Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-10-19
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
WHEN DISPATCHES WE'RE RE-
CEIvED OFF CIENFUEGOS.
Re members Receipt of Only. One Copy
of McCalIass Mem0randunl-Visit of
"a Capt. Cotton of the Harvard. 3i

| During Lieut.. Wells'ytestimony before the
| Schley court of inquiry yesterday after
noon he said that ON the 9th of May the
weather having abated Commodore Schley
| signaled to ask if the Texas could coal, to
! which the reply. was,4"Ca try" The
Texas and other vessels having coaled, the
| fleet headed to the eastward, arriving off
| Santiago about sunset. The next morning
| the squadron had steamed in more closely,
] and he had seen two of the Spanish ships.
! During the day off Santiago the vessels
Hay to, he said, while at night they steam led
| back and forth. -sEaf HGa i-yf ! .
Coming to the bombardment of the Colon
| May 81 the witness undertook to quote from
memory publication by the Navy Depart
| ment which had, he said, given him the
impression that the land batteries there
| We're manned by large guns.
| Capt. Lemly objected, saying the publ
| cation itself should be produced.
| Some controversy between counsel ensued
and Mr.. Rayner spoke of the objection as
| "a mere frivol.'' '-H r' Il
| To this Capt. Lemly responded: II OBJ
| ject to this criticism. Counsel has been re-
| peatedly. criticising and throwing, slurs on
| the officers Of the court. l beg that it be
stopped. 1t is unbecoming in a court of
| this character. 1t is extremely unusual.
May 1t ,pleaSezthe court, We are making his
| tory here. How will these things read in
history, even If they do come from the. at
| torney general of the great state of Mary
| land? They are unworthy Of a court of
| the dignity which this court possesses. 1t
| has not been done once, but repeatedly
| Mr.. Hanna Endorsed the statement but
| Mr.. -Rayner made no response merely ask
| ing the witness to omit the reference to
the publication and proceed, upon Capt.
Lemly's assurance that the original would
| be produced. 90
| Referring, to the engagement of May 81
Lieut.. Wells said he had gone aboard the
i al,,, tfc wit h Iowa Coh1n
| He gave brief description Of that en-
| gagement. He said he heard orders given
| to the New Orleans to fire on the shore bat
| teries. Continuing he said: Il saw during
| this action number of discharges OF
smokeless powder from the slope to the
! westward Of the entrance. Several shells
passed over us and dropped near u.s. The
| commodore at that time made a number Of
| joking remarks about some of us lodging.
1 do not think he lodged. He seemed TO lae
| at that time thoroughly self-possessed,
without and perturbation that saw at any
| time during that action.
WAS he laboring under any mental eX
element at that timer"
None at all that l could see. He was
| in a very natural frame of mind
Dispatches From Sampson.
| Mr. Rayner questioned the witness at
considerable length concerning the receipt
of dispatches while the flying squadron lay
| off Cienfuegos and also after it had ar
rived off Santiago. He first directed the
witness attention to dispatch No. Z, known
| as the "Dears4Schley" letter, and ELECTED
| from him the statement based upon notes
| upon the book copiesaof the dispatch pre-
| scented to him for Identification that two
I copies of 1t had been received, the first
| on the Odd and the second ON the oath of
| May. With reference to the McCalla memo
| randum, saying that good landing place
| could be found on the coast of Cuba, thir-
| teen miles to the westward of Cienfuegos
| it was shown that it had been received at
SIS am. on May %, and the witness said
| that as the Hawk had arrived at that
| time he thought the memorandum had not
| been received until then. @ss7;sss -.
| No. 8, dispatch from Admiral Sampson,
saying that the Spanish squadron was
| probably at Santiago and directing Admiral
Schley to proceed there will all dispatch
| If satisfied that the Spaniards were not
at Cienfuegos, also was referred to, and it
| was shown that according to the receiving
| stamp imprint it also had been received at
| SIS am, May %, and that another COPY
had been received onathe following day.
| While the McCalla memorandum was I'M
/ der discussion Lieut.. Wells stated that
| there was but one copy of 1t received, and
| then Mr.. Rayner asked him: do you rec
ollect any other copy of this memorandum
/ OF McCalia's being sent to Commodore
Schley, or through you to Commodore
Sehley, except this one memorandum that
| l now show you?
ST only recolleet receiving this one,' re-
piled the witness
| had become of Commodore Schley's papers.
| He said that they were all boxed up when
he left the Brooklyn and turned them over.
to him. Ly+4
| Capt. Cotton's Visit.
| MIR. Rayner also questioned the witness
concerning the visits OF, Admiral (then Cap
| tain) Cotton to the Brooklyn on May q
| and Se Admiral Cotton was then in COM
| mand of the Harvard, and the dispatch
which he had taken aboard the flagship