Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-09-02
THE BOLOMAN.
A Filipino Assassin In Uniform Who Kills
In the Dark.

Manila Cor. Cnlcago hecoru'
Lieutenant Ara L. Reeves lies in the
hospital now and his wife sits beside
him. His foot is done up in bandages,
one hand is bandaged also, and he has
strip of adhesive plaster on his face.
The lieutenant is victim of the bolo-
man, and is about the first one who
has lived to tell the tale. And he can
best tell that tale.
"Our company of the Seventeenth
infantry has the hardest station there
is at San Fernando" he said to me.
1--WE have shooting there almost every
night. Not firing to be replied to; but
enough to keep US sure of the fact that
the insurgents are there and that they
would come at US if they were not
watched like hawk. So, you see, we
have to be very careful about the dis
position of our outposts and we have
to know that all is we'll.
"I suppose every man in charge OF a
company-mine is D company-visits
his outposts every night. 1 have been
in charge of that company for some
time, and assure you there never has
a night passed that I have not been
fully informed by observation as to the
situation. This thing happened night
before last. 1t was dark and raining,
too. The walking was not good, as
you may be sure with all the rain, and
I was picking my way along as best l
could. All at once I saw shadowy
form before me. There wasn't any
parleying, either. I could see that it
was a man, and felt, rather than saw,
that he was boloman."
Mrs. Reeves here said something and
the lieutenant smiled.
"You see," he said, turning on his
pillow so that he could look at me
without effort, "she is going to be a
regular ire-eater but I don't believe
she is half as blood thirsty as she talks.
I do not think I hit the fellow; but
there is no way to prove it.
"Well, was on the defensive in ar
instant but did not have time to
draw nv revolver before he made
lunge at me and was in arms length.
I believed that he had knife in one
hand. I was sure he had revolver,
for he fired point-blank at me, and |
don't see why he did not get me. l
felt the charge pass my face. But
they say that "a miss is as good as a
mile.' At any rate, things were hap
pening at such pace that l didn't
think much about it then. What l
did realize was that must get hold OF.
his hands, and quick, too. He cut me
a little on the face,"-the lieutenant
ierked his thumb toward the plaster
on his cheek-"and then caught his
arms. He struck me on the wrist
with the hand which held the revol-
YER and with my left hand I caugh
his right. I was holding his hands,
but he was holding the revolver and
knife. 1 was holding his knife hand
above my head, with the revolver hand
down, and trying to throw him over
hack ward.
"We were whirling around and
around like madmen at waltz when
he began to fire. He was trying to hit
me in the stomach-and it would have
been all day with me if he had-but l
kept his hand where he would have to
shoot toward the ground. l felt bull
let 20 into my foot and then felt an
other strike almost in the same place.
That was three shots from his revolver,
counting the one he fired at me when
we first came together. I was count
ing those shots, and when he had spent
two more, one of which cut through
my bootleg and nipped my shin, was
pretty sure that he could not shoot
again.
"Then it was that he cut me on the
hand. He could not stab and so hc
worked the blade of the knife across
the back of my wrist. I can assure
you that it was anything but pleasant,
that performance, and presently
thought he would cut himself loose.
Then I began to force the fighting.
could not stand on my wounded foot;
UuG i COulu use UuC huCC. PAoNSASN
to punch him in the stomach with it
and pretty soon I felt him falling away
from me. 1 gave him push and let
60 his hands, both at once, and he was
bowled over into bunch of banana
plants. Ipulled my revolver as quick
as I could and began to fire. But my
aim was not good, for so soon as the
fellow was thrown and l attempted to
stand on my foot I fell.
"Just about that time one of the out
posts came running up. He had heard
the firing and was coming to my res
cue. Be he came too late. He said
he was but minute on the way; but
he was more than that. 1t seemed to
me that we were fighting for 10 min
utes. Perhaps it was not as long as
that; but it seemed an interminable
time.
"Oh, he got away. We thrashed
around there; but the fellow was hid
den by the darkness, and had crawled
into his lines. I wish knew, for sure,
whether hit him.