The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-06-13
THE FIGHT LASTS 13 HOURS

EOUR OF THE MARINES KILLED
and ONE WOUNDED.
Advance Piclets Under Lieutenants
Neville and shaw Are Unaccounted
For-Among the Killed is Assistant
Surgeon Gibbs-spanish Loss Un-
known but Believed to be Heavy-The
Engagement Commenced with DesuI-
tory Firing Mt tho Piclxets.
Copyright, $685. The Associated Press.)
On board The Associated Press boat
Dauntless, off Guantanamo, Sunday
morning, June 12, via Mole st. Nicho-
las, Hayti June 12-S p. m.-Lieuten-
ant Colonel r. W. Huntington's battal-
ion of marines which landed from the
transport Panther on Friday and en-
camped on the hill guarding the aban-
doned cable station at the entrance to
LIE OuLSE IldEDOI III ll1S
been engaged in beating off a bush at
tack by Spanish guerillas and regulars
since o'clock Saturday afternoon. The
fighting was almost continuous for
thirteen hours until o'clock this
morning, when reinforcements We're
landed from the Marblehead. Four Of
our men were killed and one was
wounded. The advance pickets under
Lieutenants Neville and Shaw are un-.
accounted for.
Among the killed is Assistant Sur
geon John Blair Gibbs, son Of Major
Gibbs Of the regular army, who fell in
the Custer massacre. His home Is at
Richmond, Va, but he had been prac-
ticing in New York and he entered
the service since the war began. He
was a very popular officer. The others
killed are Sergeant Charles H. Smith
of Smallwood; Private William Dun
ply Of Gloucester, Mass, and Private
James McColgan of Stoneharn, Mass.
Corporal Glass was accidentally
wounded in the head.
The Spanish loss Is unknown. but it
was prohabIy considerable. The
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 thousand yards inland
from the camp. Captain Spicer's COM
pany was doing guard duty and was
driven in, finally rallying on the camp
and repulsing the enemy at o'clock.
The bodies Of Privates McColgan and
Dunphy were found, both shot in the
head. The large cavities caused by the
bullets which within a range of 500
yards have a rotary motion indicate
that the victims were killed at close
range.
The bodies were stripped of shoes,
hats and cartridge belts and horribly
muti1ated with machetes. When they
were brought in the whole battalion
formed three sides of hollow square
about the camp on the hill top. Be-
low in the bay were the warships at
anchor. Inland from the hill camp is a
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 d SdlS was DlOWlAS SsdW dd os
Night fell thick and impenetrable. The
Spanish squads concealed in the chap
paral cover had the advantage, the
Americans on the ridge furnishing fine
targets against the sky and the white
tents. The Spaniards fought from COW
er until midnight, discoverable only by
flashes, at which the marines fired vol
leys. The repeaters sounded like crack
ers in barrel.
The Marblehead launch, Colt ma
chine gun in her bow, pushed up the
bay, entailing the Spaniards and it is
thought that some were killed. The
marines trailed much blood to the wa
ter's edge and there lost it. Sharks
are numerous in the vicinity. The
ships threw their searchlights ashore,
the powerful electric eyes sweeping the
deep tropical foliage and disclosing oe-
casionally skulking parties of Span
iards. 1t all resembled transforma-
tion scene at a theater. Each discov-
ery of the enemy was greeted by the
srackle of carbine fire along the edge
of the camp ridge or by the long row
of machine guns searching the thickets
with leaden stream.
Shortly after midnight came the
main attack. The Spaniards made a
gallant charge up the southwest slope
hut were met by 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 points
there was almost a band hand
struggle. The officers used their revol-
yers, Three Spaniards got through the