Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1898-06-18

-, +ba Associated Press Dis
or Dot Dauntless, off Guantanamo
sunday. June y, via Mole ot' Nirhoi tI2
12-Lieutenant Colonel H. W.
Unntinqton's battalion OF marines "iiien
n'n from the transport Panther on
%riday and encamped on the mn gu"io-
fii1a 40 abandoned cable station at the
hs to the harbor of Guantanamo,
en.'J boon engaged in heading of rush
mas =. NV Snanish guerrillas and regulars
a;noa o'clock Saturday afternoon. Inc
eIkt;no was almost continuous 1or 10
oss mill 6 o'clock this morning, when
w. .ufo,ooments were landed from the Mar
,,aLood -Four of our men were Killed
"d ono wounded. The advance plckets
- Iieutenants Neville and Shaw are
unaccounted Tor. Co.,
Among the killed is Assistant Surgeon
1obn Blair Gibbs, son of Mayor GlDos OF
tbo REGULAR army, who fell i'll the Custer
nnossacre. His home was at Richmond,
Va hit he has been practicing in New
vorl and entered the service since the
war beoan. He was very popular Oh
fcor The others killed are Sergeant
charles H. Smith of Smallwood, Private
William Dunphy of Gloucester, Mass
and Private James McColgan of Stone
ham, Mass.
CORPORAL Glass was accidentally wound
ed in the hand.
Spanish Loss Unknown.
The Spanish loss is unknown, but II
was probably considerable. The splashes
Of blood found at daylight at the posi-
tons the Spanish forces occupied lndl-
cate fatalities. but their comrades car
ried off the killed and wounded. The
engagement began with desultory firing
at the pickets, a hundred yards inland
from the camp.
Captain Spicer's company was dong
guard duty, and was driven in, finally
ralying on the camp and repulsing the
enemy by 5 o'clock.
The bodies of Privates McColgan and
Dunphy were found, both shot in the
head. The large cavities made by the
bullets. which, inside a range of 500
yards, have rotary motion, indicate
that the victims were killed at close
range. The bodies were stripped of shoes,
hats and cartridge belts, and horribly
mutilated with machetes.
When the bodies were brought in the
whole battalion formed three sides of
hollow square about the camp on the hill
top. Below in the bay were the warships
at anchor. In the land front of the camp
is a deep ravine, and beyond this are
steep hills. The adjacent country Is
thick with bushes.
Americans Fine Targets.
The sky was blanketed with clouds and
when the sun set Il gale was blowing sea
ward. Night fell thick and impenetra-
ble The Spanish guen.llas concealed in
the chaparal cover had the advantage,
the men furnishing fine target against
the sky. The Spaniards fought from coy
er until midnight discoverable only by
the flashes of their guns. The repeat
ers sounded like crackers in a barrel. The
Marbehead's launch with a Colt machine
gun in her bow, pushed up the bay en-
tilading the Spaniards and it is thought
that some were killed The marines trail
ed much blood to the waters edge and
there lost it. Sharks are numerous in
the vicinity.
The ships threw their searchlights
ashore, the powerful eyes sweeping the
deep tropic foliage and disclosing occa-
slonally skulking parties of Spanish.
1t all represented a transformation
scene at the harbor. Each discovery of
the enemy was greeted by the cracks of
carbine fire along the edge of the camp
ridge or by the long roll of the launch
and the machine gun, searching thickets
with a leaden stream.
Hand to Hand Struggle.
Shortly after midnight came the main
attack. The Spaniards made a gallant
charge up the southwest slope, but were
met by repeated yolleys from the main
body and broke before they were one
thlrd of the way up the hill, but they
came SO close that at points there was
almost hand-to-hand struggle The Of
hcers fired their revolvers. The Span
iards got through the open formation 20
'ne edge of the camp. Colonel Jose Cam
PIMA, the Cuban guide, discharged his re-
VoNer and they, turning and finding
themselves without support, ran heller
skeiter down the reverse side of the hill.
~ was during this assault that Assistant
surgeon Gibbs was shot in the head in
'front.' OF his own tent, the farthest point
Vi attack. He fell into the arms of Pri-
'"te sullivan and both dropped. Sec
o"u bullet threw dust in their faces
surgeon Gibbs lived 10 minutes but did
hot regain consciousness.
Continued All Night.