The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1899-09-21

time, aud the church became YER
foul. Fevers prevailed, and tue sur
geons said that the building must b,
aired or they would all die. But thi'
could not be done. A window coult
not be freed from its barricade o
stones without admitting a shower O
bullets. The door could not b,
opened without letting in the army
They said that they would die wher,
they were. Tue Captain came down
with sickness in the early part OF DC.
tober, and on the 22d Of that mouth
he died and was buried in the chuic
Lieutenant Juan Alfonso zayas was
buried November 1S--almost mouth
after his superior officer.
Fuel became exhausted, and moth
ing was left with which to cook the
little rice that was left to each man.
The insurgents themselves solved tho
problem. This was along in April,
and the besiegers were growing i'm i
patient with their stubborn enemy.
Great piles OF wood were gathered
and brought into camp and carefully
tied in bundles. The Lieutenant
watched the work progress and after
awhile realized that he was to be
smoked out His force was then down
to thirty-hve, while the insurgents
seemed TO be swarming behind the
trenches. Yet he determined on q
movement that would end their career
in open fight rather than be burned
like rats in hole.
The day came when all was really.
The order was given aud silently the
native soldiers shouldered their bales,
of wood, and under the cover OF dark.
ness advanced on the church from
every direction. Then it was tha'
the great door OF tho church swung
open and the Spaniards poured ont
They made a charge, firing as they
ran. The insurgent leader was sur
prised at the suddenness OF the sally,
and before he could check his troops
his army had abandoned the trenches
nearest the church and were seeking
the protection of the farthest
earthworks The Spaniards threw
themselves down and kept up as
hard fire as they could. Part OF
their number were told off to bury
their dead in the trenches, aud the
work of disinterring their comrades
began. The church was opened and
sweeter air penetrated beneath the
gloomy arches. And there was fire
wood. In no place had the Filipinos
succeeded in lighting a fire. That
night the soldiers work ed like demons
and brought in great quantities OF
wood, so that for ali time they had
sufficient. The next day the insur-
gents rallied and the Spaniards with
drew to the church. But they found
it habitable and from that time on the
sickness decreased.
The attacks on the church were few
after that, and the siege settled down
into q wait, the intention being to
starve the Spaniards into surrender
ing. But the Spaniards would not
starve. At nightthey gathered cabaza
leaves in the garden. They cooked
their rice and ate whatever they could
find. The story goes that the bats
which flew about in the dusk were
captured. Be that AS it may, they ate
what the cook set before them, and
they asked no questions.
Many times they were in commnni-
cation with tue insurgent commander
and We're asked to surrender. The
answer always was: "We are outnum-
bered, but we will die OF starvation
and fever or die fighting We will
surrender only on honorable terms"
So it was that terms were made and
accepted on June ., 1899, by which
they laid down their arms and marched
away with the honors of war, having
received passports from Aguinaldo as
suring them safe conduct through his
lines. Aud they were fed, for they
were admired by their enemies. Slowly
they came across the mountain road
the road that Lieutenant Gilmore
travelled as a captive Nhey came
to San Isidro, where they embarked
on the Rio Grande de Pampanga, ar
irving at Candaba. Then they were
in the American lines, and since then
they have been shown the courtesy
due to such braye soldiers.
So ended the defence of Baler and
so ended the one page Of glory in the
chapter OF nations dishonor.