The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-20

Manila. March 19.-sorne of the rebels
recently expelled from Cavite and the
small towns in the vicinity of Pasig
combined forces and last night-as al
ready cableil-attacked a company Of
the Washington volunteers, a detached
post at Taguig, about a. mile and a half
southeast of Pasig. General Wheaton
Immediately reinforced the Americans
with two companies each of the Wash
inSton and the Oregon regiments. The
post mad held the enemy in check, and
the fire of the reinforcing companies re-
pulsed them, driving them across to an
island formed by the estuary. They
were thus in front of the Twenty SEC
Ond regulars.
On discovering that they were en-
trapped the rebels fought desperately,
aided materially by the jungle and the
darkness, but they were completely
routed with heavy loss, after two
hours fighting. The Americans lost
two killed and twenty wounded, among
the latter Lieutenant Frank Jones.
General Wheaton determined to pun
ism the natives, and at daybreak today
his brigade started in the following or
der: The Sixth artillery, holding the
extreme right; the Oregon volunteers,
holding the center; the Washington re-
giment keeping to the edge of the lake,
and the Twenty-second regulars occu-
pylng the lett of the line (which swept
the whole country along the lake, in a
SOutheaSteTly direction, toward General
Overshine's position. The line thus ex-
tended over two miles of country, rough
and covered with thick jungle, adj
Vanced eleven miles. The enemy fed,
the last of them being seen about $3.50
this afternoon. At scarcely any time did
the Americans get within Zoo yards of
them.
The troops are returning to Pasig to-
night, exhausted by the hard work I'M
der a. hot sun. The Oregon regiment
had one man killed and four wounded,
and the Twenty regulars one
wounded. According to the official re-
ports no fewer than zoo FilipinOs were
killed.
General Otis says the American army
and gunboats now command the lake.
He estimates that property of the val
ued at $500, GOO has been destroyed, while
quantities of rice and sugar and 400
tons of coal, which is very valuable
here, has been captured.
INSURGENTS WEAKENING.
Many prisoners represent that the
Filipino soldiers are weakening. The
generous treatment that the Americans
administer to the native prisoners AND
wounded seems to influence, the insur-
gent army powerfully. In the opinion
Of the Americans, however, the Filipino
leaders will continue to provoke fighting
Just as long as they can retain their
hold upon their followers, because they
have everything to gain and nothing
to lose.
The enemy has twice as many mem on
their firing line as they have arms, and
the fact that so few arms are captured
by the Americans is because the guns
of the wounded FilipinoS and many OF
those who surrender are spirited away.
WORK OF UTAH FLEET.
The armed tugs Laguna de Bay and
Oeste have returned to San Pedro Ma
cati and reported the results of their
tour of the lake. On Friday morning
last they sheIled the town of Moringi,
the rebels fleeing without making any
response to the fire. The Americans
landed a party, who destroyed "a. guam
tity of stores and all the store build
ings except the church. The expedi-
ton then proceeded to MajagUay
where a sugar mill and saw mill were
destroyed.
On arriving at Santa Cruz, a town
of 200 inhabitants, it was found that
the enemy was strongly entrenched
and prepared to defend the position
assisted by two gunboats and several
launches Moreover, the mouth of the
river was blocked with rocks and BAN
boo A few shells caused an exodus
of the citizens, but not of the enemy's
troops The Americans did not attempt
landing.
Captain Grant, who is in charge Of
the expedition, asks for reinforcements,
and will probably take Santa Cruz to-
morrow. The troops that accompanied
the expedition were a detachment of
the Twenty-third regiment, under Cap
tain Pratt, which was towed by the
gunboat on fiat-bottomed boat. The
americans had captured four boats at
Majaguay, where they encamped on
FRIDAY