Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1899-04-27
TO TAKE CALuNPIT.
Gen. Otis About to Execute an In
portant Movement.
EFFORT TO FLANK The INSURGENTS.
Prisoners Captured State That Agulnald0
Has Large Force at Calumplt-Rebels
Attempt to Destroy Bridge
Fifty Fllipln0s Killed.

Washington, April 25.-Information
received at the war department indi-
Gates that Gen. Otis is about TO execute
another important movement, the ini-
tal features of which are shown by the
press advices from Manila. The objec-
tive point is the insurgent town Of
Calumpit, being about eight miles
northwest of Malolos. 1t twas here that
the insurgents concentrated after be-
ing driven out of their capital, setting
up IA new capital and making it the
base of their operations. In moving
on this stronghold Gen. Otis proposes
to conduct two distinct operations. The
first one, under Maj. Gen. Macarthur,
has for its purpose pushing straight
forward from Malolos along the rail
road and striking at Calumpit from the
south The second one is under Maj
Gen. Lawton, who, with his flying
column, is moving far around to the.
northeast, to the large town of
Norzagay, from which point he
will turn abruptly west toward Calum-
pit. The last move will take about ten
days. and military strategists look upon
it as another effort to flank the insur-
gents by getting behind them at Calum-
pit, similar to the flank movement
which Gen. Macarthur ATTEMPTED to ey-
ecute at Malabon.
This double operation makes Calum-
pit the center for the next few days,
while attention will be divided between
MacArthur's column advancing from
Malolos, and Lawton's column on its
ten days march by Norzagay. Mac
Arthur has only a short distance to
traverse. 50 that his force may be en-
gagged with the man force OF the lnsllr-
gents within the next few hours. The
country is fat and open and rather bet
ter for our troops than that lying south
of Malolos. Calumpit lies on the left
bank of small stream, at its con-
tluence with the large river Rio Grande.
1t is a substantially built town, with
some 1000 houses.
The advance of Gen. Lawton by a
circuitous route will be over country
of which little is known here. Norza-
gay is u considerable town and 1t is
thought Gen. Lawton is about there by
this time. 1t is hardly thought, how
ever, that Lawton will makea junction
with Macarthur before striking Calum.
pit but rather that he will leave the
road when nearing Calumpit, so as to
strike the city in the rear while Mac
Arthur is attacking in front. The
execution of this double movement is be-
| ing followed with great interest by war
department officials, as 1t is on con-
considerably larger scale than the
brush-clearing which has been in prog
ress recently.
AMERICAN ADVANCE ON cALuMplT.
Manila, April 25.--Gen. Hale at four
O'Clock p. m. yesterday had crossed the
Tibabag and had reached position a
quarter of u mile from Calumpit, thus
commanding the ford, Prisoners cap
tured by Gen. Hale's troops say Aguin.
aldo, Gen. Luna and the Filipino staff
are at Calumpit with a great force Of
Filipino troops.
Before daylight the Fourth cavalry,
with three guns belonging to the Utah
battery, the Nebraska regiment and
the Iowa regiment under Hale, were
proceeding in the direction of Kuhn
chua, where the Tibabag is ford
able, but commanded by trenches,
During the afternoon the troops crossed
the river. Gems. Macarthur and
Wheaton, with the Montana regiment
advanced to the left of the railroad and
the Kansas regiment moved forward t.
the right, north Of Malolos. They hat
with them long supply train will