The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-01-11
OUTOF FDEATH'SJAWS
Lieutenant Gilmore Tells the
Story of His Captivity.
TERRIBLE SUFFERING AND CRUELTY
Ff1ipinos Hard Pressed by Relief
Party Abandoned Prisoners to
stnrvc-Found Two Days Later
In n Destitute Condition.

Gilmore of the United States cruiser
Yorktown, who was captured by the in
surgents last April near Baler, on the
east coast of IuZon, and rescued II few
days ago by Colonel Luther X. Hare OF
the Thrty-third volunteer infantry, sat in
the apartment of his sister, Mrs. Major
Price, at the Hotel Oricnte, in Manila.
and told a remarkable story of his eight
months in captivity, ending with his dra.
matte deliverancc from a death that
seemed inevitable.
Lieutenant Gilmore made the following
statement for publication:
"The Filipinos abandoned us on the
night of Dec. 1G. We had reached the
Abulat river near its source that morn
ing and the Filipinos RATED us over. We
then went down the stream along a rough
trail, guarded by n company of Filipinos
That night we were separated from this
guard. and another company, armed with
Mausc1s. was put in charge of us. | sus.
pected something and questioned the lieu
tenant in command. He said: Il have or
dcrs from General Tino to shoot you all
but my conscience forbids. l shall leave
you here
81 begged him for two rifles to protect
us from savages, adding that l would
give him letters to the Americans who
would pay him well and keep him from
all harm. He refused this, however say.
ing that he would not dare to comply
Soon afterward he left with his company.
1--WE had seen some savages in war
paint around us, and we prepared to fight
them with cobblestones, the only weapons
that were available to us. The next morn
ing we followed the trail of the Filipino
Il hot tn Sti
to them than to be murdered by savages,
but we could not catch up with them.
Then ordered the men to build RATS in
the hope of floating down the river. 1t
was a fororn hope, but l knew the river
must empty into the sea somewhere. l
was so weak myself that ! did not expect
to get out, but thought some of the men
could.
"On the morning of Dec. Is, while we
were working on the RATS, the Americans
came toward us yelling. One of my men
shouted, They are on U.S.. He was lash
ing a raft of bamboos. l, however. knew
it was not the yell of savages but the yell
of Americans. The rescuing troops
thought we had Filipino guards and call
ed to us in English to lie down so that
they could shoot the F'jlipinos. That was
the finest body of officers and men | ever
saw"
Lieutenant Gilmore could not speak en-
Enthusiastically enough about the 14O pick
ed men who had rescued him and his par
ty.
The command spent the day in making
rafts. Colonel Hare thought Lieutenant
Gilmore too weak to live through the trip,
but there was no alternative. They shot
many rapids, the men lashing all their ef'
fects and Lieutenant Gilmore some valu-
able papers Only II out of 81 RATS sur
vived the first nights experiences, and 50
men were practically unable to walk
when Vigan was reached.
"The Filipino treatment of the Span.
iards," said Lieutenant Gilmore, was
brutal in the extreme. The insurgents
had old grudges to wipe out against
them. Many talk about the reconcentra
dos in Cuba, but l have seen Spaniards
dying at the rate of two or three per day
of starvation in the hospitals at Vigan.
have seen Tagalog officers strike Span
iards in the face with whips and revolv
ers."
Among the prisoners arriving will
Lieutenant Gilmore were +. j. Hubert
Edward Burke and j. j. Farley, sailors
from the Urdaneta: Won Galen of thu
Baltimore, A. II. Gordon and Georg,
Sackett of the Third infantry, LELAND
Smith and Frank Stone of the sigma
corps, Harry Huber of the hospital corps
William Bruce and Edward Honeymal
of the Nevada cavalry, Martin Brennan
and James Curran of the Sixteenth in
fantry, Albert Bishop of the Third artil
lery and John O'Brien and David Brown
civilians.
Charles Baker of the Third artiller.
was formerly one of the prisoners, but h
became too weak to travel, and the Fill
pino guards bayoneted him during tn
last fight through the mountains.