Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-06-14

70 nave been the largest and best orga-
nizei body which had NET our troops.
The Americans were compelled t. DID,
vance alJng narrow roads and over
small bridges commanded by earthworks
ten feet thick.
The on.y means of crossing the Ia
poUe was small bridge, which the Fill
pinos commanded with trenches spread
ing S-shaped. whence they could con-
centrdte their fire on the bridge. They
also had the advantage of the trees ami
jungle, so the Americans could hardly
see Il mead.
When the battle was resumed with
the reinforGements, our battery having
silenced the enemy's guns, the Ameri-
cans wadin- waist deep in the mud OF
the salt mats, slowly and pouring steady
yolleys of n-LSketry at the rebels, drove
their opponents beyond the river. Tneu
the two armies lay facing each other
across the deep stream, the enemy prac-
ticaIly out of sight while the men ii
blue and khaki lay in the mud and
bushes, many OF them withoutan shell
ter, for three hours without a moment 5
ceasing in the fight, firing bullets at the
enemy as fast as they could load. The
rifles blended into a continuous roar SO
vastly different from the intermittent
skirmlshlike rattle of most of the en-
gagements.
One battalion after another General
Lawton summoned the reserve from
Las Piuas until only enough troops
Were left IN the town to prevent the
Fihpinos from attacking the Americans
III the rear, which was feared, as they
Were creeping around our left through
the woods, delivering a fanking fire
which put a great strain upon the en-
durance of the Ameucans who We're
1oundering i'll the mud across the river,
while on the right the FilipinoS sharp
shooters, hidden in the trees, were pep
pering our men. But, thanks to the
poor craftsmanship of the rebels, our
loss was not rs great as it would hav >
been if the filipinos had shot straight.
An army, however, seldom foug,-
under a greater han leap or more cot :
;tgeously than did our regulars, N =
jority of whom were, comparative 7
speaking, recruits, who could have
been pardoned for retiring, i'll the face
of such fierce fire, frnns their exposed
positions.
The Fourteenth regiment lay to the
right ot the bridge and in front cf
tfiem was the Twelfth regiment, with
the Ninth on the right aud the Twenty
first upon the road, facing the bridge,
which was the key to the situation.
On tie bridge were the bodies of two
Americans who had attempted to rush
across, and many wounded men were
carried from tie open ground before
the bridge
After firing i'll volleys for a short
time, the Americans we've ordered to
fire when and where they could see the
enemy. 1t was every man for himself
and the best our men could do was to
ann at the faint nlists arising from the
rebels smokeless powder.
General Lawton. though exhausted
by the mornings fight. rallied by sheer
will power and was the commanding
figure i'll the battle. He went along the
lines directing and encouraging the
troops.
General Wheaton and General Oven
shine were equally courageous. In fact
the generals were among the few men
on the battlefield who refused to take
shelter under the hottest fire.
The only approach to the fighting
ground was by narrow and winding
road, where the rebel bullets dropped
thickly, wounding several of our men.
About o'clock there was an hour S
lull i'll the fighting and All artillery SER
geant galloped back to where two guns
of the mountain battery were waiting
i'll reserve and shouted:
Bring up those guns.
Tho thor, tr1r, b1a6 tod
from his horse.
Twenty wounded men were carried
to cascoe (native boat waiting Oh the
beach, which was rowed to Paranaque.
1t was impossible at present to esti-
There were many dead bodies in the
fields the Americans traversed.
This battlefield. incidentally, was for
merly the scsne of several of the great
est struggles between the Spaniards and
the Filipinos. The Zapote was consid-
cred impregnable. and hundreds of
Spaniards and Filipinos were killed
while fighting over the same bridge in
former contests for its possession. In
June, 1897, Generals Pho del Pillar and
Trias turned scale of war on the side
of the Filipinos by deserting the Span
ish army there on the eve of decisive
battle, carrying the native militia with
them and thereby breaking the chain of
defenses around Manila
MANILA, June 14.-There reached
here information, believed to be reliable,
that General Luna and his aid:de-camp,
Lieutenant Pasco Ramon, ON June 8,
were assassinated by some OF Aguin-
aldo's guard at the. headquarters of
Aguinaldo.
Luna and Ramon, it appeared, went
to the Filipino headquarters to confer
with Aguinaldo, got into an alteration
with the captain of the guard and one
of them drew revolver. The guard
then killed Luna and Ramon with their
bayonets.
General Antonio Luna was the bit
terest foe of peace with whom Ameri-
cans had to deal, and it was hinted that
his death was brought about by Aguin-
aldo, whose offer of peace had been op-
posed by the fighting general. Luna
was an irreconcilable, and his death will
leave Agulnaldo and his followers free
to treat with the Americans. Even the
rank and file of the Fflipinos hope the
report of Luna S death is true, as they
see in it an omen of peace.
Loseh Slightly Improved.
GAINESVILLE, June 1.-THE condition
of Stata Senator I acob iS Soppaxrbaf