The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-13

copyright, 1898, by the Associated Press.
On Board the Associated Press Dis
patch Boat Dauntless, off Guantanamo
Sunday, June u (via Mole st. Nicho
las, June 12).-Lieutenant Colonel r
W. Huntington's battalion OF marines
which landed from the transport Pan
Their on Friday, and encamped on the
hill guarding the abandoned cable sta
ton at the entrance to the harbor oil
Guantanamo, has been engaged il
heading off a rush attack by Spanish
guerillas and regulars since O'Clock
Saturday afternoon.
The fighting was almost continuous
for Is hours until o'clock this morn
ing, when reinfOrcementS were landed
from the Marblehead.
Four of our men were killed and one
wounded.
The advance pickets under Lieuten
ants Neville and Shaw are unaccount-
ed for.
Among the killed is Assistant Sur
geon John Blair Gibbs, son of Major
Gibbs of the regular army who fell in
the Custer massacre. His home was at
Richmond, Va, but he has been prac-
ticing in New York, and entered TIN
service since the war began. He was a
very popular officer.
The others killed are Sergeant Charles
H. Smith of SmallWoOd. Private Will
liam Dunphy Of Gloucester, Mass, and
Private James McColgan of Stoneham,
Mass
The Spanish loss is unknown, but it
was probably considerable. The
splashes of blood found at daylight at
the positions the Spanish occupied in
dictate fatalities, but their comrades
carried off the killed and wounded.
The engagement began with desul-
tory firing at the pickets, a hundred
yards inland from the camp. Captain
Spicer's company was doing guard
duty, and was driven in, finally rallying
on the camp and repulsing the enemy
by o'clock.
The bodies OF Privates McColgan and
Dunphy were found, both shot IL the
head. The large cavities made by the
bullets which, inside a range of 500
yards have a rotary motion, indicate
that the victims were killed at close
range.
BODIES WE'RE MUTILATED.
The bodies were stripped of shoes,
hats and cartridge belts and horribly
mutilated with In8cheteS.
When they were brought in the whole
battalion formed three sides OF a hollow
square about the camp on the hilltop.
Below in the bay We're the warships at
anchor. In the land front of the camp
is a deep ravine. and behind this are
steep hills. The adjacent 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 chapparel cover, had
the advantage, the men furnishing a
fine target against the sky The Span
iards fought from cover till midnight,
f7fc1ax-e.4-n HI Nv ba
their guns. The repeaters sounded
like crackers in a barrel.
The Marblehead's launch, with Colt !.
machine gun in her bow. pushed up the |
bay, entilading the Spaniards, and it is I
thought that some We're killed. The /
marines trailed much blood TO the |
waters edge and there lost ii. Sharks /
are numerous in the vicinity.
The ships throw their searchlights .
ashore, the powerful eyes sweeping the t
deep tropic foliage and disclosing oc-
casiOnally skulking parties of Span
iards. 1t all represented a transfer
nation scene at the harbOr
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 machine
gun, searching thickets with leaden
stream.
A MIDNIGHT ATTACK
Shortly after midnight came the
main attack The Spaniards made a
gallant charge up the southwest slope,
but were met repeatedly by volleys
from the main body and broke before
they were one third Of the way up the ,
points there was almost a hand to hand {
struggle.
The officers fired their revolvers. :
The Spaniards got through the open {
formation to the edge of the camp /
Colonel Jose Campina, the Cuban /
guide, discharged his revolver, and !
they, turning and finding themselves I
down the reverse side of the hill. J
DEATH OF GIBBS.
1t was during this assault that AS ;
sistant Surgeon Gibbs was killed. He :
was shot in the head in front of his :
own tent, the farthest point of attack. ;
He fell into the arms Of Private Sui
ivan and both dropped. A second I
bullet threw dust in their faces ;
Surgeon Gibbs lived 10 minutes, but 7
iid not regain consciousness. +
The surgeons of the hospital corps 4
hen removed their quarters to the !
trenches about the old Spanish stock \
Lde north of the camp =
The attacks were continued at inter- a
'als throughout the rest of the night r
With firing by small squads in various :,
directions. Towards morning the fire =
lackened. Dawn is the faVorite time .
or attack, and as the east paled. the =
larines, lying on their guns, were
reused. Some We're actually asleep. Q
s they had had no rest for 48 hours =
nd tired nature could no longer stand e
he strain. But no attack came
Three new 2-pound field guns which :,
ould not be used during the night for ~
ear of hitting our own men, shelled j.
everal squads of Spanish after day 81
ght They dove into the bushes like
rairie dogs into burrows as the shells o.
roke over them in the gray dawn. +,
AS the correspondent of the Associ- -
ted Press talked with Major Cockrell, :.
no was in charge of the outposts,