The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-03
TREACHEROUS
ACTS OF THE
SPAN|ARDS
Private Apitz Gives
Some Incidents.
RED CROSS FIRED UPON
LIEUTENANT ORD SHOT BY A
DON HE WAS AIDING.
sharpshooters Picked Off Men WHO
Were Helping the Wounded
and Then Attacked the
Hospital.
RED CROSS FIRED UPON
LIEUTENANT ORD SHOT BY A
DON he WAS AIDING.

Private w. r. ApitZ Of Company c,
Sixth United States Infantry is here on
a furlough while recovering from wound
received at the battle of San Juan Hill,
and recounts some astounding tales of the
murderous treachery Of the Sapnlaros.
Mr. Apitz was shot in the hand while TAX
ing a wounded man from the field after
the battle, and says that the Spaniards
had no hesitancy about firing on the Red
Cross. and even attacked the hospital.
THE most wanton incident which came
TO my notice" said ApitZ, was the muir
der of First Lieutenant Ord of my COM
pany. The lieutenant stopped over
wounded Spaniard TO see If he could be of
any assistance to him, and finding his
lips parched offered his canteen. The
Spaniard pulled a revolver and shot Lieu
tenant Ord in the forehead. He stag
gered back a few steps and fell dead. The
affair was seen by private from the
Sixteenth Regulars, and without a mo-
ments hesitation he placed his gun at the
the lieutenant. Mr.. Ord was a fine gen.
rleman and officer, and the men under
him admired him greatly He formerly
lived in California. l understand, and has
q younger brother attending school IN this
THE death of Lieutenant Ord is only
one incident of the many. The SpantdrdS
would fire on the Red Cross, but knowing
that it was sacred to the boys in blue
had their firing line covered with the
Red Cross flags. The night after the bat
tie at San Juan when we went out to
bring in the dead and wounded the Span
iards had sharphooters stationed in trees
and these were constantly trying to pick
US off. though they knew the nature of
our mission. a number of the boys were
shot in this manner and when it became
too monotonous a guard was sent out and
not few OF the ShaTpshOOters received
their reward.
Late that same night an attack was
At
tack, but the SpaniardS would creep up
as close as they could without too much
danger to their precious selves and pick
of the wounded men as they lay In their
beds and shoot down the doctors and the
men who were nursing them A regi-
ment OF coiOred cavalry was sent out to.
protect the hospital. finally, and easily
put the sl1ulking Spaniards to rout
The American soldier has considerable
contempt for the Spaniard on account of
his lack OF bravery. The only real stand
made before our army was that when
the Rough Riders attacked the Spanish
troops, and then the number Of Spaniards
was so much greater than our forces and
their position so much better that they
deserve no credit for bravery. In every
engagement or skirmiSh which our regf-
ment participated in the Spaniards would
make running fight. They would re-
and never stood their ground, so we came
to look upon them as arrant towards.
The Cubans are thought as little of
by Uncle Sans boys as the Spaniards.
About all they did was to eat our food
and we had to be on the lookout contin-
ually to see that they did not steal our
ratiOns.
In marked contrast too our treatment
by the Spaniards was their treatment
by US l was brought home on the hos
pital ship Olivette and a number
of wounded Spaniards from the Maria
Theresa were taken aboard her. They
seemed in constant fear that they were
going 10 be killed When offered food
they at first refused 1t. but when finally
persuaded to partake of it were surprised
to find that il was not poisoned. One of
them who spoke little English expressed
10 me his surprise at the excellent treat
mont we gave our prisoners