Evening star., 1900-03-30
Narration Of the Long Awaited
Story.
GALLANTRY OF TEE YORKFOWE'S men
Exposed to Calling Fire From AM
bush, Fought Sturdy.
NEARLY NET MASSACRE

Lieut. J. =. Gilmore OF the navy has
made a special report to the commander
in-chief of the Asiatic station, which was
made public by the Navy Department to-
day, In regard to the capture of the second
cutter and crew Of the Yorktown, under
his command, by Fflipinos at Baler, April
y, 1899. The report is dated on the flag
ship Brooklyn, Manila, P. l., January s,
and is introduced by a statement by Lieut..
Gilmore that his diary and official cores
pondence with the Filipino officials were
lost in the rapids Of the Arboluque river.
Lieut.. GilImore's Instructions.
ION the evening Of April H. says Lieut..
Gilmore, the commanding officer of the
Yorktown sent for me and said he wished
me the following morning to take charge
of a boat, to land Ensign w. H. Standley
and quartermaster, who were to make a
reconnaissance to discover the whereabouts
OF the church defended by the Spanish
prisoners in Baler.
Mr.. Standley and the Guartermaster were
to be landed at the small cove to the east
ward of the river running past the town of
Baler, province of Principe. The command
ing officer said he would not hamper me by
orders, but directed me not to land. but to
sound at the mouth of the river and ascer-
tain the distance of the ship from the
mouth. If necessary 1 was to make a dem
onstration to call the enemies attention
from the people landed.
About 4:20 a. m. of April II left the ship
with the second cutter Ensign Standley
and a quartermaster as passengers. The
boat was armed with Colt automatic 6mm
gun In the bow, and the crew with Lee rifles
and belts filled with ammunition.
The following are the names of the
boats crew: Chief Quartermaster Walton
Sailmakers Mate Voudoit, Coxswain Ellis
gard, Seaman Rynders, Seaman Woodbury.,
Ordinary Seaman Brisoese, Ordinary Sea-
man Mcdonald, Landsmen Dillon, Nor
risey, Edwards and Anderson, Apprentice
(hrst class G. Vanville, Apprentice (second
class Peterson.
The Lieutenant's Strategy.
I'VE pulled in under muffled oars and
landed Mr.. STANDBY and the quartermaster
1t was just early daylight when we pulled
out of the cove for the rivers mouth. On
nearing the river l saw that a sentry on
one of the numerous stations on the beach
had seen us. l thought that he had also
probably seen us land Mr.. STANDBY; so to
let him think that l had been searching for
the river, pulled for it, sounded the bar.
ascertained the distance of the ship from
the rivers mouth and continued in for about
LOCO yards, sounding slowly and making
rough sketch. This, / thought, would make
them believe that l had landed nobody, but
was simply surveying the river. 1 knew
that We would have to sustain the fire of
the enemy as We came out, but l trusted
to the Colt to disarrange their aim, which
at best is not good I was quite sure that
this would serve to put them off the idea of
any one landing in the cove. have every
reason to so believe now. The left bank,
the Side toward the enemy, was covered by
high marsh grass and swamp land, and /
knew that no outposts could be there. The
right bank was steep, too, and covered
with dense growth, and from observation
l judged the enemy had only their stations
on the left side of the river AS we neared
the end of the swamp land 1 was about to
give orders to return, when we rounded the
bend and came full on an outpost on solid
ground He hailed us and fired rife as
signal
VolIey at Short Range.
Before l could answer the hail, volley
was fired at us at close range-50 to co
yards. The effect of this volley was ter
rible; Morrisey was killed instantly, his
brains being scattered over the boat and
crew, and Dillon was mortally wounded,
never recovering consciousness and dying
shortly afterward in the boat Seaman
Rynders had his fingers cut off the hand,
but kept bravely to his starboard stroke
oar; the starboard oars We're riddied and
most of them shattered; besides, the boat
was pierced by the Remington balls and
made water fast
"As soon as possible after recovering
from the first shock, We opened fire with
Colt and rifles. The ambush was SO COM
piete that we could not see at what to fire,
out of action before the second yolley shat
tering the ammunition box and cutting the
loading tape. The order was given to back
oars. but as only few could be used--the
clEerS being shattered-the tide driftad us
on sand bank. Ellsworth, Edwards and
Wccdbury tried to swim the boat out, but
Old not succeed. The volleys were poured
IN on us on the left bank in quick success
sion. mortally wcunding Mcdonald and Ny
gard.
A Fearful Sight in the Boat.
AT this time was under the impression
That most of the crew were either " wounded
or killed, the bodies of the men VIII, had
been killed had fallen on the slighter men.
who were struggling in the bottom Of the
beat The boat WAS covered with blood and
presented fearful sight The cries of the
mortaiiy wounded in the stern of the boat
ASKING me to shoot them and not allow
them to fall into the hands of the savages
were heart-rending. At the same time
could be seen, coming down the right hank
o. the river, a band of men armed with
nemlnstons, bows and arrows, bolos and
spears. l gave the order to hoist the white
nag, which was done by Rynders, who re-
cefved a shot in the right wrist and dronned
,,,ess rne nag: ! i 1nonsht the enemy intended to
nre OF the enemy coming faster
The Surrender.
we were now hailed from the left bank
In Spanish, the officer saying that if we did
not cease firing and surrender that he
would Kill US all. then surrendered Re-
fore the officer on the left bank could get
across the savages on the right bank came
up. took US Off the boat. robbed us of rings
watches, hats, caps. ciothes-in fact. cvery.
tnlng that they could get at short notice
tied our arms behind us with bamhoo
thongs. and lined US up on the beach 70 he
shot. Those who had rifles loaded theyn
and had them already cooked when an on
Ger came out of the bush and ordered otbor-
wise. We were then sent on board ltbe
boat. and after plugging up the holes made
by rifle balls, pulled up the river '"oe
Il regret to say that now found ~.
following casualties: Morrisey ana nt,,oa' tme
landsmen. dead; Nygard, gunner's n,ata
second class, and Mcdonald, ordinarv saa,
man, mortally wounded; Vanyille. a1nre,,.
tice, first class; Rynders, seaman. and
woodbury.. seaman, seriously wounded: nv
self slightly in the knee by a ball which
came through the side of the boat The
wound healed on arrival in San Ysidro.
Taken to San Ysidro.
1--WE were landed some distance up the
river, and were allowed to take the NOR
tally wounded out of the boat and place
them on shore, and to arrange the tourni-