The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-26
ANACONDA news.
HOW BOCAVE WAS TAKEN
Company M, Not the Kansas Reg
iment, Was the Captor.
] TRUE STORY Is RELATED
Captain Hallahan Tells How the Boys
From Anaconda Crossed the River
i Under Fire and Took the
Little Town.
] TRUE STORY is RELATED

Attached to Spanish flag that is
in the large collection of curios brought
back from the Philippines by Captain
callahan of Company NJ is an odd bit
of heretofore unwritten history. The
flag was found by Captain Hallahan
in the capture of the town of Bocave
by Company NJ.
THE Kansas regiment received the
credit for the capture of the town.
Y said Captain Hallahan yesterday, "be-
Ecause it had more war correspondents
with it than we had, but here is the
true story of how Bocave fell into
American hands:
Major Bell of the bureau of mill
tary information, who had had us out
at Caloocan, obtained permission from
General Macarthur, one day to take
a company of the Montana regiment
#on reconnaissance toward Bocave
This was while we were on the march
to Malolos. Then he went to Colonel
8Kessler and asked for our company.
When the regiment saw us march out
they cheered us. We went out by the
extreme left flank of our line and COM
ing to the river, perhaps 400 or 500 feet
wide and very deep, separating us from
Bocave, we presently We're under fire
from the enemy.
'At length we found several small,
marrow and exceedingly canky canoes
on the bank to be the only craft by
which a crossing could be made. Leav-
ing Major Bell and the main body on
sthe bank to cover our crossing a few
of us embarked in these canoes. hav-
ing to do so without paddles. I
equipped myself with a long bamboo
pole. but found it useless. as the water
was too deep. John Hendrickson sat
in the stern and padded with the stock
Hef his gun. 1t was a ticklish position,
for the little canoe tipped from side to
side, while now and then an insurgent
bullet came our way.
when we landed. five or six of us.
on the banks, we went up near the
head of one of the streets of the town.
AS we did so we could see the inhabi-
tants fleeing out of the other end Of
the town. More of our men joined us.
until there was possibly a dozen in the
group. We had, in the meantime.
found some larger canoes and sent
them across to the main body, who sig
nailed they would cross at once.
1--WE waited for them to come up, and
when they did we moved forward aftef
the fleeing insurgents, who fired at uS
internationally. On the suggestion of
Major Bell we divided up into grouRs
and moved along. group to street.
from one end of the town to the other.
At each cross street intersection the
squads would stop and call to each
other and wait until all We're abreast,
then start forward again. This was
done to avoid being cut off and to keep
the entire body in touch.
Most of the resistance to our prog
ress came from insurgents in the
-
silenced. The churches in all these
towns always played a part as a sort
of a fertilization, for they were Of
masonry with thick walls. while the
other houses were light cane struct-
ures.
surgent, a little thick-set fellow. armed
with a long bolo that dragged on the
ground. He had been separated from
his companions and was trembling like
leaf l beckoned to him to come tc
us, forgetting that our sign to como
forward is the Filipino sign to &c
away. He trembled some more, drew
forth his bolo and started to run as
called to him in Spanish that he was
safe. Then I sent John SaXton anG
Swift Hunter around the corner of tbs
building after him, telling them to take
a shot or two in his direction, but moi
to hurt the poor little fellow, just tc
catch him. He was too speedy, how
ever, and ran like a scared deer, max.
ing good his escape.
1.-The town was a nice little place anL
was rich in loot but we refrained from
:. taking much. 1t is a pity we did, fol
about an hour and a half after we
came in we saw two Filipinos bearing
torches come into the northern. part Of
the town and set fire to the highly
combustible houses. The whole place
was afire in moment, a wind just
springing up from the north sending the
flames along at a tremendous rate. The
fire spread so fast that we were
scorched in getting out.
LAS we left the Kansas regiment
marched in from the north, finding the
place in flames. At once they occupied
1t and sent the news forth by their