Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1901-10-18
NEWS in GENERAL
scRLEY cOuRr OF INQUIRY

court of inquiry held but one session
yesterday, adiourning at ! o'clock I'M
til Monday, in order to give those
engaged in connection with the in
quiry an opportunity for recupcra-
ton. Captain Chadwick concluded his
testimony and Lieutenant Command
he New York as an assistant to
Captain Chadwick as chief of staff
for Admiral Sampson, and Lieutenant
Nathan c. Twining. formerly of :he
Iowa, We're introduced as new wit
neSSeS.
Washington. Oct l5.-Yesterday in
the Schley court of inquiry. Judge
Advocate Lemly concluded presenta-
ton of testimony for the government
and the first of Admiral Schley's wit
nesses was troduced. Captain
Francis A. Cook, who commanded
ADMIRAL (then commodore) SchIey's
flagship. the Brooklyn. during the
Santiago campaign. and who acted.
though unofficialiy. in the capacity
OF chief of staff for the comm odore.
was on the witness stand the greater
part of the day. He was followed
by Lieutenant Commander William
+. Pullman, who was senior watch
otricer on the New Orleans during the
Spanish war. and former Lieutenant
Joseph Beale. who as an officer on
the Harvard. translated the cipher
dispatches between Commodore
Schley and the navy department car
ried by that vessel. Among these
disptches was that sent by Commo-
dore Schley May IS, expressing his
regret at not being able to obey
the orders of the department and
explaining the reason why he could
not do so. There are some verbal
discrepancies between the original
draft of the dispatch and the official
print Of it, and these Mr.. Beale eN-
plined.
Lieutenant Beale was the last of
the government witnesses, although
Captain Lemly explained that he
would reserve the right to call 9th
ers if occasion should demand that
he do so. He mad no sooner retired
than the first witness for Admiral
Schley was called. This proved to
be the Cuban pilot, Edwardo Nunez,
who told Schley on May 26, 1898,
that he did not believe the Spanish
fleet under Cervera was in the har-
Dor at Santiago. .@.-
Washington. Oct. 16.--Only one new
witness was heard in detail by the
Schley court of inquiry yesterday.
James H. Sears, who was Admiral
Schley's flag lieutenant during the
Spanish war. He gave a detailed ac-
count of the entire Cuban campaign,
including the brief siege of Cienfue-
Cos, the retrograde movement of the
flying squadron in search of coal, the
blockade of Santiago, the reconnais-
and the bombardment of the Cristo-
boil Colon May 81, and the battle off
Santiago July 3, when Cervera's
fleet was destroyed. He expressed
the opinion that in the battle of JIly
3 it had been the Niscaya's inten-
ton to ram the Brooklyn.
Mr.. Rayner sought to secure the
introduction of the brief report of
the battle of July 8, which Commo-
are Schley prepared for transmits
sion to the secretary of the navy. 1t
was stated that Commodore Sears
had taken this dispatch ashore to
be cabled to the secretary but that
it never had reached that official
The dispatch was ruled out on the
ground that as it was not received
it was not an official communication.
Washington, Oct. 17.--The officers
of Admiral Schley's flagship, the
Brooklyn, occupied the attention Of
the Schley court of inquiry for the
entire day yesterday. The proceed
ings began with the recall of Cap
tain Cook and Lieutenant Command
er Sears, both of whom made ma
te1.al additions to their former tes
timony, and they were followed in
succession by Commander n. f.
Mason, who was executive officer
of the Brooklyn; Lieutenant Edward
McCauley Jr., who was signal officer,
and Lieutenant Charles Webster, who
had charge of the forward gun bat
terry of the Brooklyn during the bat
tie off Santiago and was a watch
officer on board that ship.
Captain Cooks new testimony
related to the uncoupling of the
Brooklyn's engines and to the voy-
age Of the flying squadron from
Cienfucgos to Santiago, explaining
in some detail the cause of the slow
progress made on that occasion.
Commander Sears spoke again OF
the conversation as having taken
place between himself and the Off I
GERS of the Massachusetts in the |
wardroom of that vessel on May 81, |
in which he was alleged to have
said that it had been difficult to get |
Commodore Schley up to the point
of undertaking the bombardment of
the oOlon, ana ne again Ien1ed that
he had said anything rejecting up
on his superior officer.
Commander Mason and Lieutenants
McCauley and Webster all gave ac-
counts of the engagement of July
3. Mr.. McCauley related in detail
the signals made in connection with
that historical engagement at the in
stance Of Commodore Schley. When
asked if Commodore Schley had said
during the battle for the
encoure yment of the men, this wit
ness replied: Give 'em hell, bull
lies All these witnesses testified
that the conduct of the commodore
when under fire was cool and cour-
ageous. e.