The sun., 1901-09-28
WHY SCHLEY DIDN'T GO
Dispatch Bearer Gives Important
Testimony.
rHOUGHT SAMPSON WRONG.
9bn m odore Believed Spanish Ships
ID cienfueEos and Didn't Want
n do Sail For Santiago as Direct
u ed by Fleet Commanders.

8 miral Dewey lost no time in bringing
T the Schley court of inquiry to order,
and, as usual, the counsel on both sides
Of the case were in their seats and pre-
pared to proceed promptly with the
business before the court
The session began with the recall of
captain Wise to make verbal changes
In the official copy of his testimony.
He altered his previous statement con.
cerning the order of the navy depart
ment on May 20, 1898, in which he was
directed to Uniform every vessel off
& Santiago that the flying squadron is off
Cienfuegos,' saying that he desired to
correct his response to the courts ques,
ton rs to why this order was not car
# rled out by stating that It had been
carried out. "The flying squadron was
Z ordered to proceed with all possible
dispatch," he said and added 81 did
3 not desire to inform the commodore of
ff1the flying squadron of his own move
ments. The order was to inform the
IS commander of the movements of the
flying squadron"
s The court then asked, did you di-
rect Captain Sigsbee to give Commo-
tlore Schley the information contained
In the dispatch from the navy depart
nent regarding the whereabouts of the
Spanish squadron"
81 did not"
Lieutenant Spencer S. Wood. who
commanded the dispatch boat Dupont
during the Spanish war, was then call
ed ana continued his testimony. Mr..
Rayner resumed his cross examination.
Tile witness said that while off Glen
fuegos he had been on picket duty two
miles from shore on the night of May
22 and had been instructed to signal
the squadron with two red lights in
case the enemy's torpedo boats came
out of the harbor.
MIR. Rayner then read from the testi
mony of Captain Harber of the Texas
saying that there had been no picket
vessels within the line of the fleet on
Cienfuegos. The witness said that the
sta tement was wrong.
Mr.. Hanna asked what steps had
been taken while the flying squadron
was Off Cienfuegos to ascertain if the
spanish fleet was inside the harboi
there.
"None that l know Of" was the re.
sponsc.
Was there any effort to destroy the
shore batteries there?
The witness replied that he knew OF
none. He said, replying to another
question by Mr.. Rayner, that vessels
IN the inside harbor could not have
paen discerned from the outside
Mr.. Hanna Makes "A Statement.
Lieutenant Wood was then dismissed
land as he was leaving the courtroom
MI. Hanna took occasion to say:
,''l Will make an announcement while
we are waiting. There has been intro.
duced before the court a question of the
correctness or the identity of certain
very Important dispatch sent by the
Harvard May 81 from off Santiago by
the commanding officer of the flying
Vsquadron. 1t appears that in the proc
less of translation from the commander
In chief to the department some
changes in the language of that dis
patch occurred. do not desire at this
moment to Interrupt the proceedings by
any discussion of that point, but | shall
merely make the announcement her,
that we do intend to enter into that
matter very fully and completcy-th
Is to say, rs fully ana as completely as
the court may deSire-before we leave.
Lieutenant John Hood, who durinY
the war commanded the Hawk, wal
the next witness. He said that on MAY
23 he had delivered dispatches from
Admiral Sampson to Admiral Schley
when the latter was off CienfucgoS He
related that he had been called aboard
the New York, Admiral SampSon's flag
ship, on May 81 when the officers on
board We're preparing dispatches. He
spoke of the presence of Admiral Samp
son. Mr.. Rayner objected to the intro
duction of conversation or verbal or
ders, saying that the orders would
speak for themselves and must neces
sarily supersede any verbal instruc
tons. The question was argued al
some length by Mr.. Rayner and Cap
tain Lemly In closing his respons,
the judge advocate said:
An objection of this character is al
most equivalent to Withdrawing the re.
quest for an investigation. He has ask,
Vo W navy tllc JuuSlllelll Ol his DrOIlpl
officers IN this matter. Let us have il
and don't put technical obstacles in the
way of having the Investigations
Mr.. Rayner responded briefly:
Il only desire to state that while this
is our Investigation these are your
specifications under the precept. We
asked for this investigation, and in.
stead of letting us give the precept un-
der which we would like to have the
inquiry take place you form precept
of your own. Here is an applicant who
asks for court of inquiry under spec.
fications framed by others and not by
himself"
Court sustnins Objection.
The court retired to consider the oh
lection, remainng out longer than on
any previous occasion. Admiral Dewey
readsthe COURTS decision as follows.
"The court sustains the objection n,
, counsel SO far as it relates to converso.
tions that took place on board the New
York, but this ruling does not apply ia
any verbal orders which the command
er in chief directed witness to convey
to Commodore Schley."
Replying to question put in accord
ance with this decision, the witness
said that his Instructions Were contain
z ed in the memoranda handed him to
be delivered to Admiral Sclley which