The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-11-04
POSITIVE SIGSBEE SAID 1T.
Statement of the Witness Barred
From the Court of Enquiry.

rum Aht ADMFd 81 Enquiry
The statement Of Frank B. Richards.
Of the editorial staff of the New York
World" and formerly Of the New York
SUM- which the Court Of Enquiry decIin-
eli 10 hear today. is as follows:
81 was I'm charge OF the sun press boat
Premier OF Cuba during the Spanish war.
There We're five correspondents aboard
the boat one OF whom was Mr. Sheehau.
now dead. ] was Of Cienfuegos when the
Flying squadron was there and left when
Commodore Schley started for Santiago
but in the storm we lost him. Then we
went 10 Kingston. Jamaica. for engine
oil
w hen We arrived at Kingston we OBJ
tanned from what we considered the best
sources. the most reliable. the United
states Consul there and other secret aa-
vices. that CcTyeTa WAS in SANTIAGO in
fact, that there was no doubt OF IT, We
stored mp with two weeks supplies and
started FOR Santiago. When We arrived
or that port we were held up by Ca1taiu
Si@sLee. who fred a shot al us. OK
planned who We were. that the Premier
was press boat. and that represented
ihe New York sun He asked what we
were doing there. and said that we had
come there because Cervera was in Santi-
ago Harbor-
Captain SizsbCe said: No. the Spanish
fleet IS not here / told him that we hal
Information % the effect that IL was. and
Captain Sigsbee replied.
ten YOU Cervera is not here: he IS
not I'm Santiago Schley has been here and
gone away again. II YOU want I'd ind
Cervera I would advise YOU 10 put vour
nose into CicufUeg0s or some OF the other
bays aloEg the coast. have already told
the New York World" boat and my
friend Sylvester ScoveI that Cervera is
not here, and they have gone away
Captain SiEsbce then added that he was
going away as lar as he could. and h
advised us to go. too. as he said q gun
boat might come OUT Of the haruor and
pick us UD- ! am positive that he did not
say "a torued0 boat. but he said a gun
boat We did 20 away ana went to Key
West. and upon arriving there the drst
thing We learned was that Cervera was
iu Santiago. and, Of course. that he was
there while We We're of the port. aud had
been there for eight or nine days
Il can never forget what Captain Sigs-
bee told me because some Of the men on
our boat Were put in disgrace for leaving
Santiago when CzTvera was there. and in
fact for accepting Captain Siesbee's word
that the Feet was not there. and also for
the reason that we had TO circumnavigate
the entire island OF Cuba because he had
misiuformed us There were five cor
respondents ou the boat and two Of us
wanted 20 remain OF Santiago despite
SlEsbee.s statement, but the other three
believed him and oUtyOtrd US. couse-
guently We went away.
Il subsequently met Captain Sigsbea n
GUa1tanamo and was introduced 70 him
by Captain McCalla. l was under the i'm
preston that Captain Sigsbe- had iurcu-
tioHaIy miSinformed Us. CAPTAIN Mo
Gala said that ne did not believe that
Captain Sigsbee would DO such % thing
that ne did not believe Sigsbce knew al
the time he told ME that Ccrvera was not
there When ] was introduced % Captain
SiEsbee and mentioned the matter 90 him.
he placed his hand upon my shoulder and
said
Upon my word I did not know Ger
vera Was in Santiago Harbor az the time
] told YOU DE was not there: 1 then did
not believe he Was there / have always
accepted his explanation as true"
With this statement together with that
of Aessrs. Graham. Hare and others. an
10 the effect that Captain SiEsbee stated
that Corvera was not in Santiago. tie rsa-
son for the retTOgrade movement is an
parcat. Yet the Court declined 10 herr
this evidence. which 10 SchIey is Of the
utmost Importance.
Tho ether witness who was prevented
from tcStilyiug because of the ruling of
the Court was George Lynch. correspond
ent of the London Chronicle" He WIS
aboard the press boat S1mers X smith
and heard the conversation 70 which Mr.
Hare testified.