The western recorder., 1898-06-16
FIGHT ON CUBAN SOIL
x4n.Nss LANpsDAr ou~nrAN-
AMo. n
EIssa Hund-sd zasu Drive % the spsn-
iards and Plant the stars and Stripes,
Nut Aft>rward Have Hot rims-Four
Marines KILLED.

1879
| hut Aft~rward Have Hot rims-Four
| Marines Killed.
Denver. June IA New York-spe-
cini to the Republican says
A cable 10 the Herald from on board
the Herald dispatch boat on -GuantaIl-
nmo, vin Mole st. Nicholas, Hnyti,
says:
After n brief engagement in which
regiment OF Spanish Infantry was
driven headlong from Its position, 80
American marines were landed on the
enstern side of the harbor of Guam
! tnnnmo yesterday afternoon Ihe
landing was made under the protection
OF the guns OF the Oregon. the Marble
+, head and the Yosemite.
BY this stroke the American forces
gnined most desirable base. They
4 VIII now be able TO seize the railroad
which runs from Guantanamo TO Cab
mnnern, md they can take, without
trouble, several Spanish ships londed
with coal now lying In the harbor
whenever the coal Is neeeded for the
| American fleet.
This first landing In the vicinity of
| Guantanamo was accomplished In
| usohd daylight. The Spanlarsis made
n feeble attempt nt resistance, but
! they were forced TO flee, under the
| heavy fire of the American, vessels. 30
hnsty was their departure thnt- when
(, the Americans landed their first duty
was to hnul down the Spanish fng
left by the enemy. In Its place was
! raised the sfnrs and stripes, at the
I sight of which the marines became
wildly enthusiastic. Hs y
Captain Goodrich, with sixty marines
! from the Oregon, landed at II o'clock
to select n camping place. Crest
| Heights, n post overlooking the hnrbor
nnd the town OF Guantanamo, was
4 chosen and made ready for the
marines who were coming on the Pan
ther. This is fine site, the cllmatic
conditions being favorable, and the
1 point being iinpregnnble against mt
tuck by the enemy. r. ~
/ Before Captain Goodrell and his men
Ind finished their work. the Yosemite
lnnd the Panther appeared on-the
coast. 1t was then / O'Clock In the
afternoon. Awaiting the vessels from
Santiago besides the Oregon and the
i Aiarblehead were the Dolphin, the Vix-
en- and two collicrs the Sterling and
| Kingston The work OF landing the
men from the Panther began nt once.
4 In whalcboats. towett l,y launches. the
cntlfe fOfte OF SDu nicn WHT luhNHiJ
put ashore. They formed under COM
mnnd aof Licutenant Colonel Hurtlng-
ton, and went up 10 Crest Heights.
The landing wds cffccied In an l.otr.
without accident. II was known that
5000 Spaniards were, assenibled with
Bin five miles Of Crest Heights, and the
work of fortifying the base was begun
iforthwitb.eir
:. The spirits of the Americans were
| high, and the. work of mounting the
| guns went forward so rapidly that by
| hnlf-past three o'clock the camp of the
l'Americnnsl was capable Of resisting
any force the Spanlards would be able
| to send against 1t.
On Board the Associated Press Dis
| patch boat Dauntless. on Guantanamo.
sunday, June IL. via Mole st. Nicholas.
| June 12-I.ieutcnnnt Colonel X. w.
| Huntington's battalion OF marines.
| which landed from the transport Pan
| ther on Friday and cncamped on the
| hill guarding the abandoned cnble sta
| tion mt the entrance TO the outer hnr-
| bor OF Guantanamo, has been engaged
!! In heading on a rush attack by. Span
| ish gierriilns and regulars sllcc !
o'clock Saturday afternoon. The fight
4 Ing was almost continuous for thirteen
| hours, until o'clock this morning
when reinforcemcnts were landed from
| the Murbleheud, -Four of our men
were killed and one wounded. The nd
vance pIckets, under Lieutenapts, Ne
! wife and Shaw. are unnccprpted for.
/ Among the Killed Is Assistant Sur.
geon John Blair Gibbs. son of AfpjoI
/ Gibbs of the regular army, who fell III
i. the Custer mnsssncre. His home was n
Richmond. Virginia, hut he hns beer
practiclng in New York and entered
4 tlIp service since the war began.- Ht
was n very popular officer. The Others
killed are Sergeant Charles ii. Smith
| OF Smallwood; Private William Dun
| ply of Gloucester, Massachusetts and
Private james McColgan OF Stoneban
Massachusetts,. - -
Corporal GLASS was accidentalIy
wounded In the hcad. II,
The Spanish loss Is unknown. b'it Il
is wns probably considerable. The
sl,lnshes OF blood found at- daylight Al
the positions the .Suininr1s occupied
Indicate fatalities but their comrades
carried on the killed and wounded.
The engagement began with desul
tory firing at the pickets. n Thousand
yards inland from the camp. Captain
Spicer's company was doing guari
duty and was driven In, finally rally
ing on the camp and repulsIng fhe enc
my by o'clock The bodies of Pri
Yates McColgnn and Dunphy were
found both shot In the head sYht
large cavities made, by the bullets
which, inside a rnnge,fof 500 yards
have a rotary motion. indicated thai
the victims were killed at close range
The bodies were. stripped of shoes. hats
,nnd cartridge belts and horribly mutt
lated with machetes.
When they were brought in til,
whole battalion formed three sides OF
hollow square about the camp on tho
hilton Below In the bay the war
ships were at anchor, Inland from tn,
camp is, a deep rnyine and beyond thi,
Fare high. hills. The adjacent country
is heavy with n thicket growth.
The sky was blnnketed with clouds
I-and when the sun set a gale was blow
ing seaward. Night fell, thick and i'm
penetrnble.
The Spanish squads concealed in the
chapparsl seoyer. had 1.-The advantage
against the sky. The Spaplnrds
fought from cover until midnight, dis
recoverable only by the flashes from
/ their guns The repcaters sounded ifkf
crackers In II barrel.
l. The Mnrhlchead launch with n Coll
machine gun In her bow. pushed uT
the bay. enfilading the Spaniards. and
1t Is thought that some We're killed
Tho marines trailed much blood to the
waters edge and there lost 1t. Sharks
are numerous in the vicinity.
The ships threw their senrchlights
ashore. the powerful eyes sweeping
the deep tropic foliage and disclosing
occasionally skulking parties of Span
iards. 1t all represented transform