Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1898-06-16
FIRST LAND FIGHT.
Spanish Troops Attack the Ameri-
+, can Marines at Guantanamo.
-Four Americans Killed and One Wounded
-The Advance Pioketa OF the Marines
Also Unaccounted for-Span-
ish Loss Unknown.

OFF GUANTANAMO, June 10, Lieut.
Col. r. w. Huntington's battalion of
marines, which landed from the trans
port Panther on Friday and encamped
on the hill guarding the abandoned
cable station ut the entrance to the
outer harbor of Guantanamo, has been
engaged in heading off rush attack
by Spanish guerrillas and regulars
since three o'clock Saturday afternoon
The fighting was almost continuous
for 10 hours, until six o'clock yesterday
morning, when reinforcements were
landed from the Marblehead Four of
our men were killed and one wounded.
The advance pickets under Lieuts. Ne
vile and Shaw are unaccounted for.
The Spanish loss is unknown, but it
was probably considerable. The
splashes of blood found at daylight at
the positions the Spaniards occupied
indicate fatalities, but their comrades
carried off the killed and wounded
The engagement began with desul-
tory firing at the pickets 1000 yards
inland from the camp. Capt Spicer's
company was doing guard duty and
was driven in, finally rallying on the
camp and repulsing the enemy at five
o'clock. The bodies of Privates Nc
Colgan and Dunphy were found, both
shot in the head. The large cavities
made by the bullets, which, inside a
range of 500 yards have a rotary mo-
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killed at close range. The bodies
were stripped of shoes, hats and car
fridge belts and horribly mutilated
with machetes. When they were
brought in the whole battalion
formed three sides of hollow square
about the camp on the hilltop.
Below, in the bay, were the warships
at anchor. Inland from the hill camp
is deep ravine and beyond this are
high hills. The adjacent country is
heavy with a thicket growth. The
sky was blanketed with clouds and
when the sun set gale was blowing
seward. Night fell thick and impen-
etrable. The Spanish squads concealed
in the chapparel cover had the advan-
tage, the men furnishing fine target
against the sky. The Spaniards fought
from cover till midnight, discoverable
only by flashes at which the marines
fred volleys The repeaters sounded
like frecrackers in barrel.
The Marblehead launch with colt
machine gun IN her bow, pushed up
the bay, enfilading the Spaniards, and
it is thought that some were killed.
The marines trailed much blood to the
waters edge and there lost it. The
ships threw their searchlights ashore,
the powerful eyes sweeping the deep
trOpic foliage and disclosing OCCASION
ally sbulking parties of Spaniards. 1t
all represented tranformation 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's ma
chine gun, searching the thickets with
leaden stream.
Shortly after midnight came the
main attack. The Spaniards made a
gallant charge up the southwest slope,
but were met by repeated volleys from
the main body, and broke before they
were one-third way up the hill; but
they came so close that, at points,
there was almost u hand. to-hand
struggle. The officers used their re-
volvers. Three Spaniards got through
the open formation to the edge of the
camp. Col. Jose Campina, the Cuban
guide, discharged his revolver and
they, turning and finding themselves
without support ran helter-skelter
down the reverse side of the hill.
Lieut., Col Huntington and Mai.
Cockrell gave high praise to the nerve
and steadiness of officers and men,
especially the young ones, as the en-
gagement was baptism of fire for
large majority. The men were in
darkness and in strange land, but
they stood to their posts with courage
and fortitude and there was no symp-
tom of panic. The marines, though
much exhausted, were eager for more
fighting, promising to inaict heavy
punishment. They complimented the
daring of the Spaniards with charac-
teristic camp profanity.
GOOD NEWS FOR FAPMEPc