Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-10-24
CORRESPONDENT A
SCHLEY WITNESS
Associated Press Man Who
Was on the Brooklyn
Testifes.
WHAT HE SAW AND HEARD
Tells of siesbee's Conversation With
the Admiral. in Which He Said
the Spanish Were Not In
Santiago harhor.

the Schley court of inquiry was called
to order and continued his mar
fatlNe of events of the Cuban cam
paign. He Was followed by A. V. Ma
son, log writer of the Brooklyn.
The early attendance upon the court
today was somewhat larger than on
previous days, indicating the increas-
ing attractivenSss of the court as a
public spectacle.
Lemly began examination OF Wells
by asking him whether u book of rec
Crds was kept showing letters receiv cd
on the Brooklyn, as Lieutenant Com.
mander Sears had testified there was.
Witness replied there was no such
book kept, but there was Il record of
letters sent to and received from the
vessels of the squadron.
Wells was also questioned about the
department. orders concerning the risk
Ing of the American ships to lombard.
ment from the shore batteries The
first orders of this character stated:
The department does not wish the
Vessels of your squadron to be exposed
to the fire of batteries at Havana.
Santiago OF other strongly fortified
pcrts in Cuba Other orders were re-
garded as notifications of these. In
the last of these, dated May g. the de-
partment said:
The department is perfectly willing
you should expose your ships to the
heaviest guns of the land batteries If,
in your opinion. there arc Spanish Yes
sells of sufficient military Importance
tack advisable, your chief aim. for the
present being the destruction OF the
enemy's principal vessels.
Not to Risk the Sims
After having read these different dis
patches. witness was asked:
Can You separate Your knowledge
with regard to the conversation With
Schley so as to distinguish between
either of the other two orders or both
of these orders, and as to whether any
thing was said With regard to the re-
ceipt of information In relation to
these letters here, which YOU have be-
fore YOU. at the interview on May 1S
in Key West?"
mo. sir l do not distinguish be-
tween any of them. I have given my
general remembrance, which is that
the order was not to risk the ships
In reply TO questions by Lemly, Wit
ness said there had been no written or
printed order OF battle. but that on the
day before Cienfuegos was reached
some special instructions We're sent to
the ships by the Scorpion. This was.
he said, an order relating to signals in
case the enemy should be sighted. Wit
ness answered several technical ques-
tions put by the court and was then
excused.
Albert Y. Mason was called. He had
made an entry covering the battle off
Santiago. and he produced Il copy OF a
rough log which he had made for his
own use. Witness said that as the log
giving an account of the BrooRiyn's
turn had first been prepared 1t read:
I'VE engaged will, port battery at
first, but just as soon as enemy stood
to westward we put our helm starboard
at first then hard apurt, so as to bring
our starboard battery to bear, and
swinging clear CT the Texas fire. we
stood parallel With and to the enemy.'
This entry had he said. been changed
later at the instance of Lieutenant
Hodgson SO as to make it read:
LAS soon as the enemy stood to the
westward we put cur helm aport, to
swing clear of the Texas, etc. "
a Correspondence Story.
Mason then retired and George Ed
ward Graham. Associated Press corre-
spondent. was called. He was Dues
toned by Rayner. He said he had been
on the Brooklyn froal March % to Au-
gust 20. Graham was then questioned
concerning the conversation between
the captains visit to the Brooklyn May
26 as follows:
did YOU see Captain ssigsbee on
board the Brooklyn May 26?'
Yes, sir.
Can YOU give us What the conversa-
ton was?'
After he had reached the quarter
deck gangway he was stopped by
Schley, who said to him:
{oyr 49, -
captain said: No; they are not here.
have been here for a week and they
ere not here.
Is that the whole conversation as
you recollect?"
NO. sir: we went aft and continued
the conversation. Schley said:
thcre?'
"ssigsbee said: L have been very close
IN and cut the cable and they are not
there .
You heard Sigsbce say that?"
Yes. sir. | took some part in the
conversation"
did you record the conversation and
did Slgsbee know You recorded it?"
'Sigsbee knew | was a newspaper
man and WAS there looking for infor-
nation and he later took dispatch
written by me and vised by schlev
ttp'dlt u IFS sup. anu NHS To deliver j 1T
to one of the small boats on else take
1T over himself. The dispatch was open
and detailed the fact that the fleet was
not there
DO You remember the reconnaissance
of May 31?'
Yes. sir: l was aboard the Massa-
chusetts."
Sch'ey-tiisaInson Conversation.
Were you present ut any converse
tlon between Commodore Sohley and
Captain Higginson in the pilot house
of the Massachusetts"
ON the Brooklyn j had heard they
We're going in to lombard ANA that
the flag would he transferred to the
Ma5sae husctts. | asked permission to
so aboard the Massachusetts With the
commodore. He said, ! do not think
YOU better go. | think YOU can see Ii
better from the Brooklyn She was
then coa!!ns. lie further said they did
not intend to 10 anything except find
out what toe batteries consisted of.
Kept ureins lin to let ne so. He
ilnnlly conscnted,"
Now te'! me regarding the conVcr-
satlon between Schey and Iyigginson;"
There YVES some discussion about.
what the spanish Meet had brought
with them, a report was cur
rent that they had brought ;trms ara
ammunition for the defense of lla-
Vana, and there MAS also discussion as
NO LOMGEF GO SOUTH,