Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1898-06-18
SPANIARDS MAKE
SAVAGE ATTACK
ON THE MARINES
Uncle Sans Tars Landed at Guam
tanamo Bay Have a Battle
With the Enemy,
FOUR AMERICANS ARE KILLED
Bodies of the Dead Are Stripped
and Horribly MutiIated
With MacheteS.
FIGHTING ALL SATURDAY MIGHT


on DOdIu the \NSoCltlcu lCSS hl9-
patch Boat Dauntless, Off Guam
tanamo, Sunday. June Il, via Mole ST.
Nicholas, June 1?,-(Copyrighted, 1s9s,
by the Associated Prcss.)-Licutenant
Colonel r.. w. Huntington's battalion
of marines, which landed from the
transport Panther on Friday and en-
camped on the hin guarding the aban-
doned cable station ut the entrance of
the outer harbor at Guantanamo, has
been engaged in heading off n rush at
tack by Spanish guerrillas and regu-
lars since 3 o'clock Saturday after
noon. The fighting vas almost con-
tinuous for thirteen hours, until u
o'clock this morning, when reinforce
ments were landed from the Marble
head. -Four OF our men were killed
and one wounded. The advance pick
cts under Lieutenants Neville and
Shaw are unaccountcd for. Among
the killed is Assistant Surgeon John
Blair Gibbs, son of Major Gibbs, OF
the regular army, who fell in the Gus
ter massacre. His home was at Rich
mond, Va, but he has beel practicing
in New York, and he entered the serv-
ice since the war began. He was n very
popular officer. The others killed were:
Sergeant Charles ii. Smith, of Small
wood, Md.
Private William Dumphy, of Glouces-
Private James McColgan, Of Stone
ham, Mass.
Corporal Glass was accidently
wounded in the head.
The Spanish loss is unknown, but
was probably considerable. The
splashes OF blood found at daylight at
the positions the Spanish occupied in
Dictated fatalities, but their comrades
carried off the killed and wounded.
The engagement began with desul-
tory firing at the pickets, 1000 yards
inland from the camp. Captain Spicer's
company was doing guard duty and
was driven in, finally rallying the
camp and rcpulsing the enemy at 8
o'clock. The bodies of McColgan and
Dunphy were found, both shot in the
head.
The large cavities caused by the bull
lets, which inside a range of 500 yards
have a rotary motion, indicate that the
victims were killed at close range.
Bodies Stripped and Mutilated.
The bodies Were stripped of shoes,
hats and cartridge belts and horribly
mutilated with machetes. When they
were brought in the whole battalion
A,,.~l T. IN1lL.. ,-- H.. -
camp on the hilltop. Below in the bay
were the warship at anchor. Inland
from the hill camp is a deep ravine and
beyond this are high hills. The adj
jacent country is heavy with thick
growth. The sky was blanketed with
clouds and when the sun set n gale
was blowing seward. Night fell thick
and impenetrable. The Spanish squads
concealed in the chapparal cover had
the advantage, the Americans on the
ridge furnishing fine targets against
the sky and the white tents. The
Spaniards fought from cover till mid
night, being discovered only at flashes,
at which the marines fired volleys. The
repeaters sounded lice crackers in a
barrel.
The Marblehead's launch, with a ma
chine gun in her bow, pushed up the
bay, enfading the Spaniards, and il is
thought that some were killed. The
marines trailed much blood TO the wa
ter's edge and there lost il. 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. 1t all represented
a transformation scene in the harbor.
Each discovery Of the enemy was greet
ed by the cracks of carbines along the
edge of the camp ridge, or by the long
roll nf the Iauncb's machin. gun
searching the thickets with a leaden
stream.
Main Attack of Spaniards.
Shortly after midnight came the
main attack. The SpaDiards made a
gallant charge up the southwest slope,
but were net by repeated yolieys from
the main body and broke before they
were one-third of the way up the hill,
but they came so close that Mt points
there was almost a hand to hand
etAhSCN- ciltSlo hoNa VIGIL AS
volyers. Three S~paniards got through
the open formation TO the edge OF the
camp. Colonel Jose Campina, the Gu
ban guide, discharged his revolver and
they, turning and finding themselves
without support. ran heller SHELTER
down the reverse side of the hill. IL
was during this assault that Assistant
Surgeon Gibbs was killed. He was
shot i'm the head In front of his own
tent, the farthest point of attack. He
fell into the arms of Private Sullivan
and both dropped. A second bullet
threw dust In their faces. Surgeon
Gibbs lived ten minutes, but did not
regain consciousness.
DesuItory Night Attacks.
The surgeons of the hospital corps
then removed their quarters to the