Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-10-19
THE PHILIPPINE WAR
Gen. Young, After a Skirmish, o.
cupies Arayat.
SCHWA ANS EXPEDITION SUCCESSFUL.
The Country Invaded by the Americans an
Immense Swamp-Work Of Commits
sary and Quartermaster's De-
partment Remarkable.


Manila, Oct. l3.-Gen. Young, with
two battalions of the Twenty-fourth
infantry, left Santa Ana at seven
O'Clock yesterday morning and occu-
pied Arayat at nine, after skirmish
lasting half an hour. The enemy, esti-
mated at 800 men, retreated toward
Magellan. The swampy character Of
the country prevented the use Of cav
airy. The men Of the Twenty-fourth
charged the trenches. the enemy set
the town on fire and succeeded in burn
ing a small section. Five dead and
three wounded Filipinos were left on
the field. The Americans had one man
wounded.
The prisoners, with the exception Of
those caught red-handed, will be re-
leased, as, owing to the fact that the
insurgents have so many more men
than guns, the keeping of prisoners is
a useless expense, unless the policy Of
Recommendation, which Gen. Weyler
pursued, is to be adopted. The fight
ing falls the hardest on the Filipino
women and children. Hundreds Of
them spent the night before the Amer
leans reached Rosario in boats, the bay
for miles being crowded with small
craft containing non-combatants, few
of them remained in the town.
Gen. Schwan's expedition having &C.
complished its object, the troops are all
returning to their former positions,
abandoning the towns taken. Gen.
Schwan is en- route from Perez das
Marinas to linus with the infantry,
while the artillery and cavalry and all
mule teams are retracing their route
from Malabon to Bacoor, with the
signal corps removing the wires. Gen.
Trias, with the organized bodies of in.
surgents, reyreated to Slang and
Indang, at the base of the mountain.
The movement Of United States
troops was fine display of American
generalship and energy, while the
Filipinos adopted what Gen. Alejan-
drino terms "our peculiar method Of
warfare"
The whole country is an immense
swamp and the Filipinos never expect
ed that the Americans could or would
attempt to invade it during the wet
season. Moreover, the line of march
furnished succession of surprises, the
troops being generally at
tackled from unexpected points.
In Cavite province, the scene of the
hottest fights and their greatest sue
cesses over the Spaniards, the Filipinos
might have been expected to make a
resolute stand, if anywhere, but after
their whippings at Cavite, Viejo and
Noveleta their tactics consisted chiefly
in continuous exhibition of their
agility and their transformation from
warriors to amigos.
The marines, while accommodating
about the scene of Sundays encoun-
ter, find that the trenches have already
been reoccuped, although the enemy
more than their usual will
ngness to retreat before the Ameri-
,ans, Armed bands have reappeared
Along the shore road between Bacoor
md Rosario, and the troos returning
BY that route expect another fight at
Rosario. At Malahon the Americans
two or three hundred natives
to be fighting men. A few
II them were caught with arms in
heir hands, but large numbers were
ound in hiding dressed in khaki like
he American uniform. A majority Of
hem were in the garb OF amigos, but
hey are suspected Of shooting at the
roops from houses, growing habit,
which hourished throughout the ad-
ance whenever small parties Of Amer
cans strayed from the main body. The
prisoners are a white elephant on the
ands OF the Americans.
Gen. Schwan is marching back with
ut the teams, all the loads Of baggage
eing shipped from Bacoor by canoes
nd the wagons going empty.
A telegraph squad under Lieut..
lark kept the wire abreast Of the line
o Malabon but in order to do this the
cams had to be abandoned and the
ire carried BY coolies