Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1899-10-18
THEY FOUGHT
LIKE DEMONS
The Part Montana Played in the
Charge on Malolos.
A Thrilling Account Of the Fighting
That March Day When Two
Company | Men Fell
Wounded.

the part the Montana SOLDIERS played
i'm the taking of Malolos is contained
in a letter written by IN Of the boys
which recently appeared in the Dillon
Tribune. The story OF that days
fighting is old now, but as the ac-
count gives n detailed description of
how the twenty brave fellows who
fell that day received their wounds or
were killed, il Will be read with inter
est by the friends and relatives no
are impatiently waiting to welcome
the boys home. The letter reads:
Malolos, April lon the evening
of March "A the order came for the
Montana and Kansas regiments to
yncate the trenches, which they have
held since Feb. 10, and move a mile
and Il half 10 the right and in front
of the Pennsylvania and South Da-
kota regiments, those four bodies VI
troops, with the Utah battery, to
compose u flying brigade To drivethe
Filipinos from the trenches directly
in front of the South Dakota regi-
llltlIt, utlt lutN WIN III FC'h III
large numbers. At ) p. m. the Ore
gOn regiment quietly marched into
the Kansas intrenchments, and the
Twenty-secOnd infantry (regulars) as
silently crept into the Montanas
warm nest. Up and away, across
the rice fields in the bright moonlight
the Montana's brave lads moved in
solid column to the front OF the Pa
Iona church, where the Joys from
Pennsylvania lay. Close behind zane
the Kansas regiment and the Utah
battery, all anxious to be first. Here
the boys left their ponchos. blankets
and blanket bags, stripping for the
race An hour before daylight, with
one days rations and POO rounds OF
ammunition to carry, they rose and
drank their coffee-the last cup for
some of the brave husband as day
light began to break the Utah bat
terry played Wagner prelude for
~ minutes, and the curtain rose Oh u
new page OF history. As the battery
ceased the bugl $ blew the advance,
and with Il yell the flying brigade
was off, with Montana in the very
center, where the mass OF insurgents
Were the tbickest. LikedemODs they
fought and charged, with scarcely Il
breathing spell, for five miles; they
rushed up To aud owe intrenchments
that any one volunteer regiment
could hold against 5000 troops and
slaughtcrevery one of them. Jungles,
rice fields and tangles Of bamboo
that would prove a solid barrier to "a
jack rabbit hunter were as nothing
to the boys in blue and brown.
Thousands of Diggers, scattered all
through the tangle, opposed the ad-
vance with Mausers and R~emingtons.
The first American to fall was
brave Joe Beckman oi Company +
from Butte, who was kneeling and
about to fire when IA Remington
bullet struck his gun, cutting of Two
fingers and, CHANGING entered his
mouth, going entirely through his
head. Hurriedly covering his face
from the san, the boys pressed ON.
On every side could be seen the dead
bodies of the insurgents. Steve
Stevens OF Company Ii fell here with
IA bullet through his grein, William
Mitschke uf Company NJ went down
with n bullet through his hips and
groin. Robert Brown Of Company
q was carried past on a litter, shot
through Inc side and lungs, and in
an unconscious condition. Then
came George Banks OF Company l..
shot through the arm, but bound To
walk back SO that those worse OF
than he may ride. Around the
LIFT mimi q h. .uptiv., linn nnl a p.tnl
OF twelve men from Company q
made n sally up against II block
house, which 40 or 80 insurgents
Were holding. without "A waver the
boys charged on the run and drove
the insurgents out. There were two
men Of the squad who zane out
unhurt by bullets. Percy Lockhart,
Company g, was stretched out with
a bullet through his brain. Joe
Myers Of Company q, with a bullet
through the leg and groin, Conner
Williams OF CompanyG with a bullet
through his arm. which afterward
struck his bunch of keys hanging
around his neck by the string holding
his Identification tag, carrying away
all except the string and the eyelet oi
iuC tdS. n hldulOUu IlllE uH III lHt
lot, but Conner says he doesn't care
nOw"-he has the back and sleeves al
the shirt left. Lying by Williams
side was Billy McCarty of Company
q, shot In the leg Ia dangerous
wounh). Hays Axtell of Company
q, with three bullets through biz
thighs, smiled and smoked Il cigar
Then came Ed j. Lynn of Company !
shot through the left side, also smok
ing n cigar; Joe Cavanaugh of Com
pany Il, through the left side Of tn,
neck; James Enright Of Company f.
through his chest.
Then on again in a hal circleto tn,
left the line moves on, the insurgents
stubbornly contesting every foot o
tie way, but melting into death anC
distance before the terrible rush o
the volunteers. More ambulance
driven furiously to the front now re-
turn carrying John H, McQuarry, /
company, shot so that for weeks III
will have to maintain in some degree
the same recumbent position as wheI
he was hit. With him il Louis Pal
lath of ii company, shot through tn,
right leg. and +. NJ. Weaver of ICON
pany, shot in the right forearm
Thomas Richardson Of ID company
with a severe wound in the RICH
thigh, and John L. Robinson OF \
company, shot through the RICH
snraap,n Stfll ouinUinn tpu-or1 IA