Evening star., 1901-11-05

has been conducted as though Commodore
Scniey were on trial? Have we not had
the other side and our side all the way
! through? Have we not got II In the very
order in which the arguments are to be
presented. and we are compelled to view 1t
In that aspect as trial..
Capt Parker then referred to various
specifications of the precept. He cited in
cidents to show that the commodore was
In ignorance of the movements of the Span
ish fleet and showed that his information
indicated that that fleet was probably at
Cienfuegos. He was told at Key West that
Admiral Sampson had no Information about
\ the insurgents at Cienfuegos.
Some attempt has been made to show
that Commodore Schley was wrong in not
stopping his squadron in order to commune
cate in person with the commanding officer
of the Marblehead and In the same breath
he was condemned because he did stop his
fleet to communicate with Capt. Chester.
We cannot blow hot and cold in the same
BREATH" said Capt. Parker with emphasis.
While Capt. Parker was making his ar
gument little dog made its way into the
rallied portion where the court and counsel
sat. Efforts to persuade the dog to leave
the room We're without result for some
time, and the animal created a. good deal
of merriment by fHs antics in lodging those
who attempted to get him out of the room.
Says There Was No Delay.
The truth of the whole matter is.' con-
tinued Capt. Parker. that any one who
Will take the trouble to read the log book
viii see that there, was no delay on the
part of Admiral Schley on the voyage from
Key West to Cienfuegos.'sAisi
Captain Parker contended that the block
ade which Admiral Schley established at
C1enfuegos was eminentlys efficient after he
arrived there. He said some effort had
peen made to prove that the Iowa had left
Key West on the Goth and arrived at Cien-
fuegos on the 22d. and brought dispatch
No Z, and also the McCalla memorandum.
But that he said. had been controyerted
satisfactorily, and it had been shown that
she did not bring these dispatches. They
had come by the Dupont
He said the dispatches seemed to have
gotten out of order in some way, No.
having reached it's destination before No. Z.
He said that Capt. McCalla, although he
had been before Cienfuegos for some time
before the flying squadron got there, had
made no effort to communicate with the
shore. and that 1t was a well-eStabiShed
principle that the risk would have been too
great In sending men ashore in an enemy's
country: He said that every member Of
the court could appreciate this situation, as
they mad all been in similar condition.
The court would search the report made
By Admiral Sampson in vain, he said, for a
record of either one of the dispatches which
he had referred to. He said his friend on
the other side had handled these dispatches
very gingerly, evidently fearing that he
would burn his fingers
He then referred to the. blockade at Glen
fuegos and declared that it was in every
way efficient, as no vessel had gone in or
out of the harbor while the squadron was
there. except the Adula which was allowed
10 go In for the purpose of bringing out in
formation.
The Signal Lights.
Turning his attention to the matter of
signal lights, Capt. Parker said he would
rather trust to the log books in this matter
than to the slippery memory of witnesses
after SO long a period = ,..-- lr-
Whether these lights Were visible on the
I'D or 23d would have been hard for any
one to remember without a note having
been made of the fact. Where this fact
had been mentioned in the log book in all
three instances the entry, had been that
the lIghtS were seen on the 23d.
In this connection he said, it was a very
strange fact that no mention of the lights
was made in the log book of the Iowa.
W neither Capt. Chadwick ever informed
iantlc squadron what the signal lights
meant after he was to- about them on the
18th of May is not known
But it is certain, he continued, that no
such Information was communicated to Ad-
mlral Schley until the 24th when CAPTAIN
McCaila came on board the Brooklyn and
being told of signal lights declared that
they were made by insurgents. That was
the first information the admiral had as
to their meaning. Up to that time there
argued against Commodore Schley
Capt. McCalla had shown that from the
18th to the 9th no work had been done on
the fortlfications at Cienfuegos and 1t
would have been waste of ammunition %
have fired at those earthworks- -
Capt. Parker read the dear Schley" LET
ter and other letters received by the com
modore while at Cienfuegos