The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-10-02

ing been assured by Sigsbee that ht
 did not believe the Spanish fleet was il X Santiago"
 The witness replied: q stated that
 had see n nothing of the Spanish fleet
 l may have stated that I knew nothing
 positively or absolutely about it's move
 ments, but I recited certain events tC
 show that there was probability ol
 the fleet being in Santiago at that tipe
 In regard to the other matter, beg tc
 make an appeal to the court. This case
 is one involving regulations It has
 been stated by Commodore Schley in an
 official letter to the United States sen
 p.e that I expressed a certain belief
 Now it has been made a public matter
 think that either the court or the de-
 fense should allow me to express under
 oath what I really said. Whether
 expressed that belief or not, it may be { technically right to interfere with me but, according to the ethics of the na- val service, think the defense ought 2 to permit me to answer that ques- ton"
 We have no objection to that" said z MT. Rayner. "I have given an answer to that question. I have said nothing about my belief"
 MT. Hanna-"The portion of the question to which I should like to have you give an explicit answer is whether you assured Commodore Schley that you believed the Spanish fleet was not in Santiago"
 II did not say that T believed it was not there said I had net seen it."
 Ibid you give him any assurance which would point in that direction?" Sss'I made known first my orders from < the navy department, which stated that the Spanish fleet were reported to have arrived there"
 MT. Hanna then read a letter which Captain Sigsbee had on May 26 written < to Commodore Schley reporting the talk ing of the pilot Nunez abroad from the Jason and the capture of the British X steamer Restormel as a prize.
 He said in that letter: "No news here. II have seen absolutely nothing of the Spanish fleet" He reported also that the Restormel had 2,4OO tons of coal aboard and said that the commanding officer had said he was bound for San 5 tiago.
 Mir. Hanna also read a number of let ters among them being one from Cap
 
 X written from Mole St. Nicholas May 29, m which he said to the commodore: .ssDo ais you are doing and you will do < right" He also informed him that there were number of telegrams at the Mole for him, but that none of them was urgent. He told the commodore that the department expected him to exercise great efforts to keep the coal. Hr.- ,,irI, tN S1r ot tention to the clause: DO as you are doing and you will do right What was the flying squadron doing at the time you wrote that letter "
 spThat was based on the tenor of the cipher telegrams I found at the Mole from the commander-in- chief and from the navy department urging that the Spanish squadron be held and that ev- cry effort be made to coal ship. At that time the flying squadron was off Santiago, with the intention, so far as T know, of staying and I believe it was the intention of Commodore Schley to coal. his. ships off that port I left Sam tiago on the morning of the day on which that letter was written. At that time the weather was very fine and I had twice urged on Commodore Schley the Importance of taking advantage of that particular kind of weather stating that it was better than anything we had had during my stay off the port"
 Captain Sgsbee also said that when he had boarded the Brooklyn on May 26 Commodore Schley had told him that he was bound for Key West for coal. sDid he ask you if you believed the lSpanish fleet was in the harbor at San atiago?"
 II don't remember his putting ques- ton in such terms" # The witness recalled a signal from the flagship at that time asking to "in- form Sampson that one half of this squadron is out of coal"
 Mr. Rayner then questioned the wit | ness, bringing out the statement that | the purpose of his ship being sent to the vicinity of Santiago was to, if pos l sible, locate the Spanish fleet. Witness | said he had first seen the Spanish ves- l sells In the harbor at Santiago, but that | when he reported the fact he found the l squadron had already made the discov- cry.
 % Mr Rayner read an extract from a report made by Captain Sigsbee, say ing: Tn this report off Santiago de Cuba, made at 10 a. m., May 29, you say: We were then steaming at full speed from Mole St. Nicholas, Haiti and well in toward the coast after chas- ing some vessels I saw the smoke of a number of vessels to the westward and sat once made for the Santiago en- trance, believing it possible that the strangers were the Spanish squadron that port
 ssAll want to ask is this, if when you saw the smoke after chasing a number of vessels to the westward and | when you made for the Santiago en- france on the morning of the 29th, you thought that this was a Spanish squad ron approaching the port?"
 No I thought it might be the Span- ish squadron. I did not say they were the port"
 Yes, you say, approaching that port.'''
 You must remember I had no defi- mite information whatever
 '.Did you ever megaphone the press boat Summersmith that the Spanish fleet was not in the harbor of Santia- go?'' Never. One of the press boats hail. ed me, saying that Schley had the Spaniards bottled up at Cienfuegos. replied that we had had them bottled