The sun., 1901-10-03
|HE SCHLEY INQUIRY.
tdmiral Evans Offers Further Denial
Of Report.
b NOT MAKE BOASTS.
Eater From Captain Cook Objected
F to by MIR. mander
M OF Vixen Tells of BlocIS-
ade nnd Battle.

Df the Schley court of inquiry begar
with the usual recall of former witness
es for tie correction Of their testimony
x III the official record.
81 Admiral Evans was the first of the
witnesses, who appeared FOR the puf-
8 pose of making corrections in his testi-
mony. Having made these corrections,
Admiral Evans rose and, formally ad-
4 dressing the court, said: MAY 1t please
ahe court, in connection with one Of the
questions asked me yesterday, unless
\ Admiral Schley or his counsel object,
should like to make a statement and
produce Il letter. II at any moment
counsel object or Admiral Schley OBJ
jects, | will withdraw il and stop"
Mr.. Itayner- Could we look at the
letter?
"Ccrtainly," handing it TO Mr.. Ray
ner. 1T is a matter entirely personal
to me, sir. The way the question was
put to me put me in the position of
having Dragged on board the Brooklyn
nf destroying the whole Spanish fleet.
The identical words We're used in Il let
ter purporting to come from the Brook
lyn and published in Il Washington
newspaper of July %, 1898. ! imme-
aiataly went to the editor of the paper
to ascertain the author of such letter,
and he, after good deal of trouble. as
certaincd that ii was Il woman who had
given this information. Whether she
was paid for it or not | could not find
out At the same time ! wrote to Cap
tain Cook of the brooklyn, inclosng the
article, and there is his reply. should
like that letter to 90 in the testimony
in connection with that question, as the
words are identcally the words used
in this scurrilous letter published in
the newspaper"
Mr. Rayner-I do not Object to any
explanation at all that you may make.
There was nothing wrong in the lues-
ti0n itself.
THE question was put to me as If |
had stated fhad shot the bow off the
I'luton, rakcd this ship and knocked
out another one, etc. There is Captain
Cooks letter denying that such con
versation took place"
Mr.. Rayncr- 'Ehe point is whether
the conversation was between you and
Commodore Scllley
Mr.. Rayner objects.
Mr. Rayner said he would object to
the presentation of the letter at this
time. hut NOT mt the proper time. liz
said the proper time for this will pt
when Captain Cook Is on the stand.
Admiral Evans withdraw it.
Mr.. RaynerI am perfectly Willing
you shall submit II at the proper time.
tl,.kp nf.i
dent closed.
Mr.. Thomas NJ Dieuaide, the news
paper correspondent, when called I,
correct his testimony made a brief nd
dition to his response to one of Adnii
raj Dewey's questions.
Yeoman Becker was then recalle,
and was excused after brief question
ing concerning the dispatches prepare
by him III Key West for Admiral Sam
son for Commodore Schley. lie agai
said that. according to his recollection
these dispatches were forwarded b
the Iowa and the Dupont but said tha
his statement was based entirely upo
his memory.
Lieutenant Commander Alexander \
Sharp, who commanded the converte
' ~
WAS the first new witness of the da.
He testified that he had first fallen
with the flying squadron on the mori
ing Of May "A off Cienfuegos. He sal
that the weather on the cruise fro
Citnfuegos to Santiago had bel
Al S,iually, but that it had not been su
iiciently bad to interfere with Il
speed of the Vixen. The vessel,
said, had not been in urgent need
coal on May 2G. IF | had been"
said and had received orders to co;
| should have tried to do so. though
would have been an uncomfortable jo
bccsuse the Vixen was very small
n Commander Sharp said that notwit
standing he had been on board Il
y Brooklyn several times Commodo
Schley had never discussed with hi
the reirograde movement toward n
West begun on May 20
Describing the service of the Nix
during the siege of Santiago und
Commodore Schley, Commander Sha
M said that he had been placed on pick
Al duty at the eastern end of the line
the night of May 20 and had continu
this duty afterwald. He was abo
# two miles from the shore, he said, n
M probably three miles from the mou
s8 ef the lElrbor.
Couldn't See yesseIs at Night.
He s;liG that the entire fleet cot
"A not be discerned 1T night and that [
shore line could only be discerned as
black mass in the distance.
Mr. Hanna-Could you have seen
vessel undertaking to pass ont near [
shore under those conditions?
a Commander Sharp If She had sho'
M no lights and made no noise, | do
believe we could.
Commander sharp said that the Y
M on had carried Commodore Schley fir
the Brooklyn TO the Massachusetts
May 81 before the beginning of
bonbaldment of the Cristobal Co
and that when he had asked wi
course he should pursue in the
Sl proaching action Lieutenant Sears |
replied for the commodore that the
% ter had directed that Commander Sh
s keep his craft clear, as She was yulr
M able and should not assume any ris
lie thought the commodore had af
3# ward spoken to him to the same eff
& Mr. lianua Passing on to the ba
IN ts.x.,