Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-06-13

Associated Press Dispatch Boat Daunt-
less, off Guantanamo, June u, via Mole
St. Nicholas, June 1S.-[Copyright. 1898.
by Associated Press. ss.l-Huntington's
battalion Of marines encamped on the
hill guarding the abandoned cable station
at the entrance to the outer harbor of
Guantanamo has been engaged in head
ing off rush attack by Spanish
guerrillas and regulars since o'clock
Saturday afternoon. The fighting was
almost continuous for thirteen hours
until o'clock Yesterday morning, wben
reinforcemeNs were landed from the
Narblehead. -Four Of our men were
killed and one wounded The advance
pickets under Lieutenants Neville and
Shaw are unaccounted for Among the
killed is Assistant Surgeon John Blair
Gibbs, son of Majsr Gibbs, of the regu-
lar army. who feliin the Custer massacre.
His home was at Richmond, Va.
Names of the Men Killed.
The others killed are Sergeant Chas.
II. Smith, OF Smallwood; Private WILL
lam DVpphy, of Gloucester. Mass. and
Private James McColsan, of Steneham.
Mass Corporal GlaY was accidentally
wounded in the head The Spanish less
ts unknown, but it was probably eonsid-
srable. 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
desultory firing at the pickets a thou
sand yards inland from the camp. Can
tain Spicer's company was doing guard
duty and was driven in. finally rallying
on the camp and repusng the enemy at
o'clock.
Bodies of the Dead Mufilated.
The large cavities caused by the bull
lets, which inside a range of 800 wards
have rotary motion. indicate that the
victims were killed at close range. The
bodies were stripped Of shoes. hats and
cartridge belts ard horribly mutilated
with machetes. The Spaniards fought
from cover till midnight, discoverable
only by the flashes. at which The ma
rines fired volieys. The Marblehead
launch, Colt machine in her bow.
pushed up the bay, enfllading the Span
iarGs and 1t is thought that some were
kiAed. The marines traiied much blood
to the waters edge and there lost it,
Sharks are numerous in the vicinity
Spaniartls Charge mp the Hill.
Shortly after midnight came the main
attack. The Spaniards made a charge
up the southwest slope. but were met by
repeated vOlleys from the main body
and broke: but they came so close that
at points there was almost a hand-to-
hand struggle. The officers used their
revolvers. Three Spaniards got through
the open formation to the edge of the
camp. II was during this assault that
Assistant Surgeon Gibbs was killed. He
was shot in the head in front of his own
tent, the farthest point of attack. The
attacks were continued at intervals
throughout the night, with firing from
small squads in various directions.
Toward morning the fire slackened.
Men Showed Nerve and Steadiness.
Lieutenant Colonel Huntington and
Major Cockrell gave high praise to the
nerve and steadiness of the officers and
men, especially the young ones. as the
engagement was a baptism of fire for a
largo majority. The men were in dark
ness and in strange land. but they
stood t" their posts with courage and
fortitude and there was no symptom of
panic. Next morning reinforcements
were landed from the Marblehead. Es-
timate1 vary as TO the attacking force:
some say 200 and the figures ran as
high as LOCO. Colonel Campina. the
Cuban guide. said the Spaniards we've
mostly irregulars. but the reports of
the discharge of Mauser rifles would in
dicate that they were regulars. as most
of the guerrillas carry Remingtons.