The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-24
LIKE JEKYL AND HYDE
THE FILIPINO Is GOOD ONE DAY AND
A BARBAROUs SAVAGE THE NEXT.
Greets Americans with Cry of Sam
fgO" and Later Tries TO spot" Him
with a Rife-surgeon's story.

Surgeons with the United States army in
the Philippines are not having picnic"
Ir fact, some of those stationed in North
ern Luzon are having more trying expert
ences than they expected. and would will
ingly, at times, exchange places with the
private in the ranks. A soldier with a
rifle has a means of defense, but the sur
geon is supposed to be a noncomoatant
and has no way of retaliating when the
guerrillas attempt to "snipe' him. Dr.
Harry s. Moore, acting surgeon with the
Third Cavalry, in letter to his father, Dr.
S. H. Moore, relates an ipcident which
shows the Filipinos have neither respect
for the hospital flag nor those whom IL is
supposed to protect. In previous letter.
printed in the Journal the young surgeon
told of fight on Jan. 10 in pass, where
the Filipinos tried TO ambush troop OF
the Third Cavalry. Under date of Bangar'
Feb. g. he describes another fight In the
same place.
I'VE found the enemy about 300 strong,
well intrenched on the mountains" he
says. Their flag was boldly flying, as il
TO challenge us. Knowing it would be i'm
possible to accomplish anything by direct
two thanking movements. Major March
took the left and Lieutenant Johnson, of
Troop NJ. the right mountain. The noun
tains here are densely wooded, affording
secure cover for the Filipinos, who know
every trail and can easily elude our men.
While we did not capture the 300 on the
mountains. we found their quarters and
burned them, together with some houses
filled with supplies. The thanking move
ment and fighting lasted about three hours.
Early in the fight the colonel sent me back
with the dead and wounded. The hospital
steward and myself began fitting up
bamboo hut for temporary use hospi-
tai We had just started to lay out the
dressings when a bullet sang past our
heads. A second later. another bullet
struck the ground close by and threw up
dust into my face. Then came a couple
more that whistled through the bamboo
walls of the hut. When a bullet strikes
piece of dry bamboo, the sound produced
Is more alarming than when Ii passes
through solid board or plank. There is
a crash and a shriek-like noise that dis
turbs the nerves. We could not see the
FiIipinos who were shooting at us. They
were up on the side of the mountain, but
they had our range to foot, for when we
decided to vacate the hut the bullets
"spatted" savagely on the road near us.
further disturbed.
Certain people at home are deluding
themselves when they call the insurgent
Filipinos civilized. The 'niggers,' as the
soldiers call the rebels, are natural saw
ages They would just as soon pot sur
geon at work as they would a soldier. Any
body that wears an American uniform Is
meat TO them. The boloman crawls UP be-
hind a picket and sticks knife into him,
and the Tagalo hidden In a tree pops away
with his rife at the surgeon or the litter
bearer. The only reason more Americans
are not killed is because the rebels are not
expert marksmen. There is a sort of
Jekyl and Hyde business about this guer-
r.lla warfare that do not like. The amigo
professions of friendship when you enter
his village at night he sneaks away to the
hills where his rifle is hidden, and If you
pass his way the next day he greets you
with bullet In other words, he Is treach-
erous--a friend one day and an enemy the
next"
In postscript dated San Fernando, Feb
q, DR.. Moore says: I'VE had just returned
to Bangar from the mountains when we
received orders to proceed TO San Fernan-
do, on the coast twenty-five miles away
We rode the distance in five hours. We
had been ordered to run down a band of
Filipinos who had killed two men and five
horses and had captured the commissary
stores and mail. We have not yet found
the rebels. but they are very active here
The twenty five-mile ride was over
rough country. and every man was tired
out. AS consequence of the loss of the
mail all the soldiers in this part of the
country will not receive the last batch of
letters and papers from home, and some
friends to write the news in the stolen let
tiers over again."