Evening star., 1898-08-18
CHARGED WITH COWARDICE
Captain Biddle of Company O, 4th Ohio Vol
unteers, Under Arrest at Arroyo.
"Run, Boys; They're Thousand to
One," He is Said to Have COM
manded His Men.

From the New York Herald. Today.
ARROYO. Porto Rico. August -, 1898.
Captain Biddle of Company c. 18th Ohio
Volunteers, is still here Under arrest and
awaiting court-martial for alleged coward
ice in the skirmish with the Spaniards a
few miles out of Arroyo. The cable has
carried the bare news to New York tha.
Captain Biddle's company beat an inglo-
rious retreat while they were on the skir-
| mish line and were attacked unexpectedly
by Spanish sharpshoo.ers. The details of
Captain Biddle's arrest though, will be
| news in the United Stales
Had the captain of Company C not tried
to throw the responsibility on n man who
| was miles away from the scene of COMPANY
C's rout, and who was not even connected
directly with the service, he would proha-
bly, not be under arrest today, although his
position even then would not be enviable.
Company c, with other companies of
colonel Colts command, rad been detailed
TO beat the foothills a few miles beyond
arroyo in quest of a possible enemy .urk-
ing under the cover of thick woods II was
thought the Spaniards had retired miles
beyond the point where Tie attack took
pace but the reconnaissance had been de-
clued upon as an extra measure of pre-
caution before General Brooke's movement
forward to form the junction with General
Wilson really commenced.
h<ost his mead.
The unexpectedness of the attack prob
apiy had much to do with Captain Eiddle's
loss of head and the pani. into which he
'iiiew MS company. AS his men deployed
as sklrmishers were advancing the men
called back and forth and oharnd ona an
other on what they called their rabbit
nunt- Ihey were saying that the Soau-
laros for whom they were looking were
psrooably shivering in San Juan when
ri
splintering of bark and little eruntions Of
dirt at the boys feet
Heho the rabbit is no longer on the
Luz, luz, exclaimed one Of the soldiers. Bid
~ e men were slipping behind the trees
ana bushes and preparing to make a stand
"hen some one gave the command To ra'
treat. ~ re-
hun boys; they're a thousand to one,.,
49, me command as the men were pre-
patihg to make a brave resistance aCafns+
thelr as yet invisible foe
oo,e, - - alieged that Capt. Biddle gave that
I'm Soliiiiiahd. Had this Danicky alarm NOT
Moeeh M gwen ana had not the men seen their
commanding officer running with his hacLi
70 the hre they would have stood their
ground and fought just as bravely as thev
hre at Guayama. "a
Where They Found BfddIe.
Napt. blddie, it is alleged, was found hid
ing In culvert under the roadway.
20
stan heard of the attack they started for
the front to rally the demoralized skir-
mishers. Gen. Hams and his staff officers
9Gid ol9eked the flight and shamed the flying
sololers INTO turning toward the foe nm
as they turned they said:
~ Is not our fault: We We're ordered to
retreat ~
capt Biddle when brought before Gen
Halns and asked for an explanation said:
dld not order retreat; the flight was all
the 1ault of a newspaper correspondent
Whom the men mistook for an officer. He
shouted: Run, boys; the Spanish are at
tacking u.s. ~
Not only did Capt BiddIe say that a cor
respondent had ordered the retreat but he
named the correspondent. AS 1t happened
the newspaper man whom Capt Biddle ac-
cused had been talking with Gen. Hains in
MS headquarters at Arroyo when the at
tack took place. Gen. Hains remembered
TINS. The correspondent had ridden out
with Gen. Hams to help rally the flying
Ohioans. The accusation had scarcely pass
ed the lips of Capt. Biddle when the order
came:
Place that man under arrest
Capt. Biddle was taken back to Arroyo
where he is still awaiting trial