The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-27

bridge
PILIPrNos PAYING FoR THEIR TRHAoHERN
Beyond the trench AZ the left Of the road thert
was an open field perhaps quarter Of . mile In
width. From our end OF ths bridge tho uppoR,
or north half OF this field was In plain vow. Sew
eral OF tho Filipinos who had been In the trench
on the left Of tho road tried 10 get away by rum
ming across this field Not man succeeded.
Tho Filipinos arc paying for their owg
treachery They have flown white Gags and
shot our men in the streets as they passed secure
in the sign Of submission They have muti1sted
our dead who have fallen into their handa and
they have waged q barbarous warfare that has
made our savage for the chance TO pay then
in their own coin Our fellows had seen their
dead that day and there was no holding them
ACROSS THE BRIDGE now.
The Fipinos had hardly from their trench
before some Of our wero trying the half burned
stringers Of tho bridge to SEQ II they could got
across them There was abort delay while
ammunition rodistributed tho men who
had been saving OF cartridges giving some 10
those who had used theirs up Then abou, twenty
OF Capt Seay's men with tho captain himself
ran across the bridge and down on tho other hds
I went with them As wo down from the
bridge there were warning cries Of Look out
for that trench at the right thoro may be some
men there yet" There wero men thero but thsy
were all dead or nearly so Az tho end Of the
bridge, each side Of the road, was shack
OF npa Under the one ct the right was dead
| insurgent lying on his gun His straw hat
which had fallen off. bore on the band the In
scription. First regiment OF infantry Just al
tho other side OF the bridge by tho stone post
| that marked tho beginning Of the approach, lay
| two dead men, both Of the Same regiment Ths
rifle of ono Of them had been hit by Krag bullet
in tho barrel by the foresock and tho bullet had
| como clear through tho barrel II was Rom
| ington. were nearly all Of those found on the
field or taken with tho fow prisoners who wore
caught Along the path that ran from this cor
! ner post TO tho trenches were several pools Of
blood. and beyond them, beside or under the
shack were some moro Filipinos who were dmtoos
| for all TINA Just beyond the shack was the
/ omplacement of tho big old smoothbore There
| lay three more Of the men who had kept theiI
cruciix-taken oatha Tho great trench ran
along down tho river close TO the bank, and In
| it at intervals lay moro amigos who would nevof
DO anything elsa Out IN tho field they lay here
and thero tho evidence OF the straight shooting
| Of tho Americans
Moro men were coming across the brtdge and
| Capt Seay's small force was soon increased BY
nearly all who had been at the bridge Tho oomf
pany that had gone up the river on the right Of
tho road also camo along, and just as tho first
OF them got across the river Filipino in uniform
jumped out Of the bamboos that lined the trench,
and made run for it across tho open field Hat
! was well down 10 the southwark OF the bridge
and nearly six hundred yards away. Tho men
saw him Just he left his cover and instantly
q dozen had their rifles ready to shoot There
was only a little way that the insurgents had ID
run TO reach cover. but he didn't make II Tho
| boys fired all together and he went down at the
first try. He had hardly mnde his short run
when another tried It and mot the Same iate.
Then another was killed
By this time there was a company Of our ieIlowA
lined UP the edge OF the field waiting for the rest
OF the insurgents TO como out and be shot Tho
poor fools didn't know enough to surrender or else
they were too stubborn. They must have seen tho
end OF each man who tried tho run, but yet they
kept at it And they went one at time 90 that
mono could possibly get away. II they had run
out in bunch some might have escaped tho foart
full storm OF bullets that swept down tho field sur3
to engulf every man who tried II alone We could
see them skulking along In tho bamboos BY th4
river, working down to where they were trying u
get across the the other side Of tho field
SOME OF THE REBELS DID GET AWAY.
No one was sent along the trench to try to cap1
turs these skulkers. They said tho men furthe1 Z
up on our left would get them all right. but thes
men could not get across the river and mistake
was made by which nobody knows how many of
the insurgents got away.
These were tho last OF those who had been
in the trench at the left OF the bridge They werd
still trying to run across that open field, picking
their way among their own dead, when word came
to Gen. Ovenshine that Capt Palmers battalion,
OF the Ninth was over in there somewhere and that
his men were in danger OF being hit by tho FIRE Il
the fleeing Flipinoa At once he ordered tho fp{
| ing to cease But our men could sec tho men they
were shooting and they could not SEQ Palmer 4
men. They knew they were killing the FliptnoS
and tho didn't believe they wero shooting any{
where near their own fellows, and II was NO easys
job to make them quit They killed two or three
after tho order TO firing was given, and tn
General had to como across tho bridge himself boz
foro he could get them all called of. Even then N
was done only by tho officers going among tho man
and telling them individually TO stop. Ono ofhoet
called out to his men, in great disgust
stop It, you men, Gen Ovenshino doesn't want
any moro niggers killed. He's got enough
After that fifteen twenty insurgents In unk
form unmolested across the open and got away.
Fifteen minutes later they returning tho CONT
pliment with brass patched interest As q mattel
OF fact Capt Palmers men were not In that direct
ton and could not have got there. They werS
away OFF to the right and ultimately camo in on q
road that runs at right angles to the direction Id
| which out men were shooting.
The shooting was hardly before tho men
began to examine the place to see what they could
find as to the casualties Of the enemy. Therewerd
dead men enough around. but very few wounded.
Either the Filipinos had managed in some way I'd
get their wounded to the or their percentage
OF wounded in the casualty list not nearly SO large
as ours We usually have about four times a
many wounded as killed. that Is II the engagement
is OF a serious nature OF long duration Freq
quently we get off with no fatalities. In the fight
at San Fernando tho other day when ARuinAldo
led the insurgent attack and they were licked out
Of their boots all along the limo, VIC had only four
teen wounded and killed. though ono OF tht
wounded men died the next day. Not half Of thd
dead found by the Zapote were in the Filipino uni
form. Quite many were either In all white or in
the fancy colored sinamay (hemp) shirts which the
men wear so much and which has become the staple
garment in Manila Some OF those In uniform
were of the famous red legged regiment. but moSt
OF them in the blue and white stripe they had
learned to use uniform from tho SpAniard
| .