The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-08-02
in PERIL.

Admiral SIMPSONS statement that
the trouble for the probing of which
Admiral Schley has asked that a
court of Investigation shall be con.
vened by the secretary of the navy is
all the outcome Of spite and malice
is taken as eminently true by every
body. While the admiral in making
the remark probably intended to con
vey a different impression, it,
nevertheless, strikes a majority
of the people of the country
that he is the one who origin.
ally entertained the spite and malice
and that later on the burden Of bear.
ing the load was in part taken from
him by his friends and the naval clique
supporting him in his efforts to be-
little a fellow officer for whom the
nation entertains the greatest respect
spite and malice, it is noticeable that
Schley was not the first one to talk
and begin the unfortunate scandal
which now d%isgraces the navy Of the
country and causes accusations and
v%ilifications to be banded between
men as at a meeting Of fish
women. So bitter and senseless have
become the Sampson attacks on
Schley that some of the formers fol
lowers for the sake of truth and for
the preservation of the good name of
the navy as far as bravery and valor
in battle are concerned, have taken up
the defense of Schley, especially since
the infamous statements contained in
Maclay's alleged naval history have
been published. Evans, whom nobody
accuses of over weaving love for
ESchley, has come out in denial Of the
charge that Schley was guilty of COW
ardice at the battle off Santiago har-
obr. Besides Evans there are others
who feel no friendlier toward Schley
than does Fighting Bob" and who
have been heard from lately and they,
too, resent the charge of cowardice
against the man who seemingly has
incurred the enmity of the entire naval
department.
SIMPSONS admission that he had
read the proofs Of Maclay's book con-
tanning the attack on Schley and that
he did not enter a protest may be
taken as evidence of his willingness
to become a party to any outrageous
scheme or plot looking to- the humili-
alton of the man against whom he
has arrayed himself. Admiral Evans
statement in reference to the signals
arranged between the navy and the
natives of Cienfuegos by which the
blockading fleet the presence Of Ce-
vera in that harbor and their COM
munication to all the commanders,
except Schley and Captain Cook
of the Brooklyn, is another
very strong piece of testimony that
goes a long way to convict Sampson
of willful lying in his charges against
Schley and clears the latter of the
charge made against him by the Beau
Brummel of the navy that he loitered
about Cienfuegos after he knew that
Cevera was not there.
Now on top of all this comes Cap
tain Schley of the regular army, 4 son
of the admiral, who makes public
some facts in his possession and they
are not calculated to help the cause Of
Sampson. He declares that his
father has a letter from Sampson
ordering him to maintain the block
ade of Cienfuegos after Sampson had
received a dispatch from the secre-
tary of the navy advising him to
abandon the blockade and proceed
with the fleet to Santiago, where he
had reasons for believing Cervera and
his fleet were. In addition to this
letter, Captain Schley declares his
father has others and also matter of
another kind that he will introduce at
the proper time and cause some OF
those who are now bounding him to
wish they had kept still and allowed
the matter to die. In fact he says bis
father is. in a position wehre he can
make it decidedly uncomfortable
for a number of people and that
more than one reputation is in peril
of being severely handled before the
thing is over with.
: BLOSSOMS THROWN AWAY"
Under the above heading the Butte