Evening journal., 1898-06-13
FOUR AMERICANS KILLED
The Spanisrds Are Repulsed With
Heavy Losses.
OUR FLAG NOW FLOATS IN CUBA.
lieutenant Colonel Huntington, Who Land
cd on Friday with 800 Men, Success
fully Holds Gunntanamo-RePo
ed Landing Mt Santiago.


MOLE 81. NICHOLAS. Haiti. June
1s.-Lieutenant Colonel II. w Hunting
toms battalion Of marines, which landed
from the transport Panther on Friday
and encamped on tho hill guarding the
abandoned cable station at tho entrance
TO the outer harbor of Guantanamo,
has been engaged ia beating of bush
attack by Spanish guerrlllas and regu-
lara since . o'clock Saturday afternoon.
The lighting was almost continuous for
i3 hours, until o'clock yesterday
morning when re-enforcements were
landed from the Marblehead.
Four marinee were killed and one
was wounded. Tho advance piekets un-
der Lieutenants Neville and Shaw are
unaccounted for.
Among the killed h Assistant Surgeon
John Blair Gibbs. son OF Major Gibbs Of
the regular army who fell In the Custer
massacre His home was at Richmond,
but he had been practlcing IN New
York and had entered the service since
tho war began. He was very popular
officer
Tho others killed arc Sergeant Charles
II. Smith OF Smallwood. Nd: Private
William Dunphy OF Gloucester, Mass.
and Private James McColgan OF stone
ham, Mass. Corporal Glass was acci-
dentally wounded In the head
The Spanish loss Is unknown, but II
was probably considerable. The splashes
Of blood found at daylight at the posi-
tions the Spanlards occupied indicate
fatalities. but their comrades carried of
the Killed and wounded.
Tho engagement began with desultory
1ring at tho pickets 1000 yards inland
from the camp. Captain Splcer's com
pany was doing guard duty and was
driven In. finally rallying on the camp
and rapulsing the enemy at 8 o'clock.
The bodies Of PrYates McColgan and
Dunphy We're found. both shot In the
head. The large cavities caused by the
bullets. which inside range OF 500
yards havo o rotary motion, indicate
that tho victims were killed at close
range.
Tho bodies were stripped Of shoes
hats and cartridge belts and horribly
muulated with aaohutes. When they
wero brought In. the whole battalion
formed three sides of "a hollow square
about tho camp on tho hilltop. Below
Ia tho bay were the warships at anchor
Inland from tho Hill camp Is a deep
The adjacent country is heavy with a
tinickct growth.
The sky was blanketed with clouds.
ana when the sun SET a gale was blow
ing seaward.
Night fell. thick and impenetrable.
Tho Spanish squads concerted In the
ohaparral cover had the advantage, the
Americans on the ridge furnishing fine
targets against the sky and the white
tents. The Spanlards fought from cover
till midnight, discoverable only by flash
es. at which the marines ared volleys
The Marblehead launch. a Colt ma
chine gun IN her bow. pushed up the
bay and enhladed the Spaniards and Il
Is thought that some were killed. The
marines trailed much blood 20 tho wa
ters edge and there lost IT, Sharks are
numerous in the vicinity.
The ships throw their searchllghts
ashore. disclosing occasionally skulking
parties OF spanlards.
Each discovery OF the enamy was
greeted by the crack of the carbine fire
along the edge of the camp ridge, OF by
the long roll OF the launch's machine
gun. searching the thickets with a lead
en- stream.
Shortly after midnight came the main
attack The Spaniards made a gallant
charge up tho southwest slope. but wert
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 rev0lvers
Three Spaniards got through the oper
formation TO tho edge of the canp
Colonel Jose Campina, the Cuban guide
discharged his revolver and they, turn.
ing and finding themselves without sup.
port. ran helter skelter down the other
side Of the hill.
IT was during this assault that Assist.
ant Surgeon Gibbs was killed. He wa.
shot In front of his own tent. the far
thest point OF attack. He fell into tn,
arms Of Private Sullivan and both drop
ped. A second bullet threw dust in thel
fQces. Surgeon Gibbs lived ten min
lutes. but did not regain consciousness.
The surgeons hospital corps then re
moved their quarters TO the trenches
about the old Spanish fort. north of tn
camp The attacks were continued a
intervals throughout the rest of tn
night with firing from small squads il
various directions.
Toward morning the FIRE slaclSened
Dawn is the favorite time for attack
and as the east paled. the marines ly
Ing on their guns. were aroused, Som
We're actually asleep, as they had ha
no rest for As hours.
Three new ~ pound field guns, whic
could not be used during the night fo
fear of hitting our own men, shelle
several squads Of spaniards after day
light.
Yesterday morning word came Of IN
finding Of the body Of Sergeant Smitl
He was reported as having been kille
at 8 O'Clock on the previous day. but
appears that he had been seen alive a
10 o'clock I'm the evening.
When and how he was killed no on
knows at this writing. Neither had III
men been mustered nor had the outpost
H.