The record-union., 1898-08-08
Writes a Letter to a Friend Giving the De-
tails Of the Exploit.
Lieutenant Braunersreuther of the
Charleston and Four Compan-
ions Capture the Governor and
His Officer, While He Had but
Three Officers and Forty-six
Men Ashore When the Final
Disarmament Took Place.

WHEELING CIV. Va), Aug. 1.-THE
first details at first hands of the blood
less capture of the principal Of the La
drone Islands reached Wheeling to-day
in a letter to Hon. Augustus POllack
from the naval officer who figured in the
leading role of the exploit, Lieutenant
William Braunersreuther, Executive
Officer of the cruiser Charleston. The
letter folloWs:
~. ). ). Charleston, at sea and LOU
miles from Manila, June "A, 1S9S.-We
have just carried out our orders to cap
ture the Spanish authorities at the cap
ital of the LadrOne Islands, Agana.
was selected by the Captain to under
take this job, and given 16O men to
land with as starter. / went ashore
to have talk with the Governor about
affairs, and the result was that / did
not lose even single man. The mat
ter was all settled in one day, and we
are carrying with us fifty-four soldiers
(Spanish) and six officers, besides lot
Of Mauser rifles and nearly 10000
rounds of ammunition. 1 had the whole
to handle, and did it up quickly.
THE Captains instructions were to
wait a half-hour for an answer to his
ultimatum, then use my troops.
waited, and in just twenty-nine minutes
the Governor handed me his sealed re-
ply, addressed to the Captain of my
ship out in the harbor, about four or
five miles off.
Il knew this was sealed with the sole
object Of gaining time, and hence
broke the seal, read the contents, the
Governor protesting, and saying that
was letter for my Captain. 1 re-
piled: I represent him here. You are
now my prisoners, Senors, and will have
to come on board ship with me-
They protested and pleaded, and
| finally the Governor said: You came
on shore to talk over matters, and you
| make us prisoners instead
Il replied: I came on shore to hand
you letter, and to get your reply.
In this reply, now in my hands, you
agree to surrender all under your juris-
diction. If this means anything at all
| it means that you will accede to any
demand l may deem proper to make.
You Will at once write an order to your
| military man at Agana Ghe Capital
| this place was five miles distant) d.
recting him to deliver here at this
place at 4 p. m. Git was then 10:3O
! a. m, June 21sD all arms and am
| munition and all Spanish flags on the
island. Each soldier is to bring his
own rifle and ammunition, and all the
soldiers, native and Spanish, with their
officers, must witness this
"They protested and demurred, say
ing there was not enough to do it, but
said: 'Senors, it must be done
THE letter was written, read by me
and sent. ] took all the officers on
board with me in a boat, and at 4
p. m. went ashore again and rounded
in the whole outfit.
Il was three miles away from my
troops. and had only four men with
me. At 4 p. m, when I disarmed 1OS
men and two officers, had forty-six
men and three officers with me.
1.-THE keynote to the whole business
was my breaking the seal of that let
ter and acting at once. They had no
time to delay or prepare any treacher-
Gus tricks, and / got the drop on the
whole outfit, as they say out West.
The native troops I released and al
lowed to return to their homes unre-
stricted. They manifested great JOY in
being relieved from Spanish rule. While
it was harsh, it was war, and in con-
nection with the Spanish treachery, it
vas GAL lIdl IOQld DS dOUS. WSuty
four hours would have-yes, I believe
even four hours, with leader such as
the Governor who was a Lieutenant
Colonel in the Spanish army-given
them chance to hide along the road
at Agana, and at intervals in the dense
tropical foliage, they could have almost
annihilated any force we could land.
The approaches to the landing, over
shallow coral reefs, would have made
landing without a terrible loss of life
almost an impossibility. But 'alrs well
that ends we'll
THE details / have scarcely touched
upon, but had the officials and soldiers
dreamed for one minute that they were
to be torn from their homes, there
would, l feel sure, have been another
story to tell, and l am firmly convinced
this letter would never have been writ
ten.
The Captain, in extending to me his
congratulations, remarked: Brauners-
reuther, you'll never, as long as you
live, have another experience such as
this. I congratulate you upon your
work
"All this whole affair was transacted
in Spanish / had an interpreter with
me, but I forgot all about using him.
did not want them to get a chance to
fhirty puan hafora 80