The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-10-11

tinued his or the battle. He
said that at the beginning of the fight
but that after the loop It was about
2,400 or $500 yards.
Mr.. Rayner: What was the bearing
of Commodore Schley during this en-
gagement or any engagement in which
you saw him?"
His bearing and manner were natur-
ally those of a commander-in-chief OF
g. naval force on that occasion"
The witness said that the commodore
had occupied a place on a platform
around the coming tower during the
engagement. This, he said, was a po-
sition Of danger, as the commodore was
there always in full view Of the enemy
ships.
cit has been stated here" said Mr..
Rayner, that the Brooklyn ran 1000
yards ava from h enemys ships
in making her loop"
The witness replied: Any witness
who made that statement, although he
may have stated what lie thought had
occurred, was absolutely mistaken"
How far did she go from the enemys
vessels?"
"She must nave gone about 600 yards
to the southwark, as that is about the
tactical diameter of the Brooklyn at
that speed"
Did this turn interfere with the
Brooklyn's ability to keep up her fire?'
"It did not. She continued to fire
from the turrets."
CONTROVERSY WITH SCHLEY.
AT this point MI. Rayner questioned
the witness at length concerning the
reported ~colloquy with Admiral Schley
during the battle of Santiago in which
the commodore was reported to hav
said: Damn the Texas"
Mr.. Rayner asked the tines if it
was not Captain o who had given
the order to port helm"
The reply was that Captain Cook
might have given the order to the man
at the wheel.
Mr.. Rayner then asked: Did Com
modore Schley give the order to port
the heinz"
He did," was the reply.
Continuing his statement in response
to Mr. Rayner's question, the witness
said that when his conversation with
Commodore Schley a occurred on the
Brooklyn h commodore was standing
on the platform around the coming
tower and two or three feet from him
self (the Witness) and hat Captain
Cook, a part of the time. sood in the
door of the coming tower four or five
feet distant. He said that Captain
Cook had taken part in the conversa-
ton.
ALL a. III ti.SI liz WIZ
ness very closely in regard to the Ian
guage in which this ~colloquy was re-
ported by the newspapers and the Ian
guage used by Hodgson in his CORE
spondence with Admiral Schley.
Mr.. Rayner then had the witness
scrutiniZe the letter which he had
written to Admiral Schley on June Sth
n drew from him the statement that
he had not then informed the admiral
that he had used the expression Damn
the Texas"
When the witness was asked if he
thought there was any suggestion of
such an expression he replied: when
I suggested to Commodore Schley that
there was danger of colliding with the
Texas he said Damn the Texas He
used the expression as not in anyway
condemning the Texas for being there
but as if he were irritated as one might
be about anything"
Mr.. Rayner then asked about the ex-
preston attributed to the witness:
She will cut down the Texas"
Commander Hodgson replied that
there vas no such expression in the let
ter and that he never had said that the
Brooklyn would cut down the Texas.
There is a good deal in that reported
colloquy that I did not say" he added,
1.-The statement was never made" he
went on, 'but the commodore did say
Dd1I1l III 1SAdS.
Continuing he said that the dialogue
as reported was fictitious and that he
had denied it's verbal while
not denying the truth of a part of it.
The afternoon session of the court
began with a question put to Lieuten-
ant Commander Hodgson by Mr.. Han
ma. He asked why he had written his
categorical denial of the newspaper re-
port of the colloquy between himself
and Commodore Schley.
The question was objected to and
Admiral Dewey said: I'VE have the
facts. The letters were written. That
is all the court wants. We want facts
facts. People are Influenced by diff
ferent kinds of things. We want the
facts. Draw out the facts.
Mr.. Hanna: "All I wan to find out
is the occasion for writing this letter"
Admiral Dewey: 1.-The court doesn't
! want that information. We don't need
that"
Mr.. Hanna then changed his question
and the witness said that he had writ
ten his explicit denial in response to 4
request from Admiral Schley.
Have you anywhere denied the u b
stantial accuracy of h facts as set
forth in the report of that c~olloquy?"
"On the contrary / have admitted it"
| Continuing, the witness said that Com
IN al eaA