Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-07-27
Santiago Hero to Seek Justice in
Court Of Inquiry.
NAVAL SCANDAL TO BE AIRED,
Dewey May Preside Over Court---Intense
Public Interest and the importance Of the
Issues Involved viii Render the
Case the Most Celebrated in
the Naval Annals of the
United States.

Washington. July "a The Wash
ingtcn Post telegraphed Admiral
Schley that in an editorial it insisted
that he owed it to himself as well as
to his friends TO begin proceedings
against Mr.. Maclay the author of the
History of the United States Navy to
dlsprove the latter's charges, adding :
I. Will you do this? Please wire state
ment.
Today it received the following tele-
gram:
Great Neck, L. |. july 24.-Eidtor
| Washington POST belivee the first
step should be an investigation of
the matter by court than a civil
Faction afterward. / am preparing to
fake this course.
w. S, Schley."
1t is expected that as soon as Sec
rotary Long receives the request for
court of inquiry from Admiral
/ Schley he will name its personnel
and issue an order for its assembling.
lit may be some time, however, be-
fore the court can get squarelv down
to work. A host of naval officers
will have to be summoned as wit
nesses, and these officers are now
1 scattered over wide area.
Admiral Sampson. who will, next to
kAdmiral Schley. be the principal
figure at the inquiry. is stationed at
the Boston Navy ard. The captains
of the vessels participating in the
Santiago battle are at various stations.
Thcrc-are other officers, who &C.
cupied subordinate positions, but
Whose testimony will be important,
Awho will have to be summoned to
Washington to give evidence before
1.-THE court.
A court of inquiry differs from a
court martial in that ii has no power
ITO inflict sentence. 1t is organized
simply for the pu. pose OF Investigate
ping questions of fact, but it has
ample authority 20 make the inquiry
COMPLETE and exhaustive. The naval
Regulation say courts of inquiry
shall have power to summon wit
nesses, administer oaths and punish
contempts in the same manner as
courtmartial, but they shall only
state facts and shall not give their
opinion unless expressly required so
to do in the order for converting.
! emo f,na N
! conferr ID upon these courts ample
| authority to compel witnesses to tes-
! tify. including civilians.
An important officer of the court
will be judge advocate. and recorder,
who interrogates the witnesses.
Secretary Long will undoubtedly take
unusual care in the selection of this
/ official, who may be chosen from the
list of captains who participated with
kD ,wey in the Manila battle. Under
the naval regulations Admiral Schley
will be allowed the attendance of
lcounsel, who will have the right to
Suggest questions to the judge adyo-
Zcte. 1t is not known whether Admiral
sampson will ask the privilege of be-
ing also represented by counsel.
Admiral Schley proposes to ask an
Xinvestigation at the hands OF naval
court of inquiry and then to sue
Historian Maclay for libel
His action is the sequel TO the de-
velopments during the past week,
when the etire country has been
stirred by the publication of the nm
sxampled abuse poured ont upon him
Fin the third volume or Il. S. Mac
Hays History of the United States
Navy, in which pu lication Schley
s said to have run way in caititf
: fiight and is in add ion, denounced
las a coward, cur, aad traitor.
The Schley court Of inquiry will
undoubtedly be one of the most cele-
brated cases in the naval or military
history of the country The high
rank of the officers involved in the
controversy and the intense public
i feeling which has been aroused Will
combine to give to rhe investigation a
[ dramatic interest. Nothing has oe-
blurred in Washington for m my years
bat will compare with it.
Mr.. Long has already stated that if