The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-05-12

From Lawtou's Commaud Run Into
Philippine neutrality-suspicious. OF
Daring by American Oficers.


Manila, May 9. s:s5 p. ma recon
noitering party from Major Genera
Lawton's command and which con
sisted Of We companies OF the Mime
sofa regiment 4 two companies o.
the Oregon regiment, under couInanC
OF Major Diggles. OF the Minnesota
regiment, advanced yesterday to q
point near San Miguel. which Is aboui
twelve miles north OF Balinag. There
the Americans were met with a volley
from a force Of rebels behind a trench.
Major Diggles was wounded in the
head and a private soldier was also
wounded. Major Diggles and the p-i-
vate, together with ten typhoid pa
tients were brought by special train
TO Manila today.
The Don Jose, the last OF the missing
steamers under the American flag,
which were detained by the insurgents
since the beginning OF the war, was
foundb by the gunboat Manila at Batan-
gas, and arrived here today.
HEROES ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
Manila, April ., via San Francisco.
May S.-Instances OF personal bravery
have been quite As numerous in the
American army in the Philippines as
during the Cuban campaign, but the
correspondents have not had appor-
tunity % chronicle these deeds of dar-
ing in the Orient, because Of the thick
ness Of the country penetrated. Many
heroic acts were also unheard OF for
days after their occurrence.
One soldier who has Well illustrated
the quality Of the American is Captain
Charles Clay, Of the Seventeenth in
"a 0rrN- ('au-afn CLAW il a nariNa NJ
Lexington, Ky, and a grandson Of
Henry Clay. He brought new honor
10 the family name in Cuba, where,
during the hottest action .. the SAN
tiago field, when his men We're lying
behind cover for a shelter from a
shower OF bullets, he marched back
and forth in front OF his company as
erect and cool as though on dress pa
rade, nor would he yield 10 the appeals
Of the men hat he find shelter.
The captain never forgot for a Sec
ond that he was a Clay" one Of them
exclaimed.
When General Hale was assigned to
a brigade in the Philippines he APP
pointed Captain Clay TO the position Of
~adjutant. On the first day OF General
NacArthur's advance, Captain Clay,
riding erect as usual, received a bullet
through the neck. He lay six hour in
the jungle before he was discovered
Alld do ~ d. IL al IboS okle
at the best, his life was despaired of.
His only thought when he was brought
into the hospital was hat his family
should be informed that he was but
slightly injured. He is now however,
we'll on the road To complete recovery.
Among those officers VINO have fallen,
no one will be longer or more loyalty
remembered by his comrades than
Lieutenant Gregg, of the Fourth in
fantry. No man in the army had more
than he to make life worth. living
friends, success in his profession, vi
tality n physical strength that made
him the impersonatiOn of an athlete
and a soldier. His fearlessness and
confidence in his powers contributed to
his death. In the beginning Of the hot
fight at MariQuina, which General
Hale conducted with such skill, that it
was worthy of more attention han the
overshadowing Importance of MacAr-
u advance permitted, Gregg was
near his chief. The horse he rode had
just been shot from under him. He
was taking off the saddle when a man
warned him that the shot had been
fired by a shorpshooter in a tree lear
! by. Refusing to take cover, as most
of the men were doing, the lieutenant
stepped forward and standing erect,
uncased his field glasses to look at the
tree. Just as he raised them to his
eyes a puff OF smoke was seen in the
tree. Gregg put his hand TO his breast
and fell forward, instantly killed.