Semi-weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings Co., S.D.) 1894-1898, 1898-06-14
FIGHTING WAS DESULT0RY
Began at Five in the Afternoon
and Continued Through
out the Night.
SpaniardS Removed Dead and
Wounded and Their Loss
Is Unknown.


st. Nicholas, Juno l3.-Lieutenant
Colonel Huntington's battalion OF
marines, which landed from the trans
port Panther on Friday and encamped
on the hill guarding the abandoned
cable station at the entrance to the
outer harbor of Guantanamo, has been
engaged in heading off a rush attack
by Spanish guerrillas and regulars since
s o'clock Saturday afternoon. The
fighting was almost contin uous for l3
hours until o'clock in the morning,
when reinforcements were landed from
the Marblehead. Four Of our men
were killed and one wounded. The
advance pickets under Lieutenants
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 was at
Richmond, Va, but he has been prac.
ticing in New York and he entered
the service since the war began. He
was a very popular officer. The others
&killed are Sergeant Charles Smith of
Il #Smallwood, Private William Dunphy
&of Gloucester, Mass, and Private James
NJ McColgan of Stoneham, Mass Corporal
%Glass was accidentally wounded in the
Mhead. The Spanish loss is unknown
but it
M Was Probably Considerable.
The splashes Of blood found at day.
light at the positions the Spaniards oc-
*cupied indicate fatalities but their com.
rades carried off the killed and
3Swounded.
The engagement began with desul.
tory firing at the pickets, 1000 yards
fnland from the camp. Captain
iSpicer's company was doing guard
duty and was driven in, finally rally.
ing on the camp and repulsing the
enemy at o'clock. The bodies Of
Us Privates McColgan and Dunphy were
found, both shot in the head. The
large cavities caused by the bullets,
Z which inside range Of 500 yards have
rotary motion, indicate that the vic
tims were killed at close range. The
bodies were stripped Of shoes, hats and
cartridge belt and
M Horribly MutiIated with Machetea
Shortly after midnight came the main
4 attack. The Spaniards made gallant
Charge up the southwest slope, but
were met by repeated volleys from the
main body and broke before they were
pne.third Of the way up to the hilltop,
but they came so close that at points
here was almost hand to hand
truggle. 1t was during this assault
Il hat Assistant Surgeon Gibbs was
killed. The attacks were continued at
Intervals throughout the rest of the
hight, with firing from small squads in
$5 arious directions. Towards morning
NJ ehe fire slackened. Dawn Is the favor.
te time for attack, and, as tho East
paled, the marines, lying on their
guns, were aroused. But NC attacks
came. Three new 2-pound field guns.
which could not be used during the
hight for fear of hitting our own men,
e. shelied Several squads Of spninards
fter daylight. The marines, though
ruch exhausted, were eager for more
6gnSing, promising to infiict heavy
punishment. They complime nted the
arlng OF the Spaniards with charac.
n leristic camp profanity.
Today the amplest precautions have
been taken. AS the Dauntless was leav'
ng reinforcements were landing from
he Marblehead, A stormy time was
xpepted.