Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-06-16
Fierce Battle Between Marines,
Spanish Guerrilas and Regu-
lars AT Guantanamo.
ENGAGEMENT ALMOST CONTINUOUS.
Ii Commenced at Three 0'Clock Satur-
day Afternoon and Ended at Six
O'Clock Sunday Morning.
-Four Of Our Men Killed aud One Wounded
Advance Picket tnsccounted For
Spanish Loss Unknown hut
b Was Probably Large.

ON Board TIM DIsrATCH Boar nAUNT-
LESS, orr GUANTANANo. sunday. June
IL, via Mon ST NICHOLAS. Hayti.
June ls.-Lieut. Col. X. ". Hunting
tons battalion marines. which landed
from the transport Panther on Friday
and encamped on the hill guarding the
abandoned cable station at the en-
trance To the outer harbor of Guiana
tanamo, has been engaged in beating
of bush attack 10y spanish guerilias
and regulars since 5 o'clock saturday
afternoon. The fighting was almost
continuous for IL IA, urs until c O'Clock
Sunday morning, when achievements
were landed from the Marblehcad
Four of our men were killed and one
wounded. The advance picl>cts under
Lieuts. Neville and Shaw are unac-
counted for. Among the killed il As
sistant Surgeon John Blair Gibbs, son
of Maj. Gibbs, of the regular army.
who fell in the Custer massacre. His
home was at Richmond. Va, but he
has been practicing in New York and
->sle entered mr. service since the war
begun. He was a very popular officer.
The others killed are Serg. Charles II.
Smith. of Smallwood; Private William
Dunphy, of Gloucester. Mass, and
Private James McColgan, of Stoneham,
Mass.
Corporal Glass was accidentally
wounded in the head.
The Spanish loss is unknown, but it
was probably considerable. The
splashes OF blood found at daylight at
the position the spaniards occupied in
dictate fatalities. but their comrades
carried off the killed and wounded
The engagement began with desul-
tory firing at the pick ITS !, 900 yards
inland from the camp. Capt Spic.r's
company was doing guard duty and
was driven in. finally rallying on the
camp and repulsing the enemy at 5
O'Clock. The bodies OF privates Me
Colgan and Durphy were found, both
shot in the head. The large cavities
caused by the bullets. which inside a
range of 500 yards have a rotary mo-
ton, 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 they were brought in the
whole battalion formed three sides of
a hollow square about the camp on the
hill top Below in the bay were the
war ships at anchor. Inland from the
hill camp is a deep ravine and beyond
this are high hills. The adjacent coun-
try is heavy with a thicket growth.
The sky was blanketed with clouds,
and when the sun set a gale was blow
ing seward. Night fell, thick and i'm
renetrable.
The Spanish squads concealed in the
chapparel cover had the advantage, the
Americans on the ridge furnishing fine
targets against the sky and the white
tents The Spaniards fought from
cover till midnight discoverable only
by flashes a, which the marines fired
volleys. The repeaters sounded like
crackers in a barrel.
The Marblehead launch, Colt ma
chine gun in her bow, pushed mp the
bay enfilading the Spaniards. and it is
thought that some were killed. The
marines trailed much blood TO the wa.
ier's edge and there lost il. Sharks are
numerous in the vicinity.
The ships threw their search lights
ashore, the powerful electric eyes
sweeping the deep tropic foliage and
disclosing occasionally skulking par.
ties of Spani2rds. IL all resembled q
: transformation scene at the harbor.
Each discovery of the enemy wa:
greeted By the cracks of carbine fire
along the edge of the camp ridge or by
the long roll of The lannch's machine
guns. searching. the thickets with 4
leaden stream.
Shortly after nidnig'st came tn,
main attae 1-h1 >raaiards made 1
100 h1pehal - up t'e southwest slope
but were met ~ 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 point
there was almost hand to hand strug
gle. The officers used their re
volvers. Three Spaniards got through
the open formation TO the edg'
of the camp Col. Jose campinn
the Cuban guide, discharged his revol
yer, and they, turning and finding
themselves without support, ran helte
SHELTER down the reverse side of tbs
hill. IL was during this assault tina
Assistant Surgeon Gibbs was killed
He was shot in the head in front of hi
own tent, the farthest point of attack