New-York tribune., 1901-10-12
CHADWICK A WITNESS.
,,7ERESTING SESSION OF THE
SCHLEY COURT.
..,,rR. MEMBERS OF ADMIRAL sAMP-
sovs STAFF TESTIFY IN SUP
poRT OF THE PRECEPT.
,,,, rr,yGRArH TO THE TRIBUNE.I

,,, -rrr g,;RAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.l
.or OCT. ll-Three members of Rear
W., SIMPSONS staff and three young watch
Aon''N. .-o,, ships Of the Flying Squadron testi-
onlce'y -.,bstantiate the precept against Rear
heo y, " coblav to-day before the naval court.
Adnii'~- .~.,ed the practical termination of the
Ths' .ayocate's list of witnesses and Schley's
JUGS ,ao,ance will be developed in the course Of
few days ,.o,,,,, mill NOT ba dragged
Thas case was significantly shown by to-
ID" roceedIngs. particularly in the examina-
ce = his chief of staff, Captain French E.
n~ ,usot who. with Lieutenant Charles d.
.be commander-in-chief's flag secretary,
Ns themselves competent to supply all the
snotion that the court could reasonably re-
~ from Sampson. It was a day Of rapid
sDs with the witnesses With the exception
= r.n.ain Chadwick and Lieutenant Marsh
were not subjected TO material cross ex-
.,uo,ion. Captain Chadwick was heard with
h,e attention by the largest audience that
- bssn present, and the members OF the court
-. evidently deeply interested in all he said,
= .,ol,e with great deliberation, for the most
=. on matters not Of official record. but on his
= -acollection, and his explanation of hither-
= .bscure facts regarding the code OF signals
-. she insurgents and the reasons for not
s,,o the code to Schley were clear and TO all
sanearances generally satisfactory Nothing
-. be said was directly dscreditahle TO Schley.
- nsrbaps. when he told how he had pro-
..ad 10 Sampson when the latter sent Schley
-, ,ongratulatory dispatch on May %, which he
.sorgb, improper. There is every reason 10 be-
rore that this single incident, If II had been
rnorn at the time might have obviated the
=. controversy. Captain Chadwicks eX-
,,onstion of the secret source OF Information
-.ssssed by Captain Allen, Of the Army Sig
81 rorns who had inside news from an oper-
.,o- IN Havana every evening at O'Clock and
osacia1y its relation TO dispatches sent to Schley
- Nov % gave the defence much encourage
ment.
LIMITED TO sCHLEY'S CONDUCT.
After captain Chadwick had told of conversa-
.,ons IN the cabin Of the New-York, Schley's
.o,rse, sought TO have him tell OF certain talks
=. had with Rear Admiral Watson IN praise OF
scblev but Admiral Dewey, with considerable
,seor stopped him. and declared in a way that
~ wished to be final that the inquiry was linn
tied to facts regarding Schley's conduct, and
did not relate 10 that of any other officer.
The result of Lieutenant Marshs cross exam
., three record books which he kept for any such
nurnose as identifying the vessel which carried
no--;cular dispatches The effort was to show
TThen Schlev received certain dispatches. The
hooks were specific in only an insignificant pro-
nortion OF instances, and failed TO make any
mention Of two Of the four copies or McCalla
memorandum alleged TO have been sent to the
FLYING Squadron.
The third member Of SIMPSONS staff on the
stond TODAY was Lieutenant Ernest l.. Ben
nett of the New York, who occasionally acted
Cor lieutenant Staunton as flag lieutenant the
only important fact that he knew was that the
Colon immediately hid herself when the New
York anpeared off Santiago on June J. Ad-
niral dewey angrily ordered this stricken from
the notes and warned the Judge Advocate
against what seemed to be an effort 10 get
rrohibted statement surreptitiously into the
record This incident war one or the most dls-
agreeable that has occurred since the nearing
began
lieutenant Theodore G. Dewey. a nephew OF
the Admiral who commanded the after turret
Of the Massachusetts, described the blockade
and the reconnaissance. He had been tolo py
schley that he was going to have try at tne
Colon and had complained that ten knots Wouiu
give little opportunity for shooting. He had not
been directed TO fire on the batteries.
Lieutenant Albert Althouse, watch ofhcer OF
the Massachusetts,. went over the story OF Ihe
blockade al Cienfuegos. the voyage to Santiago
thing to the store of information already pos
sessed by the court Lieutenant Francis
Boughter watch officer of the Marblehead'
ninimized the importance of his vessel inside
the night blockading line at Santiago and told
Of the facility with which landing was mace
near Cienfuegos TO deliver supplies TO the IN
surgents