Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-06-18

last Saturday and kept up until Tues
day. At night, the situation was es-
pecially trying. Some of the boldest
of the bushwhacking Spaniards would
crawl within 80 yards of the American
camp. They kept the marines on the
alert all the time, and there was dau-
ger that the brave men might become
exhausted.
Just how many Spaniards there
were was not known. There is no
definite information on that point yet.
1t was ascertained, however, that their
camp was about four or five miles
away. During Tuesday, the marines
were reinforced by several hundred
Cabans, who thoroughly understand
bushwhacking methods, and on We'd
nesday the Americans determined to
put an end to the annoyance to which
they had been subjected. An Associa-
ted Press dispatch, sent from Camp
McCalla, by way of Kingston Jamaica,
on Wednesday at noon, tells the story
as follows:
The Spaniards have had the tables
turned on them and scores upon scores
of them are lying dead out in the
woods which for three days have
afforded them shelter from which to
shoot at the little band of marines who
so gallantly held their own against
overwhelming odds.
Scouting parties sent out to rout out
the Spaniards returned to camp at 10
o'clock tonight Tuesday, with news
of victory and bringing Is Spanish
prisoners, one of them lieutenant,
and 100 rifles and 10000 rounds of
ammunition.
Captain Elliott and Lieutenants Lu-
cas- and Balmon, 80 marines and Is
Cubans, made up one of the parties.
Captain Spicer, ,Lieutenants Neville and
Shaw, 80 marines and Is Cubans an
other; and Lieutenants Mahoney and
McGill, so marines and 10 Cubans the
third while fourth was made up of
Lieutenant Ingate, so marines and a
Cuban.
There are three ridges, and in the
valley between the second and third
ridges was the water tank, the destruc-
ton of which was the primary object
of the expedition. Between the first
and second ridges was one of the
Spanish headquarters, which Mahon-
ey's party went to take.
Captains Elliott and Spicer went
together to cross roads, whence one
party went east and the other west
across the last range of hills. Lieu
tenant Ingate was sent to the south
west to break way through the brush
to Mahoney's position; but lost his
way in the underground. His guide
acted so suspiciously that he brought
him back a prisoner.
The other parties carried out their
program with little opposition at first.
Lieutenant McGill, with one platoon,
found the heliograph station guarded
by Spaniards, who were soon routed,
many being shot as they ran. Mean
while Captains Spicer and Elliott and
Lieutenant Mahoney crossed the Sec
ond range, driving back body of
Spaniards. Mahoney stopped at the
cross roads and held the position.
McGill and his men headed straight
over the third ridge, crossing before
the other parties.
Early in the afternoon Elliott drove
the Spaniards over the crest of the
third ridge. McGill was waiting for
them and poured a deadly fire into
them, driving them back to the crest
of the hill where the Dolphin saw
them and let drive with big shells,
causing terrible havoc. The Spaniards
rushed down the hill only to meet the
deadly fire of Elliott's men. Span
iards could be seen dropping in every
direction. They attempted to return
over the hill but McGill's company
had pushed forward to join Elliott's
and resumed firing the moment the
enemy appeared, picking them off like
so many jack rabbits and with as little
compunction.
The enemy then attempted escape
along the crest of the hill, in the di
rection of Spicer's position but the
Dolphin again saw them and sent
more shells. Spicer's men now began
to harry them till in desperation they
turned toward Elliott and McGill,
whose men calmly picked more of
them of.
At the end of an hour there were
200 dead and wounded Spaniards on
the hills. The only casualty on the
American side was one Cuban killed.
The marines were by this time ex-
hausted, so the Cubans were. turned
loose on the enemy to follow up the
victory. They had been like dogs in
leash, and when they started the Span
iards fed in terror. The marines
marched to the block house on the
seaward side of the hill, where they
killed seven or eight Spaniards and
put the rest to flight. Here they
found the rifles and ammunition, which
were seized, and the blockhouse was
burned. Next the tank and windmill,
which furnished the Spaniards water
supply, were destroyed.
Meantime the Cubans had been driv-
ing what were left of the Spaniards
back and forth over the hill, Staying