The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-04-21
Brought From Philippines.

VI Copt"ih ~ D hlllONt, COlupduy W.
Twentieth Kansas Volunteers, who
was killed in the Philippines Febru-
airy 2S, passed through the city this
morning on the way to Coffeyvllle,
Kansas, where it will be buried with
honors BETTING one who gave his
life for his country.
The two sons, one sergeant, the
other a corporal, in their fathers
company, left Manila March Il, on
the transport Scandal, and arrived in
San Francisco last Friday.
Sergeant John b. Elliott told thus
of his fathers death to reporter for
The Star this morning:
awe were camped in front of Caloo-
can and the fighting was going on
nearly all the time. 1t was about 8
o'clock in the morning, On the last
day of February, and father and /
had been standing outside the tent,
which was nothing more than a can
vas shelter, to keep the sun off.
Presently we turned to go in and
preceded HIM. Just then we heard
reports of guns, and turning l saw
that company of natives had opened
fire on us. AS l turned bullet
whlzzed by my side, almost grazing
my right hip. At the same moment,
almost, father fell. The same bullet
that barely missed me was the one
that caused his death.
"He did not die until o'clock that
evening, and he was conscious most
of the time until he died. The bullet,
which was a Mauser, had passed
clear through his abdomen and from
the minute he was hit we knew he
could not survive, He seemed re-
signed to his fate and said he was
willing to die Tor his country"
OF the exciting events that have
taken place in the Philippines during
the last few months in which his reg
iment has played such leading
bart, Sergeant Elliott tells many in
teresting things.
awhile think the backbone of the
insurgent army has been broken, "
said he THE morning, 81 think 1t will
be much the same with the Filipinos
as it has been with the Indians in
this country. We will have to garri-
son the country and guard all the
roads and bridges, aud there will be
many small and troublesome uprisings
which will give large force of
soldiers plenty to look after. Most of
the general officers feel this way
about l..
"There's no use trying to conceal
the fact that many of the men over
there now, especially the volunteers,
are homesick and tired of fighting
way OFF there with. nothing in partic-
ular to gain. There is not one man
in the whole army now in the Philip
pines who would not willingly give
up his life for the flag if necessary,
but it isn't pleasant to think of dying
at the hands of foe little better than
a savage, and 30 far away from home.
And the thought of its not ending for
several years is not an especially
pleasant one either.
"The work of the Kansas regiment
has placed it in the highest favor
with all of the commanding officers"
continued Sergeant Elliott, land
Colonel Funston is the man of the
hour over there. All of the officers
above him seem to have perfect con-
dence in him and his regiment and
it's been said several times that there
wasn't anything possible that the
Twentieth Kansas couldn't do when
it got started. You heard about our
being ordered to fall back in line
when we were chasing those 'duskies'
/ guess? Well, that was pretty good
sport. We'd been lying around in
the trenches before Caloocan and
picking off the Filippinos whenever
we had good chance, but when we
had taken the city and.had 'em all on
the go right out in front of US on level
stretch of ground, 1t was too good to
let go. We just started after them
like pack of hounds after foxes and
fired as we ran. We'd gone about
two miles when we got the orders to
fall back in line. If we hadn't gotten
those orders / guess we'd have
chased them clear across the island,
that is If there had been any left to
chase. AS it was we did a pretty
good job at carpeting the field with
their bodies.
"There is one thing want you to
say that may be pleasing to the
thousands of persons who have rela-
tives or friends in the army over
there. That is that everything pos
sible Is done for the comfort and safe
ty of the men. Each company has