The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-06
MORE AS TO THE APPROACHING
COURT OF INQUIRY.

iAN
Schley. Is that correct? Is he not
Rear Admiral? He has a son in the
army, Captain Thoma F. Schley. He
has not mad a letter from his father
recently. He wishes to have the privi-
lege of asking Admiral Sampson:
IF the battle of Santiago had re-
suited in defeat, to whom would the
blame be attached? This, I think, tells
the situation in a nutshell. If Admiral
Schley mad lost the battle he would
have been blamed. He won it and he
should have the credit"
He says his father has a letter from
Sampson telling him to do ex-
actly what he did 1t should be intro
duced in the investigation. Captain
Schley says:
admiral Sampson sem the dispatch
to Admiral Schley in a note in which
he said: After duly considering this
telegram 1 nave decided to make no
change in the present plans; that is,
that you should hold your squadron
off Cienfuegos.' This letter was sup
pressed
AS to the much talked Of loop
movement, he says that some facts
will be disclosed that will startle the
public" Admiral Schiey is not really
on the defensive. The Army and Navy
Journal in it's last issue states that
the president distinctly refused to
make himself a party to the censure of
the secretary. and sent the name OF
Schley to the senate for promotion with
those of others. and the senate con-
frmed this action. In a letter to the
president, Secretary Long did charge
Admiral Schley with acknowledged
and unwarranted ~disobedience of Or
with the statement that this disobedi-
ence had been condoned by the 'glo-
rious victory of Santiago and that
Schley had been selected for promo
ton Mark that! To be promoted,
and yet a known coward" "caitiff'
and 'liar,'' the latter according to
Sampson. The Norfolk Landmark has
the right view. we hold. 1t says:
TT seems to us that the nav de-
partment's postpOnement of complaint
| until after he had been recommended
for promotion as a reward for gallant
ndu in the Spanish war, as we'll
as the fact that Schley was actually
in charge of the American fleet in the
battle Of July 3rd and led in the pur-
suit and destruction of the enemy, puts
| a~ssailants of Schley upon the defen-
Sive.'
Admiral Schley says he is deeply
| touched by the kindly expressions of
| Admiral Cervera, the able and high
| toned Spanish commander in the ba-
| tie. He is fairly deluged with letters
| and dispatches. The cause Of Crown
| inshield's hatred of Schley is explained
by a trial of the former five years g
| upon charges brought by Admiral
| Bunce. He was ex~onerated, but Schley
| was not satisfied with the evidence and
voted against Crowninshield. Hence
the war of the latter upon the hero Of
Santiago. We note that a former off,
Ger of volunteers in the recent Span
ish war writes to the Baltimore Sun
that he was talking to a regular army
officer of the destruction of the Span
ish fleet, and they agreed that Samp-
son did wrong in going away on the
morning that the fleet came out with
one of the best ships of the line. The
officer said that United States soldiers
on the island knew of the preparation
of the Spanish fleet to go out and news
of this was actually sent to Sampson,
but next morning he left with n OF
the best ships.