The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-10
WOMAN UNDER FIRE in MANILA
Exciting Experience of An Army Of
ficer's Wife In Philippine Fight.
washington Evening Starr

washington Evening starr
Mrs John NJ. Stotsenburg, wife of
the colonel of the Sixth cavalry, who is
now colonel of the First Nebraska reg
iment, on duty at Manila, has oeen
under fire of the Filipinos' rifles. She
is well known in Washington, as her
husband was recently stationed at Fort
Myer. She was formerly Miss La Tou-
rette, daughter of the late Chaplain
La Tourette OF the army, and is
cousin of the wife of General Greedy.
In a letter to her sister-in-law, Miss
Laura Stotsenburg of New Albany.
Ind, dated Manila, Feb. l., she writes
as follows:
THE past weeks experience has been
very trying to me. Quite Unexpectedly [
was under fire, as they say in the army,
for a little while, contrary to my desire
or expectation. / went out on Saturday
last to Camp Santa Mesa, where the
First Nebraska was stationed, having
heard that the insurgents, who have
been giving the regiment much trollole
for the last three weeks by trying to
come within our lines. had been repri-
manded for doing so, and that their
commanding officers had promised tEat
they would give Dur troops no further
annoyance by trying TO pass by the
sentries, John WOULD not believe their
statements and quietly doubled the
guards
"A little before dark we could see
through field glasses about 400 long
haired savages gathered together and
undergoing inspection by insurgent Off
GERS. These sayages had been brought
down from the mountains and carried
shields, bows and arrows, hatchets and
spears. Their officers wore red coats.
and these mountain men were placed in
the front.
After watching them a little while
sat down and was conversing with one
of the officers, when a rifle shot rang
out and in a minute the sound seemed
to me to be like that we hear on the
morning of the Fourth of July, only
many times multiplied. l came out to
the camp in a quelis or Philippine wag-
onette, and some one ordered the Phil
ippine coachman to harness the little
ponies, when bullet went right
through the vehicle, and the Philippine
driver ran away as fast as he could.
1.-The doctor and quartermaster told
me to lie down in a trench, and / as
sure. you that 1 laid low for a time
while the bullets whizzed over me. In
a little while l walked about 300 yards
to where the Utah battery was sta
toned, and there, by the aid of DIR.
Jensen, l procured a quelis and was
driven to the city. On the way in I had
to get out for a little while and lie down
by the roadside on account of the storm
of bullets, which cut the cane trees on
either side of the carriage. I tried to
keep cool and to appear brave, even if I
was not.
when / reached Manila, I heard
nothing from the regiment until Mon
day, when ellison, whom you remember
as the old Indian fighter who accom-
panied Johns regiment to Manila, came
and told me that John was safe, and
that the regiment was fighting the in
Surgents to get possession and control
of the waterworkS, which are the main
reliance of the city of Manila. Late or
Monday the battalion which John COM
manded succeeded in doing this. It was
made up of his own and four other
regiments and his headquarters are
now in a large stone house formerly oc-
cupied by the insurgent chiefs.
Miss O'Brien and [ are now staying
in the city. The house is owned by a
Filipino, whose wife is European
Mrs. Beach and Mrs. Brayton, wives of
two naval officers, are with us, and
during the hottest of the fighting we
remain in the middle room of the house,
as stray bullets kept hitting the roof
On all of the next day the ambulanCes
carrying the wounded and the dead
mostly F'ilipinos, passed our house. The
sight made us prayerfully wish and
hope that the war would soon be over.
and that we may all soon get back 10
the best and only good country, our
much beloved United States"