The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-13
AoW|S0N IS EXCUSED Sch|ey's Objection to Him as Member of Court of
 Inquiry Sustained.
DECISION QUICKLY REACHED
MADE BY DEWEY AND BENH4M
 THE OTHER MEMBERS.

Took Them but Fifteen Minutes to Reach the Conclusion After the Ques- tion Was submitted-HowisonM Made n Written Rejoinder to the Charges Testimony Supporting the Charges- | Court Will Not Meet Again Until | Howison,s Successor is Named.
 | Washington, Sept, 12.-Within three | hours from the time of converting the court of inquiry to-day it was announc- ed that Rear Admiral Howison was dis qualified from serving as member or the court and was excused from fur
 ther duty. This brought proceedings
 to an abrupt termination and caused a temporary adjournment of the court in
 order to permit the navy department to .designate an officer to succeed Admiral Howison. No further session Is prob able until the early part of next week. | It had been expected that litGe oifi- ] cial business would be accomplished on | the opening day and the prompt deci-
 sion as to Admiral Howison came some- what as surprise.
 1 Intense interest appeared to be taken
 by the public in the proceedings, and | though it was known that only very limited number of persons would be ad- mitted to the court room, and these by | card. a large crowd was assembled at
 the Washington navy yard where the 1 court met. to witness the coming and | going of the prominent naval officers
 who were to take part in the proceed
 ings. They came ununiformed and
 unheralded, and until the full dress uni forms had been donned at quarters in- l side the yard, for the actual sessions | of the court there was little to lend dramatic interest to the occasion. Ad-
 miral Dewey and Admiral Schley nat
 urally were the premier figures in pop ular interest The latter had about | him a distinguished party of counsel, including Hon. Jere. Wilson, Attorney l General Isadore Raynor of Maryland | and Captain James Parker, with MT.
 Teague acting as advisory counsel. The | German naval attache, Captain Rebeu- | er Paschwitz, occupied one of the seats | in the public area and the number of wives of naval officers present was noteworthy
 l A salute of seventeen guns in honor
 of the admiral of the navy marked the
 opening of the proceedings at 1 o'clock.
 The usual forrhalities on the opening of
 a court were transacted with dispatch. 1 The first skirmish was opened by Ad-
 miral Schley rising from his seat and speaking in strong voice, calmly and deliberately, challenging Admiral How ison's eligibility as a member of the
 court. Three witnesses were brought l forward in support of this challenge,
 namely, Francis s. Frost, William E.
 spon and Foster Nichols They gave | very positive testimony as to express l sions they had heard Admiral HoWison make, favorable to Admiral sampson
 and unfavorable to Admiral Schley. MT.
 Frost testified to statement Admiral
 Howison had made to him at Boston while the witness was seeking news as
 a reporter, Mir Spon to remarks made
 while he and the admiral were journey | ing back to this country from Europe on a trans Atlantic steamer and MT. | Nicholls' conversation occurred during
 a business call at Admiral Howison's
 private residence at Yonkers, N. Y. | On concluding this testimony the
 ouestion arose whether Admiral Howl
 son would join issue with the state
 ments made by the witnesses or would
 rest on his privilege to withhold any
 answer until he chose to submit it. The
 admiral met the issue by turning at
 once to Admiral Dewey and announc- ing that he would make writ of re- l ioinder to the statements of the three l witnesses. This rejoinder he prepared
 very speedily. While conceding the | accuracy of some points in the evil dence it threw considerable doubt on
 other points and disclaimed any recol- | lection of the talks said to have taken
 nlace on the transatlantic steamer.
 It was not sufficient however to
 counter-act the very direct testimony
 given by the three witnesses and more-
 over the admiral himself in concluding his statement, indicated plainly that he had no desire to remain on the court
 and was there simply in obedience to
 orders. He even appealed to his as-
 sociates on the court to decide all
 doubt full questions as to his eligibility
 in favor of Admiral Schley.
 Before submitting the challenge to
 the determination of the court MT. l Raynor cross examined Admiral Howl | son very minutely as to his personal | sentiments towards Admiral Sampson | and Admiral Schley and developed ! that Admiral Howison has expressed | certain definite convictions as to Ad-
 roiral Sampson retention of authority
 and responsibility, even while he was
 absent temporarily from the fleet at | Santiago.
 The challenge then was submitted to l the court, which under the circum- i stances was narrowed to Admiral
 Dewey and Rear Admiral Benham to
 mass upon. After hardly more than fif-
 teen minutes spent in the consultation
 room of the court, Admiral Dewey
 briefly announced that the court sus- | tained the challenge and that Admiral l uowison would be excused from further
 attendance. The decision came so
 oiuckly and so unexpectedly that it l lContinued on Seventh Page.)