The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-04
COMMODORE SCHLEY DID NOT
OBEY SIMPSONS ORDERS
he Thought the Hostile Spanish Fleet Was in
Cienfuegos and Did Not Want to
Go TO Santiago.

Mr.. Hanna objected to Mr. Rayner's
methods of questioning especially 10
his Characterization of Captain Har-
Der's testimony as wrong, when Cap
tain HARDER had said distinctly that he
Ionly spoke from his best recollection.
This, he said, lis an indirect i'm
Ipeachment OF. the witness"
Mr.. Rayner again insisted that he had
only intended to bring out the facts.
Mr.. Hanna asked If steps had been
taken while the flying squadron was Off
lCienfuegos to ascertain If the Spanish
fleet was inside the harbor there.
Not that 1 know off, was the re-
Spouse.
: WAS there any effort to DESTROY the
, shore batteries there?'
| The witness replied that he knew of
none. He said, replying to another Ques-
/ ton by Mr.. Rayner, that vessels in the
| inside harbor could not have been dis
cerned from the outside.
Lieutenant Wood was then dismissed
and as he was leaving the court room.
Mr.. Hanna took occasion to say:
Il will make an announcement while
We are waiting. There has been intro
duced before the court a question of the
correctness of the identity of a certain
very important dispatch sent bv the
harvard, May 9th, from on Santiago.
by the commanding officer of the f1ying
squadron 1t appears that in the process
of translation from the commander-tn-
chlef TO the department some changes
IN the language of that dispatch occur
red. l do not desire at this moment to
interrupt the proceedings by any discus
sion OF that point, but 1 shall merely
make the announcement here that we do
INTEND to enter into that matter very
Iuily and completely; that Is to say. as
1ully and as completely as the court
may desire before we leave it,
Lieutenant John Hood, who, during the
war, commanded the Hawk, was the
next witness. He said that on Nav 23d
he had delivered dispatches from Adj
miral Sampson to Admiral Schley, when
the latter was off Cienfugos. He related
that he had been called aboard the New
York-Admiral SIMPSONS fiagship-on
May 21st, when the officers on board
were preparing dispatches. He spoke of
the presence of Admiral Sampson. Mr..
Rayner objected to the introduction or
conversation or of verbal orders. saving
that the orders would speak for them
selves, and must necessarily supersede
any verbal instructions. The question S
was argued at some length by Mr.. Ray
1er and Captain LemIy. In closing his
'esponse, the Judge Advocate said:
An objection of this character Is al
most equivalent to withdrawing the re-
luest for an investigation. He has ask '
ID to have the judgment of his brother
ulcers in this matter. Let us have it, \
nd don't put technical distractions in
he way of having the investigations
Mr.. Rayner responded briefly:
only desire to state that while this >.
our investigation, these are your speci- I
cations under the precept We asked +
pr this Investigation, and instead of
citing US give the precept under which :
e would ike to have the inquiry take !,
ace ace you form a precept of your own 4,
Lere Is an applicant who asks for a a.
ourt of inquiry under specifications ~
AIMED by others and not by himself >,
me court retired to consider the oh r
ctlon' remaining out longer than on -
ny previous occasion. Admiral Dewey -
ad the courts decision, as follows: .,
me court sustains the objection of -
,uIsei SO iar as 1t relates to converse e.
ons that took place on board the New -
DIRK, but this ruling does not ann1v +o O..
~ verbal orders which the Command ne
-n-chlef directed witnesses to convav PC
Commodore Schley" 81
0eplylng TO question put in connec
m with this decision, the witness said
instructions were contained In the
smorandum handed to him to be deliv-
him "s fedu
The witness then read dispatch No Q ~
I'M Sampson to SchIey, of Nav 21st &c, eo
ing the latter that the Spanish SQUAD. ny
l was probably at Santiago. He also va
La the brooklyn receipt memoran dun, alb
WING Ihat the dispatch. as well as the sis
'olhpahy1ng memorandum, had been u.s.
eiVed at sos a. M, May 23d The wit the
y ioehtIled these as the orders he had he.
Fled. He also said that he had car -,
= t"o other envelopes, one containing ~
ers from the department and the 9th. aiV
memorandum which had not been blu
q to him. ker
e said he arrived off Cienfuegos at frie
m'' May 23d, and had gone aboard har
brooklyn for the purpose Of deliver tba
the dispatches. In response to a re- -
Hood related the conversa t;or, 11 h has prit
with Admiral Schley after deIivarir,o- has
orders. saying that he the witness1 Mis-
told the Admiral that it was Ad- ten!
al SIMPSONS wish that the dvine
adron should proceed Immediately to
tiago, as his information was very
tive. His statement was as follows:
commodore Schley read the dispatches A
then turning to me. said: Captain volt
1iral Sampson wishes me to 20 to dre,
tiago. I cannot do it,
told Commodore Schlev that tho Al 90ii'
Il certainly expected the squadron seFN
cave the instant I arrived. Conmo- for
Schley then said. in nearly these to S
as i am not at all satisfied that the how
, 3, rs are not mere at Cienfuegos'" dish
Sept. Pin the SchIev duet
I at 2;9O. Judge Advocate L,emly 49,
letter from Admiral Sampson dat va.
II Lake Sunapee. n. H, September ana
asking that Messrs Stanton and glas
poen be allowed to represent him in little
case. The court decided that they the
4 not appear. u,bo