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Show Naval Celebrated Case. T HE NEWS columns of the daily press are crowded with reports of i the Schley court of inquiry, and I while the proceedings make interesting reading, at the same time they cannot fail in provoking a spirit of resentment resent-ment against the witnesses for the navy department. Since this investigation began the American people have been amazed oyer the conduct of officers on the witness stand to whom they recently re-cently paid honor as they have in the past to Perry and Farragut and other naval heroes. For example Lieutenant Commander Heilner of the Texas, although he may be reckoned as small fry compared with the principals In this celebrated case, testified that when the famous loop was made the Brooklyn, Admiral Schley's flagship, crossed the bow of the Texas about 150 yards away. This was too close for safety, he contended, and others agreed with him. When the chart was employed to verify the lieutenant lieu-tenant commander's allegations it was found that the distance between the Texas and the Brooklyn at the time specified was about 800 yards. When this wide discrepancy was pointed out to Heilner he escaped its consequences by declaring that the chart was inaccurate. inaccu-rate. As he was associatel with Waln-wrght Waln-wrght and others in drawing it this admission ad-mission of his own incompetence startled the naval officers present. Heilner next displayed his chivalry by swearing that the captain of the Texas had stopped his ship to avoid collision with the Brooklyn, but when he was asked why the ship's log did not contain an entry to that effect he fell back upon a statement said to have been made by Captain Philip, since dead, to the effect ef-fect that he did not want to put on record the fault of a brother officer. Fair-minded people who took stock in "Fighting Bob" Evans during the 3pan- j ish war now realize that he is an overrated over-rated sailor, and that some adjective ad-jective other than one denoting cour- , age should precede his family name. His testimony, like the others, revealed the burning jealousy of Schley which consumed those commanders of battleships battle-ships in that famous fight off Santiago. It appears that Evans, like Maolay, has also written a book to glorify his deed3, . and belittle those of others. Oh. what a fall was there, my countrymen. Admiral Schley's conduct from the timo Sampson began his attacks In i ( . magazine articles up to the present ha3 been a shining example of forbearance and magnanimity. The proceedings of the court of inquiry have revealed thi? injustice of some of the gravest charges under which Admiral Schley has suffered suf-fered In silence. But time rights all things. If 90 per cent of the American press represents the sentiments of the American people Admiral Schley is al- j ready vindicated, no matter what the j decision of the court of inquiry may be. j |