements in the harbor ot Santiago, July 2, to read that before dark 1 noticed in the harbor a good deal of smoke coming up.a The off cial record, he said, made him say that he saw the smoke after dark.
 Coming to his answer to a question in reference to his order sent below during the early part of the battle to stand by to ram, Admiral Schley emphasized his former testimony by stating that there was a distinct at tempt to ram on the part of the Maria Teresa, Admiral Cervera's flag ship. and the Nizcaya." He also re- iterated his confidence in the Brook | lyn's speed by stating that with one engine and all the boiler power she could have gotten up all speed that was needed" As to passing of the 1 flying squadron by the Eagle on the morning of May 19 and the latter's conveying the information that there was mo news" Admiral Schley cor rectcd his testimony wherein he said that he was not mistaken as to this, by stating that he might have been mistaken.
 Admiral Schley also corrected his statement regarding his visit to the | flagship New York, when he had made l his preliminary report of the battle of JulE 3 to Admiral Sampson. The record he said, did not make the mat ter quite clear. ''The admiral said i |, |. gg4l had omitted a very important de- tail. which was to state that the New York was present.
 The witness corrected but one of his answers to the court. This ques- tion was to the effect that as he was ordered to Cienfuegos to establish 1 blockade, was it not his duty, under the circumstances. to communicate direct, either by signal or otherwise with the senior officers of the vessels returning from Cienfuegos and obtain from them all information regarding the situation at or near that port.
 The answer, as corrected, reads: "Ihe communication which he made 1 to me through the Eagle indicated that Capt. McCalla knew I was bound for Cienfuegos, and I, of course, took | it for granted if he had had any thing important he would have noti- fled me of the fact without my in- quiry."
 At this point Admiral Schley an swered that he had no more correc- tions to make.
 Capt. Parker called the admirals at tention to the evidence of Capt. Sigs- bee in which he had said that when he went on board the Brooklyn the whole question, so far as he could remember, was coal, and nothing but coal, and that Commodore Schley al- ready had made up his mind to go to Key West
 That was not the first question Sigsbee asked me- at all," replied Ad- miral Schley. q did not say to Capt. Sigsbee that we were going to Key West, as the signal will show. Sigs- bee was talking on the subject of coal, and since he mentions it, I re- call the fact that his statement was | thatshe was commanding a vessel that