Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-07-25
IfE l1IB BATTLE 66B6RI

% the Editor of the REGISTER.

10 the Editor 81 the Register.
McKinley's pompous and impotent
military cipher in the Philippines has
submitted another account or a regent
battle.
In spite 81 the fact that he stands
branded as a suppresser and falsiner
of the truth, his late reports seem
more incredible than the ones proceed
ing. His habit of distortion, I'M the
intimidation of our losses and the eA'
aggeration of the losses OF the FIJI
pinos, for the purpose OF deludlng the
people in the hope of keeping Mchln-
ley stock at par, seems to nave pecoMe
chronic.
In his report of July 21st, he tells
that Capt. Byrne of the Sixth lnfan-
try with seventy men surprised 45O ns>
tive robbers, presumably on the Ne
pros island. and after a close action,
the natives lost lis men killed, with
many wounded. Our men captured
some rifles and revolyers and had Dut
one man killed and one wounded.
The censored report from Manila, no
doubt examined by Otis, tells furtner
that the fighting was with bayonets
and dubbed rifes-and 1t also says
that the natives, 450, surprised Capt.
Byrne's men-an apparent contradlc-
ton.
What seems remarkably strange
about this report is that a conflict oi
This nature could occur with such greaI
difference in the losses. II IS eViuen'
that the natives were M OF parlidl-
ly SO, for rifles and reyolvers inquire
among the spoils.
The report of this fight seems In
credible-450 persons engaged IN a
hand to hand conflict against ~ and
inficting a loss Of but one killed and
one wounded! An ordinary riot with
the common brick bats would be more
dangerous than an encounter such as
this.
Perhaps the days of miracles are not
past and that the Jehovah OF the old
testament is with us as he was with
Samson.
Many we'll informed ministers, who
would like to unload a few thousand OF
their brethren in the Filipinos as mis-
sionaries, tell us that this is the case.
This perhaps will explain these re-
markable losses, yet we feel that n Is
fully justified in taking the same view
of them as an orthodox soldier in the
civil war took of the encounter between
Samson and the Philistines.
This orthodox soldier had as a boon
companion a soldier who was somewhat
weak in the faith. Often as they lay
together at night watching the stars
they ~canvassed the stories of the old
testament together. The orthodox war
rior, believing with implicit faith each
story il it's literal fullness.
Two weeks after the battle of Shiloh
this horrible storm Of blood and
sdeath-they lay together again, and
again reverted to biblical subjects. The
orthodox soldier reaffirmed his opinions
until his companion asked him what he
thought of Samson killing a thousand
Philistines with the jaw bone of an
ass.
The soldier lay quiet for some time,
He had witnessed in the terrible en-
gagement in Shiloh the slaughter or
either side n he knew the exertion
necessary to produce this carnage. Al
last he said, Il believe the story about
the ark. and the Hebrew children in
the fiery furnace, and about Jonas, but,
pard, | believe this Samson story is a
burned camp rumor."
1t would seem that if the general pub
lie would apply this belief to the Otis
reports, it would be placing the correct
valuation upon them.