Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1900-01-12
THRILLING STORY IS TOLD
Experiences of Lieut.. Gilmore and
Party During Eight Months
in Captivity.
WERE NEAR TO DEATH WHEN RESCUED.
The Lieutenant Praises AGuinaido
and DenOunceS TinO-Lntter Or
ders Prisoners To lie shot, Hut
Guard Turns Them Loose-Dcscrip-
ton of the Rescue.

Manila. Jan. s.-Lieut. J. c. Gilmore,
Of the United States gunboat York
town, who was captured by the in
surgents last April near Baler, on the
east coast Of Luzon, and rescued
few days ago by Col. Luther Il. Hare,
of the Thirty-third volunteer infantry,
sat Sunday in the apartment Of his
sister, Mrs. Maj. Price, at the Hotel
Orientc in Manila, and told re-
markable story of his eight months IN
captivity, ending with his dramatic
deliVerance from death that seemed
inel table.
Treated Wen by AguinaldO.
Although tanned and ruddy from eN-
posture, he is weak and nervous, show
ing the results of long hardships. lie
speaks warmly Of Aouinaldo and very
bitterly against Gen. Tino. declaring
that while in the formers iurisdic-
ton he was treated splendidly, but
that after he fell into limos hands he
suffered everything.
His story.
Lieut.. Gilmore made the following
statement TO a spondent:
THE Filipinos abandoned us on the night
of December rs We had reached the Aba
/ lut river, near its source, that morning and
I the Ftipinos RATED us over We then went
down the stream, along rough trail
guarded by company OF FtbpluoS Ihat
night W. were separated from TINS guard,
I and another company, armed with Wau~trS,
was put iu charge OF us. ] suspected
somethu-. and qu. tionod the li.uten-
amt ina command. He said: i have orders
/ from Gen. TIno 10 shoot YOU all, but my
/ conscience forbids. ! shall leave YOU here
F ! begged him for two rifles 20 protect ms
+ from savages adding that / would give
him l.tt,Ie 90 the Americans, who would
pay him well and keep him from AN harm.
lIe refused This however saying that he
would not dare 60 comply soon afterward
he loft with his company.
I've hal seen some saVagcs i'm war paint
around us. and vs. prepared TO fight them
with cobblcstones. the only weapons that
were available TO us.
"The next morning We followed the trau
of the Filipino soldiers. feeling that IL was
. lcttcr TO stick 10 them than 10 Doe muir
GDrpd by savages. but We could not catch
up with them Then ordered the men 20
build RATS in the hope of floating down the
river IL was "a forlOru hope. but ! knew
/ the river must empty into the sea some
who're ! was so weak myself that aid
/ not expect to get out bat thought some Of
the men could.
The Rescue.
con the morning of December IS,
while We were working on the RATS,
/ the Americans came toward US yell
ing one of my men shouted: They
are on us lie was flashing raft
OF b7mboos. J. however, knew il was
not the yell Of sdNaEcS. but the yell OF
/ Americans. The reScuiug troops thought
We had Filipino guards, and called 10 VI
I'm English 10 lie down, so that they could
. g. he 4
/ body of officers and men J ever saw"
Lieut. Gilmore could not speak onthu-
+ siastically enough about the 40 picked men
who had rescued him and his party. The
command spent the day in making
RATS col Hare thought Lieut.. Gilmore
too weak to live through the trip, but there
was 10 alternative. They shot many rap
ids, the men losing an their effects and
/ Lieut.. Gilmore some valuable papers.
Only Ia out of 81 raTts survived the first
nights experiences and so men were prac-
ucally unable TO walk when Nigan was
reached
Describing the high, from Benguet when
tho Amor icans approached, Lieut.. Gilmore
said. The F.lip.nos, completely terri. fled.
. left Beuguct on December T. They hurried
/ the prisoners from town 10 town, often re-
/ tracing the TRAN, not knowing whore the
/ Americans would attack After being al
most without food for three days they
killed several horses and We lived on horse
. fun meal from December untl reached
Nigan. Indeed, the roscu.ng party lived
. largely upon rice without salt. There was
one day when / was reduced TO chewing
. grass and bark.
Brutality of Tino.
while We were in the hands Of Gen.
. Tiro's men DC issued an. order that any
person aiding an American by food or
money should be treated as criminal.
/ one citizen OF Nlgan, Senior Vera, was
/ probably Killed for befrerding us. We
would have starved but for the kindness
/ OF some Of the presidents Of the towns and
| some Of the Filipino colonies, but others
treated Us brutahy. Wherever there was
a prison we were kept there. When there
was no prison they would lodge us IN
convent We suffered greatly from want
Of .Aetci-c as we'll "a lack OF food"
For weeks Lieut.. Gilmore was covered
with boils and in great pain. When the
/ FiipiUos found the Americans were ap-
preaching the treatment became better,
| There was a sign painter in the party and
he painted advertisements on the rocks
throughout tEe retreat with other en-
blcms, like a skull and the word "Nenge-
ance," by means Of which the Americans
were able TO follow.
Tine Filipino treatment Of the Span
-. 49, --iA Iiaut Gilmore twas brutal
Ia the extreme. Inc insurgents mad old
grudges TO wipe out against them. Many
talk about the reconccntrados ia Cuba. but
] ] nave seen SPAN rus dying AT the rate OF
two or three per day Of starvation in the
hospitals al Nigan. / have seen Tagalo Of
fcers strike Spaniards IN the face with
whips and revolvers.
The Rescued Men.
The members of the party reported to
Gen. Otis Sunday morning. They were
barefooted. suuburued and ragged.
Some carried rifles, others pet monkeys.
They attracted great deal Of atten-
ton as they passed along the streets.
Those whose enlistments are about ex-
piring will be sent TO the United States.
The others will be returned to their re-
spectiye organizations. Among the pris-
oners arriving with Lieut.. Gilmore
were +. j. Hubert. Edward Burke and
j. j. Farley, sailors from the trGaneta;
Won Galen, Of the Baltimore; y. IL. Cor
don and George Sackett. OF the bird
infantry; Leland Smith and Frank
a.