The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-03-20


to Influence the Insurgent Army Power
fully-Ths Rebels Fought Desperately
When Entrapped, But Succeeded in KILL
ing Only Two and wOunding Twenty Of
Our Soldiers.
Manila, March 20.-Some Of the reb-
els recently expelled from Cavite and
the small towns in the vicinity of Pasig
combined forces. and on Saturday
night attacked a company of the
Washington volunteers, a detached
post at Taguig, about a mile and a
half southeast of Pasig. General
Wheaton Immediately reinforced the
Americans with two companies each
Of the Washington and the Oregon
regiments, The post had held the
enemy In check, and the fire of the
reinforcing companies repulsed them,
driving them across to an island form
ed the estuary. They were thus in
front of the Twenty-second regulars.
On discovering that they we're en-
trapped the rebels fought desperately,
aided materially by the jungle and the
darkness, bat they were completely
routed, with heavy loss, after two
hours fighting. The Americans lost
two killed and 20 wounded, among the
latter Lieutenant Frank Jones.
General Wheaton determined to pun
fish the natives, and at daybreak yes
terday his brigade started in the fol-
lowing order: The Sixth artillery,
holding the extreme right; the Oregon
volunteers holding the center, the
Washington regiment keeping to the
edge of the lake and the Twenty-second
regulars occupying the right Of the
line, which swept the whole country
along the lake, in a southeasterly di-
rection, toward General Ovenshine's
position. The line thus extended over
two miles of country, rough and cover
ed with thick jungle, advanced II
miles. The enemy fed, the last of them
being seen at $3.50 in the afternoon.
At scarcely any time did the Americans
get within 1900 yards of them.
The troops returned to Pasig last
night, exhausted by the hard work
under hot sun. The Oregon regiment
had one man killed and four wounded,
and the Twenty-second regulars one
wounded. According to the official re-
ports no fewer than 200 Filipinos were
killed.
General Otis says the American
army and gunboats now command the
lake. He estimates that property Of
the insurgents valued at $50O,000 has
been destroyed, while quantities of rice
and sugar and 400 tons of coal, which
is very valuable here, have been cap
tured.
Many Of the prisoners represent that
the Filipino soldiers are weakening.
The generous treatment that the Amer
icans administer to the native prison.
ers and wounded seems to influence the
insurgent army powerfully. In the
opinion of the Americans, however, the
Filipino leaders will continue to pro-
woke fighting just as long as they can
retain their hold upon their followers,
because they have everything to gain
and nothing to lose.
The enemy have twice as many men
on their firing lines as they have arms,
and the fact that so few arms ara cap
tured by the Americans is because the
guns of the wounded Filipinos and
many Of those who surrender are
spirited away.
The armed tugs Laguna de Bay and
Oeste have returned to San Pedro
Macati and reported the results of their
tour of the lake. On Friday morning
last they shelled the town Of Moreng,
the rebels fleeing without making any
response to the fire. The Americans
landed a party, which destroyed a
quantity Of stores and all the stone
buildings except the church. The ex.
pedition then proceeded to Majayjay,
where a sugar mill and sawmill were
destroyed.
On arriving at Santa Cruz, a town
Of 1900 inhabitants, It was found that
the enemy was strongly entrenched and
prepared to defend the position, as
sisted by two gunboats and several
launches. Moreover, the mouth of the
river was blocked with rocks and bam-
boo. A few shells caused an exodus
Of the citizens, but not of the enemy's
troops. The Americans did not at
tempt q landing. Captain Grant, who
Is in charge of the expedition, asks for
reinforcements, and will probably take
Santa Cruz before night The troops
that accompanied the expedition were
detachment of the Twenty-third regi-
ment, under Captain Pratt, which was
towed by the gunbOat on a casco, a
square-ended fiat bottomed boat, used
by the Filipinos as a lighter. The
Americans had captured four cascoes
at Majayjay, where they encamped on
Friday night.
The United States distilling ship
Iris, which left Honolulu for Manila
with the United States battleship Ore
gon on Feb, 20, arrived yesterday. In
the morning also arrived the San Joa-
Quin, the last of the overdue steamers.