The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-02
FORBID A FOOL A THING, AND THAT HE WILL
Do" DON'T USE
SAI POI 10

Spanish fleet probably was in Santiago
] harbor. He fell in with the flying squad
ron on the evening of May 25, the squad
ron then being twenty or twenty-five
miles south of Santiago. He had report
! ed to Commodore Schley that he knew
/ nothing positively about the Spanish
| fleet. He was then asked if he had eX-
pressed his belief to Commodore Schley
| that Cervera's fleet was not in the har-
Dor, as reported later by Commodore
Schley. A controversy arose over the adj
/ instability of the question, and the court
! took recess for luncheon before receiv-
1 ing the reply of the witness. *
! When the Schley court reconvened aft
! er luncheon Capt. Sigsbee resumed his
testimony. Mr.. Hanna repeated his ques-
| ton, asked before recess, quoting from
| Admiral Schley's report of Feb. Is, 1899,
| the sentence reading: after having been
| assured by Sigsbee that he did not be-
lieve the Spanish fleet was in Santiago"
The witness replied: 81 stated that we
| had seen nothing of the Spanish fleet. l
| may have stated that / new nothing pos
itively or absolutely about it's movements
| but I recited certain events to show that
| there was a probability of the feet being
| in Santiago at that time. In regard to
| the other matter 1 beg to make an appeal
| to the court. This case is one involving
regulations It has been stated by Com
modore Schley in an official letter to the
/ United States senate that l expressed a
! certain belief. Now, it has been made a
public matter. I think that either the
| court or the defense should allow me to
| express under oath what really said. L
| think the defense ought to permit me to
/ answer that question"
/ 1--WE have no objection to that said
| Mr.. Rayner.
Mr.. Hanna-The portion of the question
| to which 1 should like to have you give
| an explicit answer is whether, you as
sured Commodore Schley that you be-
| lieved the Spanish fleet was not in San
! tiago." st
81 did not say that I believed it was
| there; T said I had not seen it.
| did you give him any assurance which
| would point in that directien?p es s.es
81 made known first my orders from
| the navy department, which stated that
the Spanish fleet was reported to have
| arrived there" sr
Mr.. Hanna then read a letter which
Capt Sigsbee had on May 26 written to
Commodore Schley, reporting the taxing
of the pilot Nunez aboard from the Jason
and the capture of the British steamer
Restormel as prize He said in that let
ter: mo news here. 1 have seen ap-
solutely nothing of the Spanish meet.
He also reported that the Restormel mao
| 2,4OO tons of coal aboard, and said that
the commanding officer had said he was
bound for Santiago.
Mr. Hanna also read number OF let
tiers. among them being one from capt
Sigsbee to Commodore Schley, written
from Mole st. Nicholas, May 2e. in which
he said to the commodore: a. Do as you
are doing and you will do right. lie
also informed him that there were num-
Der of kilograms at the Mole for him.
| but that none of them were urgent. He
told the commodore that the department
expected him to exercise great efforts.
TO KEEP IN COAL
Mr.. Hanna-I wish to call your at
tention to the clause: Do as you are
doing and you will do right What was
| the flying squadron doing when you wrote
that letter?
''That was based on the tenor of the
cipher kilograms 1 found at the Mole from
| the commander-in-chief and from the
navy department, urging that the Spanish
squadron be held and that every effort
| be made to coal ships. At that time the
flying squadron was off Santiago with the
t Intention so far as I knew, of staying,
and [ also believe it was the intention
of Commodore Schley to coal his ships off
! that port 1 left Santiago on the morn
ing of the day on which the letter was
| written At that time the weather was
| fine and had twice urged upon Commo-
dore Schley the Importance of taking ad-
| vantage of that particular condition of
| weather, stating that it was better than
anything we had had during my stay off
| the port.
| Capt. Sigsbee also said that when he
had boarded the Brooklyn on May g.
| Commodore Schley had told him that he
was bound for Key West for coal.
Ibid he ask you if you believed the
Spanish feet was in the harbor at San
| tiago?"
ct don't remember his putting a ques-
| ton in such terms
The witness recalled a signal from
the flagship at that time asking him to
Inform Sampson that one-half of his
squadron is out of coal"
HUNTING CERvERA.
Mr.. Rayner questioned the witness,
bringing out the statement that the pur-
pose of his ships being sent to Santiago
was to- if possible, locate the Spanish
fleet. He said he had first seen the Span
ish vessels in the harbor at Santiago, but
that when he reported the fact, he found
the squadron had already made the dis
covery.
Mr.. Rayner read an extract from re-
port by Capt. Sigsbee, saying: "In this
report, dated Santiago de Cuba, made at
a. M, May 29, you say:
1--WE were then steaming at slow speed
! from Mole st. Nicholas Hayti, and well
in toward the coast, after chasing some
| vessels. / saw the smoke Of a number
of vessels to the westward ard irnme date
| ly made for the Santiago entrance, be-
lieving it possible that the strangers were
the Spanish squadron approaching that
! port 1cs
"All I want to ask is this: When you
saw the smoke after chasing a number
of vessels to the westward, and when
| you made for the Santiago. harbor en-
trance on the morning of May 90, you
! thought 1t was Spanish Squadron APP
| preaching the port?' 1is1 nj
mo, thought it might be the Span
ish squadron. did not say they were
| approaching port
Eyes, you say, approaching that port .
You must remember I had no definite
| information whatever"
Did you ever megaphone the press
beat Somers N Smith that the Spanish
squadron was not in harbor at Santi-
ago?'
| Never. One of the press boats hailed
me. saying Schley had the Spaniards bot
tied UP at Santiago. replied that we