Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-05
How the Montana Boys Behaved
in That Fight.
HARRY PAXSON WAS LOST
And Was Shot at by the Filipinos But
Escaped Injury--An interest
ing Letter.

Harry Paxson, one of the gallant young
men of Butte now doing duty in the
Philippines with the First Montana VOL
unteers, and who is an orderly on the
staff of Major Byron Cook, has written
the following interesting letter to his
mother in this city of the work Of the
Montana boys in that PARKWAY land:
Malolos, P. l., April l, 1899.
1t has been several days since I lave
had an opportunity to write a letter to
the dear ones at home. During that time
many things have happened which l
never shall forget. You nave had good
accounts of them in the papers and let
ters. We have had a hard time Of it, but
we are all quite healthy and happy.
The night of the oath we were relieved
by the Twenty-second infantry and
transferred to the trenches of the Tenth
pennsylvania We slept there all night
and at 4:30 took breakfast. At 6 a.. m.
the Pennsylvanians began to advance
under a heavy fire, and in three minutes
we were following them. Our regiment
the rebel fire was turned on us. When it
came it was of no little volume. Their
trenches were about 80 yards ahead of
us and their guns going full blast.
Stevens was the first man hit there. He
died a few hours later. Mittsky of Com
p0Ay M was tIc next. f1C also Uleu.
After advancing a little the fire eased,
then the rebels turned tail, firing over
their shoulders. We sent up a mighty
yell midst the crack of rifles and the
boom of the artillery. The Filipinos
were just moved down after that until
they reached the trenches back of them.
There they made another stand and we
drove them away again and took about
100 prisoners, all wounded and mostly
dying. We kept advancing continually.
Major Cook sent me to find Company
E. which was in the brush, but it had
moved out ahead of me and when 1 re-
turned to find the line it was gone. I
ran ahead through the brush, but could
see nothing. Then I knew 1 was lost.
l knew the line was ahead of me, but
l dared not sc for fear l would get ahead
of 1T and be shot by our men. I ran to
the left through bamboo clumps and
jungle. Several times bullets came near
enough to me to make me think some one
was shooting at me. Finally l found a
road, which ran down until it came to
an open place which overlooked a valley
OF a river. Just as I emerged from the
jungle. ping! ping! came two bullets. both
hitting near me. l paid no attention to
them. but kept on, thinking 1 might
met our own lines on the other side of
the open. l got nearly to the middle
when a whole volley was fired at me.
My! how the lead rained about me for
about 10 seconds. 1 began to get scared,
SO I dropped behind a little knoll that
was about big enough to hide a marble.
The niggers kept wasting ammunition on
me, so ! rose up and made a hike for a
tree. This brought another volley, most
of which hit the tree. Suddenly a bullet
went whizzing about three inches from
my head, and then I became in earnest
in my search for shelter. l ran about so
feet and got behind a mound. 1 was safe
there. The shooting quit then, out / had
no notion to start the niggers up again,
so l remained there for about Is minutes.
when I saw a body of troops advancing
through the trees. ! yelled American
here!" 1t was Colonel Wallace with the
reserve. l had been in a breach of. the
firing line. I soon Joined my
which l found badly cut up.
After reaching the river, the block
house on the other side had riddled them
with bullets. Lockhart was killed in
%stantly; Brown was so badly injured
that he died mex day: Myers was shot
in the thigh and leg; G. Williams in the
arm; McCarty in the arm; Charles Young
in the hand; Axtell in the leg, and Nc
I4aughlin in the finger.
Company G's list today is 4 killed and
II wounded.
We kept advancing every day. The
second day we took Polo and the third
Meycauayan, where Yost was shot in the
leg. Next we advanced to Marilao and
rested several hours. 1t was rather ex-
citing to see a whole city all turned in
side out, houses all Quilted and ran
sacked, men chasing chickens n pigs
everywhere n the town on fire.
The 29th we were in Bigaa. From there
we drew UP our skirmish line and
marched towards Malolos in columns of
tours. The 'fiankers' had a lively fight