Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1898-06-17
.THEF lSI.ENIAGEKENT
Marines Attacked by
the %Spaniards..
FOUGHT ALL SATURDAY NIGHT

Our Losses Were Four Men Killed and
Eleven Wounded-Assistant Surgeon
Gibbs Among the Former-The En-
emy's Loss Is Not Known.
Off Guantanamo, via Mole ST. Mich
olas, June 14-Lieutenant. R. w.
Huntington's battalion of marines,
which landed from the tran sport Panther
Friday and encamped on the hill,
guarding the abandoned cable station
at the entrance of the harbor OF Guam
tanamo, has been engaged in heading
off a rush attack by Spanish guerillas
and regulars since 8 O'Clock Saturday
afternoon
The fighting was almost continuous
for IL hours, until 6 o'clock this morn
ing, when reinforcements were landed
from the Marblehead.
-Four of our men were killed and IL
wounded.
The advance pickets, under Lieuten-
ants Neville and Shaw are u~naccounted
for.
Among the killed is Assistant Sur
geOn John Blair Gibbs, son of Major
Gibbs, of the regular army, who fell
i'll the Custer massacre. His home was
at Richmond, Va, but he has been
practicing in New York, and entered
the service since the wal began. He
was a very popular officer.
The others killed are Sergeant Chas.
Fl. Smith, of Smallwood; Private Viii.
liam Dunphy, OF Gloucester, Mass,
and Private James McColgan, of Stone
ham, Mass.
Corporal Glass was accidentally
wounded in the hand.
The Spanish loss is unknown, but it
was probably considerable. The spots
of blood found at daylight at the posi-
ton the Spanish occupied indicate
fatalities, but their comrades carried
off the killed and wounded.
The engagement began with desul-
tory firing at the pickets, 100 yards in.
land from the camp.
Captain Spicer's company was doing
guard duty, and was driven in, finally
rallying at the camp and routing the
enemy by 8 O'Clock.
The bodies of Private McColgan and
Dunphy were found, both shot dead.
The large cavities made by the bullets,
winch, inside a range OF 500 yards,
have a rotary motion, indicate that the
-
victims were killed at close range. The
bodies We're stripped OF shoes, hats
and cartridge belts, and horribly mutt
lated with m%atchetes.
When the marines were landed the
whole battalion was formed on thee
sides of a hollow square about the
camp on the hill back of the BAY,
where the warships were at anchor,
Sack OF the camp is a deep ravine, and
behind this are steep hills. The ada
cent country is thick with bushes.
The sky was blanketed with clouds
and when the sun set a gale was blow
ing seward. Night fell thick and i'm.
penetrable. The Spanish squadron.
concealed in the chapparal cover, had
the advantage, the men furnishing a
fine target against the sky. The Span
ish fought from cover till midnight,
discoverable only by the flashes from
their guns. The repeaters sounded
like crackers in a barrel.
The Marblehead's launch, with a
Colt machine gun in her bow, pushed
up the bay entlading the Spaniards.
and 1t is thought that some were killed.
marines trailed much blood
to the waters edge, and there lost it.
sharks are numerous in the vicinity.
The ships threw their searchliuhts
ashore, the powerful eyes sweeping the
deep tropical foliage and disclosing oc-
.casionally skulking parties OF span.
iards
Each discovery Of the enemy was
greeted by the cracks OF carbine fire
along the edge of the camp ridge or by
the long roll OF the launch's machine.
gun searching the thickets with leaden
stream.
shortly after midnight came the
maln attack. The Spaniards made A
t"''""' NAAIse up II southwest slope,
put Were met by repeated volieys from
pam body, and broke before they were
one-third of the way up the hin. but
they came SO far that at points there
was Almost a hand-to-hand struggle.
Inc officers fired their ~reyolvers.
The Spaniards got through the open
formation to the edge OF the camn,
Colonel Jose Campani, the Cuban lead.
sr' discharged his revolver and the Gu.
pans turning and finding themselves
without support, a heller g.. skelter
down the reverse side of the hill.
1t was during this assault that Az.
'lstant surgeon Gibbs was killed. He
was shot in the head in front of his
W tent the farthest point of attach
lie fell into the arms of priy,,a Ill