The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-10-01

battleship. He said that when he went
to the engine room the vessel was go
ing ahead. The next signal" he said.
was to stop, a minute afternward, to
reverse. The engines were then re-
versed.-
was very brief. the revolutions not ex-
ceeding 100 and the time being short
He had. he said, heard afterward tha<
the reversal was because they were
passing the Brooklyn.
LIEUTENANT WOOD TESTIFIES.
Lieutenant Spencer S. Wood, who
commanded the dispatch boat Dupont
during h Spanish war was the mex
witness.
He related the particulars OF his mis-
sion as a dispatch carrier from Admir-
al Sampson, lying at Key West to Adj
miral Schley, who was of C~ienfuegos-
He had left Key West on May Goth,
carrying dispatches of which the Iowa
carried duplicates, ar had reached
C~ienfuegos several hours in advance OF
Iowa.
"On my arrival" the witness said.
I went aboard and personally delivered
the dispatches which / carried from
Admiral Sampson to Commodore SchIey
In his cabin, at 8 o'clock. He asked me
Admiral SIMPSONS idea about where
the Spanish squadron was. I told him
= ~ " hIoM cIl ne IOlu lie he
thought the Spanish squadron was
there. He had heard firing and was
almost convinced that they were there.
The conversation was on the line to
endeavor TO find out from me what Id
miral SIMPSONS plains were. / could
give him no information"
How long were you on board the
fagship?"
Until just before luncheon"
Have you anything further to state
with respect TO this interview which
will bear upon the subject of this in
Quiry?"
THE commodore hesitated slime
about giving me coal He did not think
he could spare coal at first. 1 said il
was absolutely necessary; that We We're
almost out Of coal, having made the
run from Key West. He said: Very
we'll, go below and 1 will think it over
l went below to the WARD room, and
was afterward called VI n informed
that they would give me coal. I had
never before met the admiral. He i'm
pressed me as being very nervous. H.
would get up and wall around, come
back and sit down, and a number of
questions he asked me about Admiral
SIMPSONS intentions 1 was unable 10
answer"
IF 1 understood you clearly, you had
no knowledge Of the contents the
"llISh W oCllES ISu
Admiral Sampson did not tell me
what was in them. He simply told me
these were duplicates of the dispatches
he was sending by the Iowa. These
duplicates he said he gave to me be-
cause he thought the Dupont could
make better speed"
Did the admiral read the dispatches
in your presence?"
ooh, yes!"
did he advise you Of their contents
them"
H did not tell me positively what
they were, 1 gathered while I was
aboard the flagship what they contain
ed. but whether it was while I was in
the cabin or later in the ward room I
do not know. 1 never saw their con-
tents and Admiral Sampson never told
me what they We're"
Asked by Mr.. Raynor if Admiral
Sampson or any n else had informed
him before he left Key West for Glen
fuegos that a code of signals had been
agreed upon between the American
forces n the Cuban insurgents. Lieu
tenant Wood replied in the negative.
He had not, ne said, received such in
formation officially, but he added that
it was current talk at Key West that
the Marblehead on a previous trip had
established communication with the
Cubans. If, however, a code had been
arranged he did not know of the fact.
Before Lieutenant Wood had conclud-
ed his testimony the court adjourned.