The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-17
MURDER OF CAPT. T|LLY
The Account as Published in
Freedom.
UNDER A FLAG OF TRUCE
Was Fired Upon From Ambush-Amer,-
can Soldiers, Frenzied at the
Outrage, Promise Short
Work of Insurgents.

Freedom, weekly newspaper pub
lished In Manila, of date June 8, con-
tains an account of the murder of
Capt. George H. Tilly of the 1st de-
tachment 18th company, U. S. ",
signal corps, at Escalante, May 81
The copy of the paper was sent to r.
j. Curran of this city by NJ. S. Green,
| sergeant in the corps.
Captain lilly, says Freedom left
Iloilo May "a with force of cable men,
| on board the cable ship Recorder, in
| tending to grapple the cable and make
| connection with the island of Cebu.
| The cable men report that flag of
| true was flying at Escalante and they
lowered cutter and proceeded to land,
and when they attempted to open the
door Of the cable office they We're fired
upon from ambush and Immediately
started back toward the cutter. Cap
tain lilly, however, was cut off and
compelled to retreat in another direc-
ton, taking to the water, but being
unable to swim, was followed by the
enemy and literally beaten to death
with clubs, as his head was battered
beyond recognition. During the ex-
element the cable men lost sight of
Captain Tilly, and are unable to give
further details
Immediately upon receipt of the
news here, General Smith, accompa-
MED by rs members of the 18th U. S.
infantry, started for Escalante on
board the steamer Lee Fat, and ar
irving there six hours later, recovered
the body and proceeded to make short
work of Escalante. The soldiers were
so frenZied that they scarcely waited
for the boat to make a landing, some
jumping overheard, taking everything
before them, also capturing two insur-
gent officers, whose lives were only
spared by promise, on their Bonded
knees, to lead the American troops to
the rendezvous of the 300 armed in
surgents who participated in the brutal
murder.
Captain Tilly was buried yesterday,
Decoration day, with military honors
in the English cemetery, at o'clock
p. m. One battalion of the Tennessee
regiment, a squad from Light Battery
G, 9Th U. s. artillery, and a signal
corps detachment. accompanied by
their respective officers, acted as an
escort.
Captain Wells of the LIST Tennessee
delivered the funeral sermon, and the
Tennessees fired the salute. Honorary
pail barers were: Captain Cannon, O.
NJ. D.; Hanna, captain of the port;
Woodward adjutant and captain 4th u
S. artillery; Lieutenant Pitcher, 1st
Tennessee; Conrad, 18th U. S. infan-
try, and Clifton, signal corps. Six sig
MAJ corps Hieii ALSO dcleu DIS pdll pear
ers.
Captain lilly had many friends in
lloilo, and the casket was completely
covered with flowers, kindly rendered
by every prominent citizen of the city
The signal men rendered a beautiful
floral Offering in the form of a tele-
graphic emblem, 49," meaning mo
more" or Goodnight
Captain lilly was 36 years of age and
a native of the Empire state, his pa
rents now living in Long Island. He
was late chief operator of the Western
Union telegraph office at Helena, Mont,
where he put in Is years of faithful
service. He was the telegraphers' best
friend in the Philippines. and his loss
casts a shadow of sorrow over this
detachment which will never be lifted.
Few people outside the army service
are at all familiar with the workings
of the signal corps, notwithstanding
the fact that their services are regard
ed as indispensable in conducting a
campaign or even in times of peace,
wherever communication is desired
Many, too, are of the opinion that this
is a part of that branch of the service
so essential in aggressive warfare
the engineering corps-but the two are
as distinct as are any two branches of
army service.
Among the duties of the signal corps
comes the building. equipment and OPP
Grafton of telegraphs, telephones, sig
mailing with flags, lamps, torches and
photographs, this latter being a system
or code of light flashes by which any
message can be communicated, under
favorable conditions, more than 100
miles.
The first company. prior to and dur
ing the engagement with the Spanish,
built the telegraph line, and operated
it, from Cayite to Manila
This line has since been replaced by
cable. Several deeds of heroism were
recorded during this siege, among
which was the repairing of wires which
had been cut by bullets above the
trenches, and in the face of the hottest
fire, by Sergeants Dozier and Greene.
The 18th company Immediately on
their arrival in Manila, built what is
known as the police" telephone sys-
TEN, equipped with American instru-
ments. In connection with the first
company they constructed telegraph
lines to all the outposts surrounding
the city and established offices which
have since been operated continuously,
day and night, by which means the
generals headquarters were IN direct
touch with the remotest outpost and
when the attack was made on our
forces at Santa Mesa, on Feb. 4, it was
instantly known at every point on our
entire lines.
The 18th company has only recent
ly been formed of telegraphers and
electricians transferred from other cr-
CARNATIONS, and has only been doing
auxiliary work since it's organization.
When the war between our forces and
the insurgent army broke out the
first company was assigned to duTy on
the south side of the Pasig river, the
18th company ON the north side. Cne-
third of the men in the later ccnl-
pany having been sent to Iloilo for
service in that country, small de-
tachment from the first company were
assigned to duty with the 18th. Dur
ing the engagements in every locality,
the signal men have strung wires and
operated offices right up to the front,
handling orders and reports for the
commanding officers, and with the ex-
ception of the times when wires were
shot down or cut by insurgent sym
pathizers, the service has been con-