The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-09-28


I of the correctness Of the identity OF q
certain very important dispatch sent
I by the Harvard May p from on San
( tiagO by the commanding officer Of
the flying squadron. 1t appears that
in the process of translation from the
D. cOmmander-in-chief TO the department
some changes in the language of that
I dispatch occurred. I do not desire at
this moment to interrupt the proceed
/ ings by any discussion Of that point,
/ but s6all merely make the announce
I ment here that we do intend 10 enter
/ into that matter very fully and COM
/ pletely, that is TO say, as fully and
/ as completely as the court may desire
/ before We leave it.
Clash Over Dispatches.
! Lieutenant John Hood, who, during
I the war commanded the Hawk was
/ the next witness. He said that on May
| % he had delivered dispatches from
I Admiral Sampson to Admiral Schley,
when the latter was off CienfuegOs- He
| related that he had been called aboard
/ the New YOrk-Admiral Sampson
/ flag ship-On May p, when the officers
on board were preparing dispatches.
He spoke of the presence Of Admiral
Sampson.
Mr.. Raynor objected to the intro
duCtiOn CT conversation or OF verbal
orders, saying that the orders would
speak for themselves and must neces-
sarily supersede any verbal instruc-
tons The question was argued at
some length by Mr. RaynOr and Cap
tain Lemly- In closing his response,
the judge advocate said:
IAN objection of this character is
almost equivalent to Withdrawing the
request for an investigation He has
asked to have the judgment of his
brother officers in this matter. Let US
have it and don't put technical OBJ
structions in the way of having the
investiga ton
Mr.. Raynor responded briefly: It
only desire to state that while this is
our investigation, these are your speci-
hcatiOnS under the precept- We asked
for this investigation, and instead Of
letting US give the precept under which
we would ike to have the inquiry
take place, you form a precept of your
own Here is an applicant who asks
for a court Of inquiry under SpecifiCa-
tons framed by others and not by
himself
The court retired to consider the OBJ
jecdons, remaining out longer than on
any previous occasion. Admiral Dewey
read the courts decision. as follows:
Objection is Sustained.
''The court sustains the objection OF
counsel so far as il relates to CONVEX
satiOns that took place on board the
New York, but this ruling does not ap-
ply to any verbal orders which the
communicative chief directed witnesses
to convey to Commodore Schley."
Replying to a question put in ac-
ness said that his instructions were
contained in the memorandum handed
him to be delivered to Admiral Schley,
which was read to him The witness
then read dispatch No 8. from Samp-
son to Schley, of Nay q, telling the
latter that the Spanish squadron was
probably at Santiago.
He also read the Brooklyn receipt
memorandum showing the dispatch. as
well as the accompanying memOR -
q han OF ~
o. The witness identified these q the
orders he had carried. He 40 sid
that he had carried two Otifar erive-
lOpes, one containing Orders/ from the
department and the other 4 memoran-
dunn which had not been lead to him
He said he had arrived or .CienfuepoS
at Z a m, May %, and hs5Sd gone aboard
the Brooklyn for the purpose of de-
HVering the diSpatcheS
In response to a request from the
judge advocate, LieuAenant Hood re-
lated the converse ton lhe had had with
Admiral Schley after delivering the or
ders, saying that he l(the wftness) ha8
told the admiral that it was Admiral
SIMPSONS wish that the dying SQUAD
ron should proceed Immediately to San
Clago, as his Information was very
positive. His statement was as fol-
lows:
Couldn't Obey Sampson.
Commodore SchIey read the ais
patches, and then, turning to me, said:
Captain, Admiral Sampson wishes me
to go to Santiago I cannot do it,
4 told Commodore Schley that the
admiral certainly expected the SQUAD
ron to leave the instant 1 arrived. Com
modOre Schley then said, in nearly
these words; 1 am not at all satisfied
that the Spaniards are not here in
CienfuegOS. Besides. my ships all want
coal He also said that the Massa-
chusettS, Texas and the Brooklyn
wanted so many tons OF coal, ana that
the day before Captain Sampson had
sent him down the Iowa with onlv
half her coal supply, so that she could
not go anywhere; it was useless to
send ships down there only half filed
with coal.
I told Commodore Schley that had
passed collier conveyed by a gunboat
only little before daylight that morn
ing, and it would certainly be there
with a least 200 or 5000 tons Of coal
within tao or. three hours. He re-
ferred again to his belief of the SDan-
iards being in Cienfuegos. and stated
that he hau heard some firing about
forty miles from port, which he ions
to be a welcome to the Spanish SQUAD
ron; he had also seen some smoke.
which he conceived to be the SDanish
squadron. and he believed they were
there.
I said to Commodore Schley then
that the information which Admiral
Sampson received he considered as
definite; he had no doubt but the Span-
ism squadron was at Santiago
Commodore Scnley then said to me:
captain sampson does not UNDER
stand he Is not on the spot. and can
not judge I also informed Commodore
Schley that the admiral certainly ex-~
pected the squadron to leave sFnF1e-
dlstely, and that I had had verbal or
GERS from the commandments
which did not appear in my written
orders, 20 remain with the Hawk alone
at Cienfuegos after the squadron na5
left and conduct a blockade for a daV-
or two or as long as my coal summit
lasted"
L)escl ibe the commOdore's naTqyz-
on this occasion, said Catain AI.enl5.
chair all the time was talking to him