The age-herald., 1901-10-23
SICSBEE GIVES SCHLEY WRONG
 INFORMATION He Mas Overheard to Tell Him the SpaniaTds Were Not
 at Santiago BRAVERY OF THE COMMODORE  Graphic Story of the Fight Told By Lieutenant Simpson, Who Was
 Watch Officer On the
 Brooklyn.
BRAVERY OF THE COMMODORE

Washington. October 22 = The Schle, court of inquiry opened today with Lieut. B. W. Wells, Jr., who was Commodore Schley's flag lieutenant during the Span ish war, still on the stand, but he was soon displaced to allow Yeoman Albert V. Mason, who had written the Brooklyn's s log for the period covering the Santiago engagement, to testify. MT. Mason ex- plained the erasures in the log entry re- ferring to the Brooklyn's turn on the day or the battle off Santiago. He was fol- lowed by Mir. George E. Graham, who as an Associated Press correspondent was with Commodore SchIey during the entire campaign
 MT. Graham's testimony covered all the principal events of the campaign, and dis cussed especially the bombardment of the Spanish ship Colon on May 31 and of the battle off Santiago on July 3. MT. Graham testified to hearing a conversa- tion between Commodore Schley and Captain Sigsbee when the latter came on board the flagship Brooklyn off Santiago May 26. He said he had distinctly heard Captain Sigsbee tell the commodore that the Spanish fleet was not inside the har- bor at Santiago. MT. Graham also stated the object of the bombardment of May 31 was to develop the Spanish land batteries and he said that the range was fixed at 1000 or 75O0 yards in order to draw their fire. He had heard no conversation in which Commodore Schley had said that the officers in their white uniforms were conspicuous objects
 ? The witnesses of the afternoon were Dennis J. cronin. who was Admira, Schley's orderly, and who also testified along the same lines as MT. Graham as to the conversation with Captain Sigsbee, Lieutenant Commander William R. Rush, who said he thought the viscaya had planned to ram the Brooklyn Lieut. Ed ward Simpson, who gave very graphic picture of the battle of July 3, and Lieut.. Edward T. Fitzgerald, an assistant en- gineer, who was on duty in the freroom on July and who testified that an order had been given early in the action to stand by for a ram.
 Lieutenant Wells Testifies.
 Captain Lemly began his examination of Lieutenant Wells by asking him whether there was kept book of records showing letters received on the Brooklyn as Lieutenant Commander Sears had tes- titled there was. The witness replied there was no such book kept, but there was a record sent to and received from the vessels of the squadron. Lieutenant Wells was also questioned concerning the risking of American ships to bombord- ment from the shore batteries, the or ders under consideration being those of April G. April 26 and two of May g.
 The first of the orders of this character stated that the department does not wish the vessels of your squadron to be ex- posed to the fire of the batteries at Ha- vana, Santiago or other strongly fortified ports in Cuba" and the others were re- garded as notifications of these. In the last of these, dated May 6. the department said: ''The department is perfectly will ing that you should expose your ships to the heaviest guns of land batteries, if in your opinion. there are Spanish ships of sufficient military importance protect ed by these guns to make an attack ad- visable, your chief aim for the present being the destruction of the enemy s principal vessels"
 After having read these different dis patches the witness was asked by Cap- tain Lemly:
 "Can yoH separate your knowledge with regard to the conversation with Commo- dore Schley so as to distinguish between either of the other two orders or both of these orders, and as to whether or not anything was said with regard to these letters here, which you have before you at the interview of May IS in Key West?'
 'No sir. do not distinguish between any of them. I have given my genera rememberance, which is that the order was not to risk the ships
 Story of Newspaper Man.
 George Edward Graham. the Associated Press correspondent. was then called. Ht said he was on the Brooklyn from Marcf 29 to August 20, 1898.
 "Did you see Captain Sigsbee on board the Brooklyn on May 26?''
 Yes, sir.''
 Did you hear him in conversation with Commodore Schley?"
 'Yes, sir; after he had reached the quarterback from the gangway he stop ped, and Commodore Schley said to him Have you got 'em, Sigsbee?' Sigsbee said: No. they are not here. I have been here for a week, and they are not here.'"
 We then went aft, further back on the quarter deck, and he continued the conversation. Schley said: Are you sure they are not in there? Sigsbee said: I have been very close to the harbor en- trance two or three times. Captain Cot ton has been in and cut a cable, and they are not there''
 You heard Sigsbee say that?'
 ''Yes.sir. I took some part in the con- versation."
 "Did you record that conversation and did Captain Sigsbee know you recorded it?"
 Captain Sigsbee knew that I was a newspaper man and was there looking for information, and Captain Sigsbee later took a dispatch written by me and revised by Commodore Schley. He took it aboard his ship and he was to deliver it to one of the small boats or else take 1t over himself"
 And Captain sigsbee took that dis patch?"
 'Yes. sir. It was open, 1t detailed the