The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1899-04-28
FUNSTON LEADS AGAIN
With Only Five Men he Swims River
Under Fire and Charges the Rebel
Trenches.
REBELS MAKING A HARD FIGHT


trcuchv, before Calumpit yesterday
advancing four miles mostly through
woods and Jungle anu crossing the
Bogbag river. This was accomplished
az "a cost 10 the Americans of siN killed
and IS wounded, the First South Dakota
regiment being the heaviest loser.
After fording the river, the South Da-
llotan, pursued the Insurgents 20 the
outskirts of Calumpit. but the town
wa, found TO be ~p strongly protected
that Gen. MacArthur deemed Is best 90
Withdraw the tired fighters and go into
camp for nights rest before making |
the final assault.
The largest buildihg- IN Calumpit |
were being fired by the Filipino, while
the American, were crossing the river
fully "a mile away, indicating the enc
my's intention to abandon the place.
The insurgents seem TO have adopted |
settled policy of retiring from one posi-
| tion after another after inilicting the
greatest possible damage upon the ad-
vancing army 1ac forces yesterday
were well drilled Every foot of the
ground was tcnaciou,ly disputed by
| thoroughly-organizcd troops. who stood
remarkably firm even before artillery.
The enemy had planned to wreck
our artillery transport train. This at
tempt was failure, but span of the
! iron railway bridge over the river was
destroyed hampering the American
transportation for some time. The
! Filipinos cut the girdcrs, intending to
have the structure fall with the train,
but it collapsed prematurely of its own
weight.
The Bagbag river, which Is about LOO
yards wide at that point. was sulendidlv
| fortified. and the Americans We're COM
PEELED TO approach an open space from
which the rebels had cleared every OBJ
struction to sight. The bank of the
river high bluff, was, surmounted
with trenches, capped with rocks loop
holed and partly hidden by bushes.
Gen. Wheaton's brigade approached
the river along the railroad, leaving
camp beyond Maloloscity. Gen. Hale's,
which started Monday, was earlier on
the march and sweeping westward to-
ward the railroad. The armOred train
was being pushed by Cinnamon, the
Twentieth Kansas regiment advancing
in an extended order on the left and
the First Montana regiment with the
Utah light artillery, ON the right.
The rapid-firing guns on the train
"opened the BALI at 1880 a. m about
a mile from the river, their popping al
ternating continuously with the boom
of the six-poundcrs. The Montana
regiment and the Utah artillery bat
terics at the same time entered the
Jungle, from which the insurgents. who
7 were occupying large struggling vii
lagc of huts, poured heavy yOlley>.
In the course of an hour the Ameri-
cans had forced passage through the
wood, TO the open space in front of the
/ river, and the artillery, Immediately
on wheeling into the open. began she'll
> ing the Filipino trenches.
In the meantime. company IS Tween
ticth Kansas, led by Capt. HOLLYWOOD,
; performed one of the most brilliant
/ achievements of the campaign. The
e regiment was being held In reserve,
e and company X charged "a distance OF
u Il quarter of a mile over corutcld te
! the bank of the river, near the bridge
u where the insurgents, from "a trench
l. were peppcriug the umorcd train
d then about 2Od yards down the track
t The company found shelter iu ditch
Col. Frcderick Funston called for vol.
uuteer, to cross the river. and the col
onel himself. Lieut.. Ball. private o.
- company X. "A private of company IL
Trumpcter Bansheld and Corporal Fer
y pu,on. of company |. crayyled alon.
% the iron pirdcrs.
I While thi, was going on the men o
g conpanv X. from the ditch, were fusil
3 ladinp the trenches in the endeavor t,
le divert attention. but the Filipinos 90
D, ~ ~ s,, -, Il, ~,
tl'' i"'Ee '"'" ''Ni''' "'' ."
river and their bullets soon Spattere
the water under the structure. Hay
inc reached the broken span. the smal
but valorous party of Americans sli