The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-19
ON A MISSION OF MERCY
Lieutenant Gilmore Captured by
the Insurgents.
THIRTEEN MEN MISSING
The Yorktown Was Attempting to Res
cue Spanish Prisoners-The Landing
Party Was Ambushed and Some
Of the Mon Taken Prisoners.

Washington, April 1S-The navy de-
partment has given out the following
dispatch from Admiral Dewey:
Manila, April 18.-Secretary of the
Navy, Washington: Yorktown visited
Belem, Luzon, east coast of Luzon, P
l., April IL for the purpose of rescu-
| ing and bringing away the Spanish
| force, consisting of so soldiers, three
| officers and two priests, which were
| surrounded by 400 insurgents. Some of
| the insurgents, armed with Mausers.
by natives. Lieut.. J. c. Gill
| more, while making am
| bushed were fired upon and captured;
| fate unknown, as insurgents refused
| to communicate afterward. The fol-
| lowing missing:
Officer previously referred to; Chief
Quartermaster w. Walton; Coxswain
j. Ellsworth; Gunner's Mate A. J. Hy-
gard; Sailmaker's Mate Wendgit; Sea-
man w. H. Rynders and C. w. Wood
bury; Apprentices D. w. A. Venville
| A. j. Petersen: Ordinary Seaman F.
Brisolese, o. B. Mcdonald; Landsman
and c. A. Morrissey. DEWEY.
| The denote portions of the
dispatch which could not be deciphered.
The capture of the Yorktown's men
was discussed with much feeling in
naval circles. The misfortune was felt
| with added keenness, as the navy has
prided itself thus far on immunity
from reverses. The admirafs dispatch
! of to-day was the first knowledge that
| the department had that the York
town had gone on the special mission
to relieve the Spanish garrison at Ba-
| lem.
| That the capture should have been eff
fected while the American forces were
on mission of mercy toward the
| Spaniards rather than in the prosecu-
ton of campaign leads to the belief
that Spain would have no further
grounds for questioning the good faith
| with which the Americans were seek
ing to relieve the condition of the
| Spanish prisoners.
Although the dispatch gave no indi-
cation that Lieutenant Gilmore and his
men had lost their lives, yet great anx
| iety was aroused by the mystery sur
| rounding their fate while in the hands
| Of an uncvilized enemy This is the
| first capture of any Americans mill
tary or naval, so that it is unknown
| how the insurgents would treat our
men. If civilized methods were pur-
| sued an exchange could be quickly
| effected, as General Otis has a large
| number Of Filipino prisoners, but the
insurgents have been averse thus far
to exchanging Spanish prisoners, and
| this raises a question as to what they
would do with the Yorktown's men.
Lieutenant Gilmore, the officer re-
ferred to as captured, is we'll known in
Washington, having been stationed here
| for some time, and his wife's family
| live here. He was born in Philadelphia
July 10, 1854 and was appointed a naval
| cadet from Arizona in Sept, 1871. He
| reached his present grade of lieutenant
| in 1891
His main service has been on the
| Monongahela, Marion, Bancroft, Vesu-
vius and Machias, besides considerable
| service on the boards. Just year ago
| he reported to the St. Paul, then COM
missioned as an auxiliary cruiser, and
served on that vessel under Captain
| Sigsbee throughout the war On Jan.
IA last he was ordered to the hospital
| ship Solace, which was about to sail
for Manila, and on arrival there was
assigned by Admiral Dewey to the
| Yorktown. The others mentioned in
the admiraFs dispatch are shown by
the naval records as follows:
| William Walton, chief quartermaster,
enlisted Chez Foo, China: born, Man
helm. Germany.
John Ellsworth, coxswain enlisted
Mare Island, Cal; born. Portsmouth,
| N. H.
Lyman Paul Edwards. landsman, en-
listed Mare Island, Cal; born, Peru,
| Ind.
John Dillon, landsman. enlisted at
Honolulu: born, Galway, Ireland.
Paul Vandoit, sailmaker's mate, en-
listed at Mare Island, Cal. born in
| France.
Charles Albert Morrissey, landsman,
enlisted at Mare Island, Cal; born in
| Columbus, Neb
Ora B. Mcdonald. ordinary seaman,
enlisted Mare Island, Cal; born, Cam
mel valley, Cal
William H. Rynder, coxwain, enlisted
Mare Island, Cal; born, Amsterdam
! Holland.
Silvio Brsolez, landsman, enlisted at
San Francisco: born, San Francisco
Albert Peterson, apprentice third
class. enlisted San Francisco; born
Oakland Cal.
Orrison Welch woodbury., seaman,
| enlisted Gloucester, Mass; born, Lynn
| Mass.
Densell George Arthur venville, ap-
prentice secondclass, enlisted Mare
Island, Cal: born. Dudley. Eng.
Fred Anderson. landsman, enlisted
New York; born, Buffalo. n. Y.
Edward J. Nyeard. gunner's mate
third class. enlisted New York; born
Warsaw. Russia.