The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-10-11
JUDGE ADVOCATE LEMLEY ADJ
MITS THE FACT.
VESSELS NOT TOBE EXPOSED
To Fire of Land Batteries at Hav-
ana, Santiago or Other Strong
ly Fortified Points.

Washington, Oct. 9-In the Schley
court of inquiry today, Lieutenant
Mark L Bristol completed his testi-
mony begun yesterday and three new
witnesses were introduced. They
were Rear Admiral Henry c.. Talyor,
who as captain commanded the bats
tleship Indiana during the war with
Spain; Lieutenant Commander Tenn
pin M. Potts, who was navigator of
the battleship Massachusetts during
that period, and Lieutenant Edward
F. Leiper who was on the New Or
leans during the war, the last named
being still on the stand when the
court adjourned for the day.
Admiral Taylor related incidents of
the battle off Santiago on July 8, in
Guiding the Brooklyn's famous turn.
He said that none of the Spanish
ships had made any effort to ram the
vessels when they came out
of the harbor at Santiago.
Commander. Potts testimony dealt
especially with the bombardment of
the Colon. Answering a question
from Judge Advocate Lemly as to the
conduct of Commodore Schley, during
the engagement, he said it was that
Of a man laboring under great mental
excitement and of a man who was
anxious to discharge as soon as pos
sible a disagreeable duty. Lieutenant
Leiper expressed the opinion that the
Spanish shore batteries at Santiago
had not been at any time formidable.
During Commander Potts examina-
ton, Mr.. Rayner secured permission
from the court to introduce as evil
dence the order of Secretary Long
to Admiral Sampson, dated April 6,
in which he was admonished against
the exposing of American vessels to
the fire of strongly fortified ports.
The paragraph in that order which
he especially wished to have consid-
ered reads as follows:
"The department does not wish the
vessels of your squadron to be ex-
posed to the fire of the batteries at
Havana. Santiago de Cuba or other
strongly fortified ports in Cuba, un-
less the more, formidable Spanish yes
sells should take refuge within those
harbors. Even in that case the de-
partment would suggest that a rigid
blockade and employment of our tor
pedo boats might accomplish the de-
sired object, viz: The destruction
of the enemy's vessels, without sub
jecting unnecessarily our own men
Of wal to the fire of the land batter
ies."
This dispatch also contains the fol-
lowing order:
1.-THE department further desires
that in case of war you will maintain
a strict blockade of Cuba, particularly
at the ports of Havana, Matenzas, and
if possible, of Santiago de Cuba, Man
zinallo and Cienfuegos."
Washington, Oct. 1O-Just before
the Schley court of inquiry adjourned
today Judge Advocate Lemly intro
duced Lieutenant j. H. Holden, form
erly watch officer on the Scorpion, as
a witness. Lieutenant Holden signed
the entry in the Scorpions log, giving
the place of the receipt of a message
for Commodore Schley, from the
Eagle, which that vessel had brought
from Captain McCally on May 10,
1898, when the flying squadron, then
bound for C%ienfuegos, fell in with
Captain McCalla's sub-squadron,
which had just left that port. The
government had sought to show that
by this message Commodore Schley
had been notified that the Spanish
fleet vas not in the harbor of Glen
fuegos, and Lieutenant Commander
Switzerland, of the Eagle, had testi-
fled that he had megaphoned to the
Scorpion that there was only a tor
pedo boat and several cannoders in
that harbor. Captain Lemly told the
court today that the log of the Scor-
poin did not show the receipt of the
message in this form, and that he
was prepared to admit that the evil
dence did not carry that message to
Commodore Schley.
Other witnesses of the day were
Lieutenant Commander w. H. Schu-
tez, who served on the Iowa, and
Lieutenant A. w. Grant, who was on
the Massachusetts, who testified con-
corning the general commission of
the flying squadron. Lieutenant Ed
wards of the Neiper concluded his
testimony, begun yesterday.
SIMPSONS Lawyer Uneasy.