The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-01-18
AN EYE WITNESS
Continued from First Page.)


and by the Spaniards hoisted the
white flag. laid down their arms and
Internationally, leaving
their dead and wounded in the church.
It was a sight beyond description.
The convent was in ruins; the church
still stands. but it is beyond repair. II
was impossible for me 10 stay inside
any length Of time; six of the Span
iards had been dead for several days
and the carcasses of two bullOcks they
had slaughtered We're poisoning the
air; the smell was awful
The SpaniardS certainly would have
died had they been compelled TO stay
much longer in the church. They had
food enough for a week longer and
water they had obtained by digging a
we'll in one corner. Rifles and ammu-
milton streWed the floor, the dead and
wounded were lying where they had
fallen amongst the filth and dirt TAX
ing il altogether it is beyond the pow
er of my pen TO describe the scene, 50
it must be left to the imagination.
The next morning we marched on
BakOi, which fell after two. days fight
ing, and from there on for nearly
three weeks it was marching and fight
ing day and night, until we had cap
tured or driven all the Spaniards from
Bakoi, Polverine, Zapote, Las Pinas,
ParanaQue, Pasay and Tambo. Span
ish loss $50 killed, 900 wounded and
/ 500 taken prisoners to Cavite We
also captured four field pieces (Krupp)
small amount of ammunition, nearly
1000 rifles (Mauser) and Spanish Rem
ingtons, with 100000 rounds of cart
ridges. We were thus enabled to equip
more of our men, who hitherto had
been fighting with the BOla, which is
large knife somewhat after the style
of the Cuban machette, and a very ugly
weapon at close quarters. We then
moved on Malate, where the Span
iardS had thrown up strong line OF
trenches, protected by the guns Of San
Antonio battery. Our first line of
trenches were dug about thousand
yards from the Spanish earthworks,
the men laboring all night, and when
morning came we were fairly shelf
cred from Spanish rifle fire, although
the Krupp guns of the battery, played
havoc with our lines whenever they
opened on us, which was nearly every
night, Spaniards evidently preferring
to fight in the dark.
We held these trenches for three
weeks under almost constant fire from
the Spanish lines. The tops of the trees
in our vicinity were cut clean off by
their high firing. 1t was as much as
a mans life was worth to show him
self for an instant above the trenches,
the distance being only 600 yards be-
tween the lines.
Often our men amused themselves by
putting a hat on stick and hoisting it
little above the trenches. 1t would
always bring a shower of bullets from
the Spaniards. One of the photos
send you is of a house that was a few
yards in advance of our lines. You can
see how it was riddled; it is almost I'M
possible to put ones hand on it any
place without covering bullet holes.
We were losing a few men every day
and not gaining an inch. 1t was i'm
possible to advance in that direction
ON account of the natural formation of
the country, there being about 500
yards of open ground in our immed-
late front, a river too deep to ford eX-
cept in one place, which was under the
guns of San Antonio battery. We al
ways had these big Krupps TO reckon
with You must remember it was the
rainy season, the roads were rivers OF
mud, and the trenches were seldom
without water, sometimes up to our
knees, causing great suffering among
the men About this time Admiral
Dewey allowed us to take two old s.
inch muzzle loading guns from the
arsenal at Cavite, and after almost a
weeks labor we got them in position,
where we We're able to give the Span
iards a little of their own medicine, al
though we were unable to drive them
from the strong position they held.
over from Cavite and established Camp
Dewey, First California being first in
the field. In a few days they threw up
a line of trenches fifty yards in advance
of ours, starting at the beach, and
continuing inland about three-quarters
of mile The Utah Light Battery
moved up as soon as the trenches We're
completed. Our troops were with
drawn about a mile to the right.
AS the story goe9 Admiral Dewey
promised the Spaniards so long as they
did not begin hostilities he would not
attack without giving them warning.
On the night of July 31st the Spaniards
opened fire on an outpost of the Penn
sylyania Regiment, who responded.
The reserves came up and for short
| time a general engagement seemed in
evitable, but, for a while the Span
| iards withdrew. About II o'clock the
| Spaniards again opened fire on the
American lines from the San Antonio
| battery and extreme right. They evil
| IDENTIFY were trying to flank the
| trenches, but We're met with such q
| CALLING fire that they were compelled
to return after two hours hard fight
| ing. The Americans were lying IL the
trenches, which contained two feet OF
mud and water. 1t was as dark as
pitch and the rain coming down II
torrents. There was nothing TO be seer
of the enemy but the flash of cannon
and rife. Thus they received rheil
first baptism of fire, and a terrible one
| il was.
The Spaniards waded through the
swamp on the right until they were
enabled to deliver a murderOus firt
down the length OF the trenches. The
| AO0aripans v1rly-iDC until -bpi =