Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-13
DEEDS OF DARING
Thrilling True Tales of Our Men in
the Philippines.
NILES CAPTURE OF A BL0CKHOUOE
Repairing Telegraph Wires Amid q
Rain of Bullets.
ERS COURAG ECU S

By Brig Gen. Charles King. L. S. V.
Copyright, 1899, by the S s. Mcclure Co. All
rights reserved1
1t would take a book to tell you of the
heroic incidents you ask for, of the day,
long foretold. on which the so-caled insur-
gents made their grand assault the
American lines about Manila. The situa-
ton a strange one We were allies at
the start and became enemies through force
of circumstances. For years they had suf-
fered grievous wrongs at the hands of the
Spaniards, had battled bravely and persis-
tently for their freedom, had bottled up"
the dons in Manila, Iloilo and a few other
fortified towns, and felt sure of ultimate
victory. For reward their leader had prom
ised them the sack Of Manila. and there is
little doubt indiscriminate massacre of the
Spaniards would have followed.
The hate OF the Filipino for his longtime
oppressor is something beyond description
The little islander has been APPLY described
as half child half devil. He is fanatical as
the Turk and more suDerstitiOus than the
negro. He is a devout Roman Catholic.
wonderfully apt scholar, a most accom-
plished sneak thief, and, when 1t comes to
lighting, enemy utterly without con-
science and as full of treachery az our
Arizona Apache He will hoist white flag
and lure you to your death under its folds.
He will don the garb of priest, monk or
even sister Of charity, come to you begging
aims and stab you in the back or slit your
throat with his keen ''bolo'' even you
are giving him aid. H. will smile grateful
ly, guilelessly up into the face of the sur
geon who for weeks has been healing his
wounds and then lie for a chance to shoot
or knife his benefactor the very night he is
discharged from hospital. He will come to
beg guard for his little homestead and
vfafyE IN f0h CHI ftna
moment he is alone. He inplored us to
respect the holy character of his innumer-
able churches, and he made the very altar
his arsenal-stored his Mausers and car
tridges under the image of the crucifed
Savior and crammed the church itself with
lighting men when the hour Of outbreak
came. Dozens of our wounded drifting
back to the hospitals. and of our officers
and orderlies riding to and fro among the
buildings they had preserved and protected
were shot down from within the walls of
the sanctuary or those Of the native homes
Hotbeds of Treachery.
Manila and It's suburbs were hotoeds of
treachery, and these were the people whom
for months past we had been ordered to
treat with every courtesy and coHsidera-
ton. For three weeks before the outbreak
their officers had been insulting Ia Ian
guage and demeanor TO our men. For six
weeks before their assault in force Alner!
cans were arrested who sought to pene-
trate their lines. yet they were permitted
to wander at will through ours. do every
thing in your power to avert conflict" Were
our orders, and in spite of all manner Of
asgressions they were faithfully observed.
The line of demarkation between the insur-
gent territory and ours was roughly in
dicated by a Gordon of block houses
tending clear around the suburbs of Ma
Mia from above Tondo on the way to the
north to old Fort San Antonio Abad below
Malate TO the south. Major General An
DOR 1r{f ia lot -iGIa 10
insurgents between the Pasg river and the
bay east and south of the city. Major Cen
eral Macarthur, with the I'd Division, did
like duty east and north. [ commanded the
first brigade Of the list Division covering
the line from the Pasig to block house u
In front of the big towns of Pandacan and
Pace. The narrow "estero" of the Con-
cOrda and the still narrower stream of the
Tripa de Gallina formed the line between
my troops and the Fiiipinos.
Battle of Santa Ann.
We knew they had heavy redoubts and
intrenchments on their side in front of
the big village of Santa Ana, a mile away.
but they We're skllfully screened by trees
and shrubbery. we knew they had Krupp
guns. but we could not tell just where they
We're placed. The stone bridge over the
Tripa in front Of block house II bore the
brunt of all the incessant traffic between
Manila and the score Of towns along the
river, on the Delta and the south shore
of the lake of which it is the outlet This
was the insurgent line of supply and COM
munication. Santa Ana was the headduar-
ters of General Ricartis division and their
arsenal well, and this line when the
tables were suddenly turned upon them on
the morning of Sunday, February D. they
defended for an hour with obstinate deter
mination until they found themselves out
flanked and caught in a trap. Then only
the reserves escaped. The firing lines were
killed, captured or driven into the Pasig
and drowned. That in brief was the re-
suit of what is called the battle of Santa
Ana, fought by the 1st Brigade, LIST Di-
vision. Sth Corps and RicartTs command
of the fnSurgent army. The pursuit was
not dropped until We reached the villages
on the Delta the following day and secured
their surrender, but the heroic incidents
went all around the line through both d.
visions l shall try to tell you few that
occurred in ours.
In the First Charge.
1t was half-past Sunday morning when
the insurgents opened fire on my line and
long before dawn it spread clear across
the front of General Ovenshine's brigade,
which. facing south. lay to our right Not
until 8 O'Clock, however. could our d.
vision commander get the consent of the
governor general to let US attack Mean
time We had to stand and take it"-or
literally. the lines lay down and fired back
across the Tripa as best they could. It was
calling work. Many brave fellow wears
the mark Of that nights battling and a
dozen were killed outright before at last
we got the word to go in and sweep the
field. At that moment Company A of the
1st Washington Infantry lay close to the
stream facing the flashing lines across the
Tripa- Erwin, it's first lieutenant had been
borne to the rear. shot through the neck
end arm. Two men lay dead In their