The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-06-13
SpaniardS Attack Our Ma.
rines in Cuba,
lind They ARE FINALLY REPuSED,
Assistant Surgeon Blair Among
the Four Men Killed.
ROBBED AND MUTILATED.
The Bodies Hacked With Machetes
and Stripped.
BUT OLD GLORY STILL WAVES

BUT OLD GLORY STILL WAVES
On the Shore and in the Harbor Of Guanta-
namo Bay, Where 1t Was Placed by the
Marines Under Lieutenant Colonel Hunt
linton, Who valiantly Defended It From
Night Attack by the Enemy-Reinforce-
ments Landed From the Marblehcad Gave
the Victory to Our Forces.
Mole st. Nicholas, Hayti, June 13.-
"A dispatch boat from the fleet of
Guantanamo brings the following ad-
vices: Lieutenant Colonel r. w. Hunt.
1ngton's battalion of marines, which
landed from the transports Panther on
Friday and encamped on the hill guard
ing the abandoned cable station at the
entrance to the outer harbor of Guam
tanamo, has been engaged in beating
of bush attack by Spanish guerillas
and regulars since O'Clock Saturday
afternoon. The fight was almost con-
tinuous for 13 hours, until O'Clock
yesterday morning, when reinforce.
ments were landed from the Marble
head. Four of our men were killed
and one wounded. The advance pick
cts under Lieutenant Neville and Shaw
are unaccounted 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 waa
at Richmond, Va, but he has been
practcing in New York, and he en-
tered the service since the war began.
He was very popular officer. The
others killed are Sergeant Charles II.
Smith, of Smallwood; Private William
Dunphy, of Gloucester, Mass, and Pri-
vate James McColgan, of Stoneham,
Mass. Corporal Glass was accidental
ly wounded in the head.
The Spanish loss is unknown, but it
was probably considerable. The
splashes of blood found at daylight at
the positions the Spaniards occupied
indicate fatalities, but their comrades
carried off the killed and wounded.
The engagement began with dasul-
tory firing at the pickets a thousand
yards inland from the camp. Captain
Spfcers company was doing guard
duty, but were driven in, finally rally
ing on the camp and repulsing the en-
emy at : o'clock
The bodies of Privates McColgan and
Dunphy were found, beth shot in the
head. The large cavities caused by
the bullets, which inside range of
800 yards have rotary motion, indi-
cate that the victims were killed at
close range The bodies were stripped
Of shoes, hats and cartridge belts, and
horribly mutilated with machetes.
When they were brought in the whole
battalion formed three sides Of hol-
low square about the camp on the hill
top.
Below in the bay were the warships
at anchor. Inland from the hill camp
Is a deep ravine, and beyond this are
heavy with thicket growth. The sky
was blanketed with clouds, and when
the sun set gale was blowing sea-
ward. Night fell thick and impene-
trable. The Spanish squads concealed
In the chapparal cover had the ad-
vantage. the Americans on the ridge
furnishing fine targets against the
sky and the white tents. The Span
iards fought from cover till midnight,
discoverable only by flashes, at which
the marines fired volleys.
The Marblehead launch, a Colt ma
chine gun in her bow, pushed up the
bay enfilading the Spaniards, and it
is thought that some were killed. The
marines traled much blood to the
waters edge, and there lost it. Sharks
are numerous in the vicinity.
The ships threw their searchlights
ashore, the powerful electric eyes
sweeping the deep tropic foliage and
disclosing occasionally skulking par
ties of Spaniards. Each discovery Of
the enemy was greeted by the cracks
of carbne fire along the edge of the
camp ridge or by the long roll of the
launchs machine gun.
Shortly after midnight came the
main attack. The Spaniards made 4
gallant charge up the southwest slope,
but were met by repeated volleys from
the main body, and broke before they
were one-third of the way up the hill,
but they came so close that at points
there was almost hand to hand
struggle. The officers used their re-
yolvers. Three 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 them
selves without support, ran helter
skelter down the reverse side of tho
Aill. 1t was during this assault that