Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-09
TAKE TWO FILIPINO TOWNS
scbwsn's Column Advances from Baooor on
Oavite ViejO and Novelata,
SHARP FIGHTS IN FRONT OF THE LATTER
American Casualties Three Officers
and Nine priNRtcs Wounded, One
Omccr MortnlIy-Detnils
of the Advance.

NOVELETA, Island of Luzon, Oct. s.
(S:35 p. m.)-General Schwan's column, con-
sisting of the Thirteenth infantry, bat
TALON of the Fourteenth, two troops of cav
airy Captain Reillys battery of the Fifth
artillery and loves scouts advanced from
Bacoor this morning and occupied Cavite
Viejo and Noveleta.
The American loss was three officers and
nine privates wounded one of the officers
being mortally hurt. The loss of the enemy
is unknown, but the bodies of three Filipnos
were seen.
There were two sharp fights near Novel
eta. loves scouts first encountered the
enemy near Cavite Niejo and soon put them
to flight continuing their advance.
Captain Saffold's battalion of the Thir-
tcenth regiment, with two companies of the
Fourteenth and number of scouts, Captain
McGrath commanding the troops from the
Fourth cavalry and Captain Reilly's battery,
came upon the enemy in strongly en-
trenched position on the road between Ca
vte Viejo and Noveleta. A fight lasting
half an hour followed, resulting in tho
enemy being driven back. The American
forces sustained considerable loss in this
| engagement, the men being shot from the
trenches and shacks along the road The
column then pressed on to Noveleta, which
| tonight.
The marines and naval forces co-operated
with the troops, The gunboats Wheeling,
| Petrol and Calao lay off the shore near
| Noveeta and threw shells into that town
! and Santa Cruz for an hour, preparing the
way for the marines to land. Two battalOns,
| consisting Of 450 marines, under Colonel Ell
! liott, advanced along the peninsula from,
| Cavite to Noveleta. The only way was by
a narrow road through swamps.
A mile beyond the marines outpost the
column was suddenly received with a volley
from trenches across the road. A flank
movement was executed and the insurgents
were driven from the trenches, the marine;
wading through ricefelds in turning thi
flank of the enemy who retreated to strong
sand forts across the creek dividing thc
peninsula, destroying the bridge across the
stream.
The marines waded through more rice
fields, forded the river in water to thei
shoulders and carried the forts, meeting will
feeble resistance the first encounter having
disheartened the enemy. Squads were sen
to Noveleta and burned the town and tn
huts all along the road from which th
enemy commenced firing. There junction
was formed with the scouts. who had beel
sweeping the swamps and thickets. Theme
! the marines returned to Cavite thorough
exhausted.
Lieutenant Wynne, with a three-pounder
did good execution during the advance
General Lawton was not in personal com
mand of today's movement.
I Captain Cowles' battalion of the Fourt
infantry, while accommodating today, foun
+ a body of several hundred insurgents nea
7 San Nicholas. After a brisk fight lastin
I three quarters of an hour the enemy wa
driven off. In this engagement the Ameri
can casualties were four men slight
wounded Six of the enemy were killed, bu
-, the number of wounded is not known.
Tho condition OF the roads made tn
progress of the artillery slow.