The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-09-26
COURT RECOMMEND.
Taking of Testimony il SchIey Ia,
quiry Was Resumed Yesterday.
-
TWO WITNESSES ON STAND
Admiral Cotton of the Harvard and
Captain Wise of the Yale.
NOTHING DECISIVE DEVELOPED.
Notice of The Orders 10 Proceed TO San.
iiagO de Cuba introduced.
NOTHING DECISIVE DEVELOPED.
RAYNOR SELECTED AS SENIOR COUNSEL
BY Admiral schIey to Conduct His Case.
o!nH One Session Today on Ac-
ount of Burial of Judge Wilson.

W. Ington, September 25,-rwo new
witnesses were introduced in the Schley
court today. They were Admiral Cotton
"ho' as captain. commanded the auxiliary
cruiser Harvard and Captain Wise. who
commanded thg auxiliary cruiser Yale dur
ing the Spanish war Both these vessels
We're used as scouts aud both came up
| VITA the flying squadron Off Santiago on
the 9th, Of May before the, retrograde
movement to Key West was begun.
Admiral Cotton testified that he had gone
! aboard Admiral Schley's flagship, the
brooBlyp. ON that date to take dispatches
TO him and he said ut first he gave him
four or five dispatches addressed TO the
commander of the squadron lie afterward
modified this statement saying that prob
abiy that all of these dispatches were ad.
dressed to himself admiral Cotton but
that they contained information which he
thought should be In Admiral Schley's pos
session. one of these was Il copy of n dis.
patch from Admiral sampson, which had
not been printed In the oflclnl records.
stating that the Spanish Geet was at san
tiago lie also said that coal could not have
been taken from the Merrimac on the 2Tth
OF May. the day on which the retrograde
movement to Key West was begun for the
purpose OF coaling
Captain Wise testified that on the 27th
Of May he had signaled Captain PhiHp
OF the Texas his opinion that CCTNera was
inside the harhor at Santiago. but the ties.
umony was ruled out During the day
Admiral Schley announced that ne had Sc
lcCted Mr. Rayuor as his chief of couu-
sci to succeed Judge Wilson.
When the Schey court of inquiry con
vencd at the navy yard az IL o'clock to
day there was general comment upon the
fact that the seat which had been occu-
pied In the beginning Of the sitting by
Judge Jerc Wilson WAS vacant. He had en-
deared himself not only to the members
or the court hut 10 all persons about the
court and sorrow was shown in every
countenance Comment upon his sudden
taking of was very general through the
court room.
In answer to question from the As
sociated Press. Admiral Schley today stat
ed that since the death OF Judge Wilson,
Attorney General lsldor Raynor would he
the leading counsel In his caSe, and that
he would be assisted by Captain James
Parker IF New Jersey and Mr.. NJ A.
league Of Baltimore as expert assistants
Mr.. Raynor will continue to conduct the
nomination Of Witnesses, as he has
been doing, and the other gentlemen will
continue in the same capacity they occu.
pied up to the time Of Judge Wilson'S
death Mr.. Raynor stated that II 1t he
came necessary I'm the preparation OF alb
stracting of the voluminous documents In
the case To employ assistant counsel or ii
he should be unavoldably absent at any
time, proper arrangements will he made
for that purpose.
The business Of the court was promptly
resumed at the usual hour.
The wall back Of the court was adorned
today with chart on large scale show,
ing the ground site Of the battle Of san.
tago on July 8. The southern coast of
Cuba in the vicinity of Santiago was
plainly marked, and the points at which
the Spanish ships went to the bottom or
"a the shore were all indicated IN plain
lettering There were also number OF
transparent charts which had been pre-
pared over night, sitting about In the rear
of the room, and which We're intended TO
Illustrate various phases Of the Santiago
campaign. All these had been prepared
with view of expedting the work OF the
court and all We're on large scale.
The first witness called today was Mr..
A. b. Claxton, the machinst ON board the
Texas, who had begun his testimony when
the sitting Of the court was SO abruptly
terminated yesterday morning by the death
of Judge Wilson
Before Mir. Claxton took the stand Cap
tain Heilner was recalled to make verbal
corrections In the official copy Of his tes-
iinony. He said he had several correc-
tlons that he desired to make. In one
case he was recorded as giving the bear
lngs and the distance OF the Brooklyn
lie said he had given the bearings and not
the distance. He made various other
changes. but they we're not material.
Mr. Claxton said on July 3, 1898 he had
been on duty in the engine room of the |
Texas The engine indicator had called Tor
fun speed ahead early In the morning |
which had within an hour after the he
ginning 81 the action been changed to full |
gpeed astern.' 70 his knowledge there |
mad been no signal for the reversal OF the |
engines. He said he had been excused |
from service In The engine room, but sril |
he knew that the engines were reversed |
for about two minutes.
The witness had said that the engine |
".S.ybaf Was the next change made In the |
Indicator of the port engine of the TexasF |
Full speed ahead
"What was the next after thatT'
"There was no other given for some time |
VIE" s1SG was further signal received by |
the Indicator and what was the signalF'
"Wlthin the FIRST hour OF the engage l
ment the direction was changed 70 full
speed astern.'
Can Won not give an estimate Of the |
time when the signal was given Tor fun
speed astern and how long after the be
ginning of the actonF
II shouid say within the first hour"
Was there any other signal given dur
ing that watch within your knowledge for
the port engine 10 revepef
There was none 10 my ny kSnoW Wed on.,n
room throughout that day were you nOtF'
Ware else were you on duty, If any
where at the tlmef
n was excused for time on account of
u" sAS a matter of fact, were the engines
'They were. for about two minutes"
Mr.. Claxton was not questioned by Mr.
Raynor
Rear Admiral Cotton, now commandment
orIthe Norfolk navy yard. WAC commanded
the auxiliary cruiser Harvard during the