The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-01

Oscar Groshell, jr., and Harry
Emise. better known as BOX" and
Ham," and best remembered as lions
trick bicyclists, are home from the war,
hale and hearty, full of good stories
and overloaded with experience. The
boys came in yesterday, after safe
journey from Manila on the Valencia.
They have served since May, 1898. in
the Fourth cavalry, all over the Philip
pine battlefelds, and during that time
have been in fights galore. But they
don't like the country. and Box" in
particular is as glad to get home as
papa" is to have him.
The Fourth was in Luzon the greater
part of the time, but very little did
they see of the Utah battery boys. BY
chance they were thrown together on
one or two occasions.
An Exciting Experience.
When asked to relate his most ex-
citing experience, Groshen replied:
Undoubtedly a recruits most adven-
turesome moment is his first time un-
der fire. Mine happened to be in con-
nection with Utah. We We're startled
one day at Cavite to hear a sentry
crying: The natives are firing on our
men, It created CONSERVATION, and the
Fourth was ordered to get ready Tor
action. An advance guard of eight was
ordered out. and I was one of them.
We walked down the street, hugging
the sidewalk, when suddenly an ,lasur-
gent sentry opened fire onfus. We load
ed and shot back, and in less than a
minute shots were pouring from up
stairs windows all along the street We
fired about fifty shots back, and soon
the insurgents exhibited a white flag.
After the riot we were astonished to
learn that Hudson and Anderson of
Utah had beesl shot, This was getting
very close TO home, and 1 tell you there
was gloom among the Utahs that day"
Groshell was wounded slightly in the
Cavite incident, but, with that excep-
ton, went through the war without a
scratch. Both himself and Emise were
with the troop from the Fourth cavalry
that went with Major Grants expedi-
ton to Santa Cruz on the Laguna de
Bay
The boys praise the MAJORS work, and
say that he we'll won the title, THE
Dewey of the army"
Long War Ahead.
OF the prospect for the campaign gen.
orally, Greshell said the end was far
from IN sight
After a town has been taken,'' he
explained, and soldiers enough to hold
it have been installed, the natives build
trenches around it and shoot into town
all dag and all night. They could be
starved out, probably, but for the fact
that the town natives carry them food.
Again, as soon as Otis orders the sol
diers out the insurgents return. There
is no glory in that.
We had an unfortunate experience
Just before we left. The town of Ca
LAMBDA had been taken, and the niggers
had, as usual, built trenches and start
ed to bother US. We chased them up
in the hills-1,50o of them to our DO
when one day the gunboat Laguna de
Bay opened on the enemy, not knowing
we were in close proximity. The result
was that two of our men were killed
by American bullets. This was before
Major Grant took command. When
Calamba was taken we found siXty-five
Spanish prisoners there, and one of the
Spanish officers told us we killed 500
niggers in the fight
Emise and 'Groshell shared the hon
ors of being in the Eawton expedition
through Infanta, when twenty-five
towns were captured Groshell went
through a siege of fever, and Emise
was knocked out considerably by the
hot climate, but both men return in
good health. They were royalty re-
ceived by their many friends in Salt
Lake