The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-10-16
in H ISLAND OF PANAY
HOW FILIPINO GUERRILLAs AMBUSH
AMERICAN SOLDIERS.
Finally Released and Returned
to His Comrades.


Correspondence of the Associated Press.
MANILA. Sept. 1.-The American soldiers
in the Philippines are occasionally captured
by the enemy and stories often come in of
the ambush and killing of two or three of
them on lonely roads. A recent example
DOWN in Panay island. which will serve for
all the other islands equally well. will show
how those affairs occur.
The troops are scattered through the
archipelago in about three hundred distinct
garrisons. Of from a dozen men up to a
battalion each. and men are continually
passing from one of these garrisons to an
other. just at the present time the Island
of Panay appears to be more peaceful than
for many months past. Hitherto hardly a
boat has come from the coast ports to
Iloilo without bringing either reports of a
fight or rumors of expected trouble. but
now the rebels have even gone so far as to
return a prisoner whom they captured in
the early part of last June, and this, too,
with no exchange, although, a few weeks
age, they asked that the man in question
be exchanged for captured rifles. This. the
authorities would not accede to, n finally
the man was liberated and has safely
reached the American lines. The story Of
way he was captured follows:
Captain Boardman, Company G, Twenty
sixth Regiment, and Private Savage, of his
were returning from Pototam
TO Januay on the evening of June 6 at dusk.
and were riding quietly along the country
road beyond the town of Nina Boardman
was mounted on an American horse and
Savage was aStride a native pony. Sud-
denly, from just inside the brush near the
road, the Americans were fired upon by
three Fflipinos. Captain Boardman called
on Savage to make a rush with him and
spurred ahead. The captain charged down
the road alone, and marvelously escaped
three volleys from Filipinos ahead of him,
the latter concealed as were the first men
who had fired. His horse was wounded at
the second volley and fell, throwing the
captain violently to the ground and knock
ing his revolver from his hand, thus leav-
ing him unarmed. He crawled into the un-
derDrush and managed to conceal himself,
and so escaped observation, although a
number OF the insurgents passed very close
to him and continued the search until they
were recalled by a bugle signal. Then, al
though severely bruised by his fall, he
managed TO make his way to the station of
his company at Januay.
Savage was last seen by Captain Board
man just after the first volley, and the
captain supposed for a time that the priv
ate was following him. Later, every effort
was made to locate Savage until. through
spies, 1t was learned that he was alive and
held captive by the rebels near Dingle.
Nothing more was heard or the missing
soldier until a telegram was received at
the regimental headquarters from Major
Henry. at Pototan, dated Aug. "a, saying
that Savage had been brought In by the
native presidente of Pototan. Inasmuch as
news had been received that Savage was
being well treated by the rebel leader
Delgado. no effort was made to release
him, as such a movement would doubtless
have put him In extreme danger of being
boloed by his captors as the rescueing
party approached. The rebels, it is de-
clared, AVE upon several occasions killed
American prisoners, rather than let them
fall into the hands Of their comrades.
One of the effects of the war in China
has been an increased demand for newspa-
pers in order to learn the progress Of
events in that country. The increase in
Iloilo took the form of two new dailies
printed in Spanish. Journalistic life was
pleasant and all went we'll and profitably
until a few days ago, when the editor Of
the Opinion came out with an article adj
vising the Filipinos to join forces and pro-
coed to those villages garrisoned by SINAI
bodies of Americans and there kill off the
soldiers, whom they would find at their
mercy. The American authorities prompt
ly called officially on the editor and took
severe measures to impress upon him an
appreciation of the waywardness of his
proceedings. The action taken. while not
announced to the public, was most effective
and the Opinion is dead.