Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-07
MANY BITE THE DUST
Filipinos Lose Heavily in Their Battle with
American Forces,
TWO THOUSAND ARE REPORTED KILLED
Thirty-Five Hundred Are Wounded and
Five Thousand Taken Prisoners.
GROUND STREWN WITH DEAD AND DYING
Naked savages Stand Up Boldly and Fight
with Bows and Arrows,
NATIVE WAS MEET AMERICAN HURRAHS
Scene at Manila when the Firing
Begins is wildly Isxcitipg-Rcs-
tdents on Outskirts Flock Hys-
terical1y Into the city.
NATIVE WAS MEET AMERICAN HURRAHs

MANILA, Feb. 7.-Noon.--Careful esti
mates place the Filipino losses up to dat
at 1000 dead, $500 wounded and 5000 taker
prisoners.
MANILA Feb 6.-Latest advices from tn,
front say that the rebel forces have beer
driven back ten miles and their losses art
estimated at 1900, killed or wounded
During the fighting the United States wal
ships shelled train loaded with insurgents
An intensely exciting Incident occurred
during the engagement. The Washngtons
and Idahos and Companies X and NJ of Cali
fornia charged across the rice fields between
Paco and Santana in the face of terrific
fusillade
The ground today over which they passed
is covered with dead and wounded natives.
The former are being buried in groups of
five or six about where they lay. The latter
are being brought to the hospital 1t was
at this stage of the fighting and at Cal
ocean that the Filipinos suffered their
heaviest losses.
The Fourteenth regulars were in a par
ticularly light place near Singalon. Colonel
Duboce was compelled to rush past them
with the reserve in order to prevent the
regulars from being cut off In the last line
twelve men were killed before the rebels
retired.
| Both sides cheered frequently during the
engagement. The American "hurrah's''
were almost Invariably met by derisive
''vivas. Among the natives, the Ygorates
| were especially notable for their bravery,
about 700 of these naked savages facing
artillery Fire with ti.eis GSos3 ;nfd ari,o rs,
Excitement in Manila.
The scene at Manila when the alarm was
| given on Saturday night was wildly excit-
| ing. The American soldiers in the theaters
and at the circus were called out, the per-
| formances were stopped, Fiipinos scurried
| everywhere and the rattle Of musketry and
| the booming of cannon outside the city was
plainly heard. The residents Of the out
skirts of Manila f1ocked into the walled
city with their arms full of articles.
All the carriages disappeared as II by
magic, the street cars were stopped, the
telegraph lines were cut and the soldiers
hurredly but silently marched out of the
city. The stores were closed almost in
stantly, foreign flags were seen flying from
many windows and number of white rags
were hung out from Filipino huts and
houses.
On Sunday immense crowds OF people Wis
tied the water front and gathered in the
highest towers to watch the bombardment
There were no street cars or carriages to be
seen and the streets were almost deserted.
The Minnesota troops, acting as police,
searched every native and arrested many
Of them, with the result that, while there
were several attempts to assassinate Amer
lean officers on Saturday, there were none
on Sunday. Absolute order was maintained.
The United States flagship Olympia
steamed across the bay on Sunday and took
! up position near the German cruiser Seine
and the British cruiser Narcissus. 1t is still
there.
the Filpinos a chance to recuperate.
The official list of dead and wounded has
not yet been submitted for publication and
II is impossible. owing to the fact that the
regiments are scattered, to obtain reliable
list except from headquarters.
Two Filipino commissioners from IloiIo
and four rebel officers were arrested here
this morning after boarding the steamer
Uranus. Many suspects have been arrested
in various parts of the city.
Pre-Arrnnged Signal.
The first shot from the American sentry
WAS evidently accepted as pre-arranged
signal, for it was followed almost imme-
dately by terrific fusillade along the entire
Filipino line on the north side of Pasig
river.
The American outpOsts returned the fire
with such vigor that the Filipino fire was
checked until the arrival OF re-enforcements
All the troops in the vicinity were hurried
out and the Fiipinos ceased firing for half
an hour, while their own re Inducements
came up.
AT 10 o'clock the firing was resumed, the
American firing line consisting of the Third
artillery, the Kansas, Montana, Minnesota,
iehnsyiNdnld, NeDTaSkdi luanO, washington,
South Dakota and California regiments, the
Utah battery, the Fourth cavalry and Sixth
artillery and Fourteenth infantry.
The Filipinos concentrated their forces at
three points, Cavocan, Santa Mesa and
Galingalan. and maintained an intermittent
fire for some hours. They brought artillery
into action at Galngalan at 10 80, but only
one gun annoyed the Americans to any ap-
preciable extent, howitzer on the road
beyond Santa Mesa. The Third artillery
siieneed the Galingalsn battery by firing
two guns simultaneously. which was fol-
lowed Immediately by volleys from the in
fantTy.
AT about midnight there was a luIl in
the firing, lasting until about 3:45 a. M,
when the whole Filipino line opened fire
The Americans poured a terrific fire into
the darkness for twenty minutes and then
there was another lull until daylight when
the Americans generally advanced
During the night in response to Admiral