The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-26
Heroism Of sergeant-lEajor B. ".
Walker, Whose Bravery Saved
His Comrades.
NOT HIS ONLY HEROIC ACT
In a LealEy Boat, with Three
Treachsrous FilipinOs, he Crosses q
Lake and Delivers a Message
Which Brought Help to His Com
panions In the Trenches Should
Rank With Hobson.

battle Of Aiuntinlnpa. published in the
San Francisco and Nashville papers,
where well deserved praise is given a
Tennesseean. no mention is made Of
the hero whose conduct saved the lives
of the entire force. which was ambush
ed, further than "a trusty messenger"
was dispatched with message to Pa
Gig to hurry up ammunition and rein
forrements." This "trusty messenger
was Richard Wilde Walker, sergeant-
major Of the First Battalion, Thirty
seventh Infantry, son Of Mr.. and Mrs.
]. Simpson Walker, of Nashville.
Sergeant Walker is an Alabamian by
birth, and was in business in Mlssiss-
lppl when the calf came for volunteers,
but preferrInE to enlist under the
standard Of his parents adopted state.
came to Nashville and Joined the First
Tennessee. re-enlIsting in June last in
the Thirty-seventh regiment.
Sergeant Walker possesses his brave
cry and courage by inheritance, his an
cestors having been prominent in all
the trying times OF our country. on
his fathers side Of the family was
General L. P. Walker, who was secre-
tary Of war in Davls's cabinet; Major
John j. Walker was captain In the
Greek war; Judge r. w. Walker was in
the Confederate senate and afterward
on the supreme bench Of Alabama. on
his mothers side was Colonel Benja-
min Herndon, hero of Kings Noun
tain, and Captain John w. Rice, a cap
tain In the Mexican war, showing the
fighting blood In his grand-fathers
thrice removed on both sides, while
Colonel william Lowrie, the youngest
colonel in the Confederate army, hav-
ing been promoted for gaIlantry at the
age Of eighteen. was cousin of this
hero Of the Philippine war.
When the three companies OF the
Thirty-seventh received orders on
September IL from Major swigert to
march to Muntinlupa they left Paslg
with ratIons for twenty-four hours and
one hundred rounds Of ammunition, and
embarked on bancas. rowing down the
river for several miles When they
reached Laguna de Bay the water was
so rough they disembarked and march
ed up the lake shore for two or three
miles, when, encountering marsh,
they were forced to take TO the ridges.
After march Of four hours. sleep for
a few hours, then march again for
seven hours, the "barrio" or outpost,
of Muntinlupa was reached, the town
being four miles further on. The
point 0our men who scout in 'front.'
had gone ahead, and when the column
Of the ThIrty-seventh reached the
town all the houses were flying white
flags, sure sign that the enemy was
not far of.
After consultation with the padre
Of the town, who informed the major
that there had been small band Of In
surgents in the town the night before,
but that they had yamoOsed that morn
ing. the column started up big, wide
road toward the ridges. A few mo-
ments served to show the treachery OF
the padre. A murderous volley opened
ON the column, and they rushed for a
line of bushes, and, after an unsuc-
cessful attempt to rout the enemy, re-
treated into the town. Four men OF
Company A were missing, and hos
pltal private was shot through the
thigh, and private of Company G
shot through the hip.
The companies quickly got into line
and lay In ditch four feet deep. The
enemy continued to fire. and the sharp
shooters we're not hundred yards
from the line. one hundred men sur
rounded by four hundred insurgents.
twenty miles from assistance. and
very limited supply Of ammunition.
Then this "trusty messenger" was Sc
lected to make perilous journey for
rs,nSorcements in small, leaky boat
through the lake to a telegraph sta
ton, seventeen miles away.
Sergeant Walker made the trip In
four hours, disguised as a Filipino
with three Filipino prisoners as rowers'
so complete was his disguise that be-
fore embarklng one of his own men
cnme near shooting him, but after
leaving shore they were discovered by
the natives and heavy shower of bull
let's fell around them in the water
His major writes: 81 knew 1t was
-. 10 Ind to send some one I
ronll trust, and knew that II It could
no done Walker would do it. The
wind was 40 high and the waves 30
rough that the boat wus In danger OF
heInp swamped before he got started.
Hls experience was rough, being under
heavy fire from the shore. but he got
there. after having to knock one OF his
rowers in the head and having to ball
M. water with his hat for four hours
gave him honorable mention in my re-
mort and he richly deserved It,"
sergeant Walker himself, In writing
or hIs TRIP, says: when the enemy
from shore opened up on US tho bull
l1ts nil the water all around us, and
,no ,hombres' tried to turn back. but l
cooked my pistol, pointed Il at the
seoundrel In the stern, and crossing
myself. sworc I'd shoot him IL he didn't
va on and they began to dig, and We
&ere coon out OF range. Then my man
In tbc stern Informed ME that the lake
was so rough that he, being the father
Of many plckanlnnlcs, was afraid to
undertake the journey in such rough
,,,d .trnIyhtwny turned the boats