The San Francisco call., 1899-03-18
AMERICANS
SPARED No
WOUNDED
Story Told by Private Tom
Lynch Of the Third
Artillery.

These extracts are from a graphic
letter written by Private Tom Lynch
of the Third Artillery, but a California
boy, to his father, Timothy Lynch of
this city Private Lynch is on duty
aboard one of the gunboats engaged in
patrolling the Pasig from Manila to
Laguna de Bal. He writes:
"On Tuesday we were lying opposite
General Otis headquarters, when at
$50 o'clock we heard scattering re-
ports of Mausers. Ten minutes later
there came the roar OF volley of mus
kerry which was heard all over Manila.
1t came from the direction of the Ne
braska Regiment outposts. small
body of insurgents had attempted to
cross San Juan bridge and was driven
back. 1t returned with reinforcements,
and the second volley followed its at
tack upon the line. A few seconds after
the second report every regiment in
Manila was lined up outside its quar-
ters, waiting impatiently for the signal
to move. This came presently in the
shape of a red rocket, to indicate that
the outposts were attacked. And of
all the cheering you ever heard in your
life! 1t showed that every soldier in
to get at the black devils.
THE Americans reached the outposts
and held them until morning, waiting
for daylight. The insurgents kept firing
all night. The next morning the Amer
leans charged over the trenches and
swept everything before them. Our
boat then steamed up to the firing line
and started to shell the towns on the
fI,n ING
gent headquarters, first and after an
hours hot work we had the town in
flames and what was left of the Fill
pinos running like frightened sheep.
when we stopped shelling Santa Ana
the First California Regiment entered,
and what we had not burned they fin
ished with a vengeance. Their motto,
as we'll as that of the other regiments,
is: The only good Filipino is dead
one; take no prisoners, as lead is
cheaper than rice.
I'VE next commenced shelling a con-
vent where the insurgents were quar-
tered opposite the Nebraska camp, and
they all surrendered to the infantry
which was following US. All around
Manila could be heard heavy firing, and
Dewey opened up at Malate, which sur
rendered in about ten minutes. 1t was
a rather noisy time, especially on our
gunboat, where two mountain Hotch-
kiss, two Krupp and four Gatling guns,
together with about forty Krag-Jorgen-
sens, were in action all at once. At
times we could hardly see one another
through the powder smoke. We could
tell, though, by the sound and by the
regularity of the volley firing that our
boys were giving them hades, and could
see that the Americans in the other
part of town were pursuing the same
course as we-that is, burning every
thing around them.
THE Tennessee men were on the
right, and an orderly came aboard and
reported that they were killing every
native in sight, whether soldier or
not. We were then recalled by General
Otis and had to remain in front of the
palace, guarding it, while the rest of
the boys were enjoying themselves
shooting 'niggers on the run.
'All along the river we could see
the corpses of the natives lying on the
banks or floating down the river The
Idahos at one place were burying the
natives, and at one hole l saw them
throw in sixty-five bodies. We met the
First California again further up, and
saw Alfy Bigelow and Jim McInerny
on the beach 1 learned that Joe
Maher was killed.
Our own battery and regiment did