The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-16
BARBARous sPANIARps.
Kept Shooting Mt Marines While They
Were Burying Their Dead.

spondent at Camp McCalla. Guantanamo
bay. where the United States marines are
constantly battling with the Spanish guer-
rillas, relates several interesting incidents
Of the skirmishing on Saturday night and
Sunday. The camp of the blue jackets on
Crest Heights was so exposed to the fire of
the Spanish bushwhackers, hidden in
thickets on other hills near by. that 1t was
decided to abandon the position and pitch
the tents on the beach in order to have the
protection of the war ships in the bay. 1t
was about 1890 o'clock Sunday morning,
the correspondent says. when the work of
changing the camp began. With the Span
iards still popping at Them the men worked
rapidly, being occasionally interrupted by
order to answer the fire of the enemy,
and once to bury Assistant Surgeon Gibbs
and Privates McColgan and Dunphy, of
Company D, who were killed Saturday
night. Sergeant Smiths body had not been.
recovered and number of men under the
command of Lieutenant Neville were sent
out to bring the body from the place where
the sergeant fell while fighting his way
back to the camp but they fell into an am
bush and were obliged to leave the body and
cut their way out.
The scene at the funeral was impressive.
The bodies of the dead marines were
wrapped in black oilskins which were taken
from their tents. The graves were dug on
the edge of a hill overlooking the bay to the
northWard of the camp. A squad OF marines
from the Texas under command of Lieut..
Cyrus Radford acted as escort to the cor
tege as it passed slowly along the field
where the dead were to be laid to rest. 1t
was impossible for all the men to attend the
funeral. They had other work to do-work
on which depended the safety Of every man
ashore. While some of the marines took the
bodies of their comrades to their graves the
others proceeded with the main work. Some
of them were continuously on the outlook
for the enemy, while others were BUSY
packing up the baggage of the camp There
had been a lull for few minutes in the
firing and the men had a chance to look
about and see what was going on. one by
one as they took in the little funeral pro-
cesson stumbling over the loose stones on
the camp ground those who could do SO fell
in behind and grouped themselves about the
empty graves
The stretcher bearing the bodies had just
been lifted to its place and Chaplain Jones,
of the Texas, about to begin reading
the burial service when the Spaniards, VINO
could see plainly what the men had gain
ered LOT FAYE me ex ep eho OF ene Of
the party from the western chapparal ana
this action convinced everybody-if conv1c-
Spanish brutality and barbarism are true.
Fall in, Company A, Company b, COM
pany c. fall in, fall in" was the word from
graves were deserted by all save the chap
lain and escort who still stood unmoVed;
The men sprang everywhere TO arms ana
tents, their knapsacks, the bushes in the
hollows. boxes and piles of stones, with
BRUSH r They dnd ce began spng the
howitzers roared blue smoke arose where
the shells struck and burst in the chapparal,
and rifles snapped angrily. Then as the men
emys bullets came there was hell for the
Spaniards in that stretch of chapparal
fusillade in honor almost it seemed of the
dead heroes, from across the bay there came
the sharp crack of Spanish rifles. Another
force was hidden there, and, in futile anger,
were firing on the Sun dispatch boat, which
lay at anchor in the harbor. The challenge
was answered by the Texas, which opened
were fired by the battle ship, but the result
was that the Spaniards. were driven out
dTom mat b6 Sde and he Was T hit once
Shortly the firing ceased everywhere IN
the brush, and the funeral was resumed
The Texas still kept shooting with her
smaller guns on the chapparal near the
camp. Once more the men gathered about
the graves and Chaplain Jones began read
ing the Episcopal service. He had nearly
finished when the rifles of the enemy again
cracked this time to the east. dozen
men in the pits of the old blockhouseS an
swered and the chaplain kept right on with
the solemn service. When he had finished
the men again took their rifles and re-
sumed their work of watching.
Meanwhile the Panther which lay close
in near the camp landing. began Smelling
the brush to the east. She kept ar it for
half an hour From that time on less
trouble was experienced In the afternoon
the tents were all struck and carried to
the low stretch of land rising from the
beach, but were not again pitched. They
will remain down temporarily for the rea-
son that if they were raised they would
make too good targets while the Spaniards
in the brush.
AS the men marched down the hill the
Marblehead went off to the west and shelled
the hollows and neighboring hills with her
big guns The Panther kept at it, and the
a storm of shells. The men marched up
the hill again, and then the Spaniards fired
on the flag from four or five different
spots. Every shot from the enemy was
answered with fifty from the marines The
firing ceased for half an hour, but was re-
suned at o'clock by the Marblehead and
Panther. which had discovered a bunch Of
Spaniards in the brush to the west of the
camp, The firing was lively for a time,
and the Spaniards disappeared. Whether
any of them were hit or not is not known.
Little is known of the result of all the fir
ing on the enemy, but buzzards are gather
ing over the hills tonight and that is a
sign that dead men are lying there.
Lieutenant Neville, who was in charge of
the accommodating party who left the camp
saturday AFTERNOON, thus described his trip
to the Sun correspondent: Il had charge of
party of ten, and Lieutenant Shaw had
the same number. We formed a rendezvous
about a mile from the camp, and there
separated, intending to work back to the
camp by different routes. The first thing /
noticed was. the great number of cuckoos
we heard. At about $50 oclock we formed
a vedette, and while eating supper volley
was fired at us from the mountain. My coat
and hat were off. Without waiting to pick
them up | hurried forward with my men.
The Spaniards continued to fire, and we
answered them. The firing lasted for about
twenty minutes. We saw two. Spaniards
branches wrapped around their bodies so
that they could scarcely be distinguished
from the underground. / stationed Sergeant
Smith at point in the woods at about II
o'clock On my returning l found his dead
body in terribly mutilated condition.
THE cuckoos began to call from all sides
of us and I realized what had suspected
that the sounds of cuckoos were the signal
of the Spaniards We picked up Smiths
body and carried it toward the camp. The
way led along a narrow path, and from
either side of it the Spaniards opened fire
us. l ordered my men to drop the body
and to get cfear of the Spaniards. which
they did in about ten minutes. While stop
ping to rest among the trees we stumbled
upon some bodies. They were the remains
of a lieutenant and four negro men. who
had evidently been shot by our men in one
of the skirmishes early in the evening. The
cuckoos' call broke out again just before
dawn. Just as daylight began to break /
ooY11 w mo