The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-10-18
INTERESTING CHAT ABOUT
SCHLEY.

a clear headed, resourceful, ready wit
ted man. He knows how to stir up
that irascibIe partisan Judge Advocate,
FAMED Lemly. 1t is interesting 10
see hat Admiral Dewey bears himself
so well. so admirably. He has gained
no little of his lost popularity, 1t IS
said. by his good sense, his Justice' MS
acute sense of propriety. He has stuol-
ously kept the bitter intermlnaDle,
malignant, lying anti-Schley gossip nd
scandal out of the court of inquiry, and
that is a great deal for character. he
receives many letters bearing upon his
manifestly fair course in the court
towards the slandered, prosecuted
bounded Schley. He knows far mora
of law than the fiery, one-sided Lemly.
The correspondent at washington Of
the Charleston News and Courier says
that the admiral in stating his reasons
for sustaining or overruling an objec-
ton shows a surprising familiarity with
the supposedly dry things hidden be-
tween the hide-bound text books on law
subjects.
MI, RayneE WOTTlSS LSIIlly VIII W.
riss the court with his ignorance and
arti-pathies and spites. Between him
ar.l the riate prosecutor hot words
passed on the 18th Lemly intimated
that Rayner was tricky. when the Mary
land lawyer promptly answered with a
threat. But ordinarily Mr.. Rayner is
bland and courteous. The Washington
TIL D414;-o0na C1I,l
writes that Lemly lis touchy and quick
to take offense. On the other hand,
Mr.. Rayner has a keen sense of humor
an6 is always ready with the retort
Courteous. He sometimes employs such
EXPRESSIONS as my learned brother in
referring to the judge advocate and mis-
assistant, Mr.. E. p. Hanna, which re-
marks are characterized by the judge
advocate as "left-handed compliments"
The judge advocate is slow to catch
the humorous side of the situations and
takes everything hat happens in tie
court in the most serious light"
Mr.. Rayner handling of the vain Bob
IEyans was funny. The Messenger
a glimpse at h scene. The sun
sOl tie 4OlA llSldl(, ACNNAo
says that his humor was manifest when
he asked Rear Admiral r. D. Evans
If he had not said he destroyed n tor
pedo boat destroyers and unk several
other Spanish vessels in n battle near
Santiago. The remarks which Mr..
Rayner quoted We're so much in The
style of bombastic utterances from
-. 1--.-.1 T,,,-. Iar;yae hic ninIT-
name of fighting bob hat neither the
spectators nor the court could restrain
their merriment, and from all parts of
the room came more or less subdued
chuckles."
Captain James Parker, the other
counsel for Schley, is also developed N
his humorous faculty and he is sure to
stir up the other side "by interfering
remark which. taken by themselves.
would be of a harmless character, but
invariably have the effect of sending
the judge advocate and his assistant
up in the air. Whenever Captain Par
ker succeeds in ruff1ing the temper Of
his opponents a pleased smile spreads
over his countenance and he is in good
humor the remainder of the day"
And then Admiral Dewey has fun on
his side for he too is well developed in
humorous bump. The Suns r~ejorter
says III he is of the court by far the
quickest to respond to a witty sally.
Often he tries to maintain an immobile
countenance by biting his lip or mus
tache. but sometimes he does not sue
coed. and then he either smiles openly
or turns his head and, under cover OF
a whispered conversation with Admiral
Benham. INDUCES in quiet laughter.
The young witnesses ave amused the
court no little. They are of the cock
sure" contingent in the navy, the
agreeable knowalls. They have contrib
uted much fun by their self-confident
and immensely wise display. They felt
they were infinitely beyond Sampson,
who did not fight, or Schley, who lid
fight. The correspondent writes that
.'the younger witnesses admitted that
their judgment was very superior 10
that of their senior officers" for they
knew it all. The Sun summarizes:
ssWitnesses of this character knew
that their ships could have coaled in
any sea; that the blockades were ,n-
properly maintained at both C~ienfuegos
and Santiago; that the retrogra1e
movement vas wrong; that there was
no chance of destroying the Colon uu-
der the circumstances; that the bat
teries about Cienfuegos n Santiago
Were so weak that an ordinary gunboat
could have demolished them without
danger; and that, in fact, everything
was one that should not have been
done and all that should have been
done was left undone."
With such great brains and such
splendid sailors to command hereafter
what a future for the American navy
lies before this country. The combina-
ton against Rear Admiral Schley has
been tremendous, and his expenses will
not be less than $50. 600, is the estimated.
The navy department is his prosecutor,
and Lemly is its plant too.