The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-13
GENERAL M'ARTHUR UNDER FIRE
A Personal View of Him at Manila
Wonderful Escapes.
(New York Sum-

On the morning of Aug. 49, previous to
the assault on Manila, the Aston battery
was stationed behind an old ruined con-
vent, which was subsequently used as
an emergency hospital. At sos o'clock
General Macarthur arrived at this con-
vent, having traversed a narrow mud
road for distance of half a mile or
more. while the road was swept by the
fire from the Spanish infantry. In per-
sonally transmitting his orders to the bat
terry commander. General Macarthur
stood by the roadside in earnest CONVERSE
ton, apparently oblivious to the fact that
the bullets were Tying all around him,
chipping the leaves from the trees and
breaking the bamboo stalks which lined
both sides of the road. The generals face
was calm and as tranquil in expression
as though he was passing the time of day
instead of ordering battery into action.
Captain March, do you understand
those orders?" said the general.
Il do, SIR
Well. go ahead; but you must not
lose. your guns, was the parting order
of General Macarthur as he turned and
mounted his little brown and white pony
and rode to the firing line 100 yards
When the advance was made on the
right of the line the troops were COM
PEELED to pass burning Spanish block
house 13, and the exploding ammunition
was filling the air with whistling shells,
which resembled greatly the ping-swiz of
Mauser. AS the troops approached the
zone covered by the flight of these whistl-
ing shells their first impression was that
a force of the enemy must have been
concealed beyond the blockhouse and it
IS an actual fact that one company of in
fantry dropped into the ditch beside the
road and fired two volleys into the burn
ing blockhouse. A number of stragglers
at each side of the road were hugging the
bushes as closely as possible, believing
no doubt, that they were being fired upon
by the Spanish infantry 1t was at this
stage that General Macarthur came up
the road, sitting perfectly upright on his
mud-bespattered pony and seemingly I'M
mindful of the shells which filled the air
on all sides. Turning to the men huddIed
by the roadside. he said: Come on.
that was more than sufficient to start
the men past the burning ruins Through
the mud the little pony fiOundered on.
catching the head of. the column just be-
fore reaching the church at FL Paco
@ @. o
When the Aston battery reached the
crossroads in front of Ell Pace church
two shots were fired from their three
rode out and sat on his horse in the open
roadway in front of the guns Three hun
bred feet ahead a breastwork was thrown
the road a blockhouse was swarming
with infantry on the first and second
floors, Through the woods on the right
the sharpshooters in the trees were pour
ing sDlteful little chunks of lead which
splashed the mud all around and went
ricocheting through the jungle to the left
and rear The American infantry had
marched by the right and left TANKS and
We're safely enseonSed behind the church
and stone wall, against which the maIIs
ers We're tattoo1ng with a. disagreeable
pang. During all this time General Mac
Arthur sat like a statue in the center of
the crossroads directing the movements
OF the troops toward the right and left
flank. Finally he moved toward the road
leading westward in the direction of the
pay. and, as he did so, two more three
inch shells flew down the road toward the
fringe of flame which marked the posi-
ton OF the Spanish breastworks. Again,
riding in front of the guns, in a voice as
calm as though ordering a change of
movement at an exhibition the general
said: 81
storm those works!'
Turning and measuring the distance
with his eye from his position to the line
the left of the road and in a clear. firm
tone, said: What officer will lead a.
charge down the road?"
1t was to these words, spoken without
a tremor, when the bullets fairly flew by
IN clouds, that response was given by
the AStor battery in a pistol charge
Mnen the general was, exposed in the
getting discipline and their own danger.
We're shouting at the general: Look
OUT you'll be killed. Get off the
horse"' and similar solicitous expressions
an OF which made as little impression on
the general as the Spanish bullets which
sung around him like a thousand hornets
and failed to touch the mark so brayeiy
exposed to them N'
There can be no doubt of this miracu1-
Gus escape from seemingly lertafn death.
as a hundred pairs of eyes saw him then
and 81 number of times afterward sested
on the. back of that brown and white
pony facing almost certain death. with
an expression as calm and collected as
lots Of noise and no danger