The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-01-11
thrilling STORY IS TOLD
Experiences of Lieut.. Gilmore and
Party During Eight Months
in Captivity.
WERE NEAR TO DEATH WHEN RESCUED.
The Lieutenant Praises AguinnIdO
KId Denounces TinO-Latter Or
der. Prisoners to he shot, hut
Gunra Turns Them Loose-Descrip-
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 If Luzon, and rescued
| few days ago by Col, Luther X Hare,
of the Thirty-tbird 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
| inevitable.
Treated Wen by Aguinaldo.
Although tanned and ruddy from eN-
posure, he is weak and nervous, show
| ing the results of long hardships. He
| speaks warmly of Aguinaldo and very
| bitterly against Gen. Tino, declaring
| that while in the formers jurisdic-
ton he was treated splendidly, but
that after he fell into Tino's hands he
suffered everything.
His story.
Lieut.. Gilmore made the following
| statement to correspondent:
| 1.-THE Filipinos abandoned us on the night
| of December l6 We had reached the Aba
| lut river. near Its source, that morning ana
| the Fiipinos RATED us over. We then went
| down the stream, along a rough trall'
guarded by company OF Flllplnos lhat
night we were separated from TINS guard
| and another company, armed with mausers.
| was put in charge of us. i suspected
| something, and questioned the lieuten-
| ant in command. He said: i have orders
| from Gen. Tino TO shoot you all, 'but my
conscience forbids. | shall leave you mere.
| | begged him for two rifles to protect us
| from savages, adding that | would give
| him letters to the Americans, VINO WouId
pay him well and keep him from all harm.
He refused this. however, saying that ne
would not dare to comply. soon alter"dra
he left with his company.
1--WE had seen some savages in war paint
around us. and we prepared TO hight them
with cobbestones, the only weapons that
were available to us.
"The next morning we followed the tran
OF the Filipino soldiers, feeling that it was
better to stick to them than to be muir
dcred by savages, but we could not eaten
m with them Then / ordered the men TO
build RATS in the hope OF floating down the
river 1t was a forlorn hope, but | knew
the river must empty into the sea some
where. ! was so weak myself that dld
the men could.
The Rescue.
ION the morning of December 49,
while we were working on the RATS,
the Americans came toward us yeH-
ing one of my men shouted: Ihey
are on us lie was flashing a ralt
of bamboos. l. however, knew II was
not the yell of savages, but the yell or
Americans The rescuing troops thought
we had Filipino guards and called to us
In English to lie down, so that they could
shoot the Filpinos That was the hnest
body of officers and men | ever saw.
Lieut. Gilmore could not speak enthu-
siasticaIly 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 no alternative. They shot many rap
ids. the men losing all their effects and
Lieut.. Gilmore some valuable papers
Only Il out OF 81 RATS survived the first
nights experiences and SO men were prac-
tically unable to walk when Nigan was
reached.
Describing the flight from Benguet when
the Americans approached Lieut.. Gilmore
said: The Flpinos completely terrified,
left Benguet on December l. They hurried
the prisoners from town to town, often re-
tracing the tran, not knowing where the
Americans would attack. After being al
most without food for three days they
killed several horses, and we lived OIL horse
flesh for several days. ! did rot have
full meal from December until | reached
Vigan Indeed, the rescuing 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,
Tino's men he issued an order that any
person aiding an American by food or
money should be treated as a criminal.
one citizen of Vigan, Senior Vera, was
probably killed for befrIending us, We
would have starved but for the kindness
OF some Of the presidents Of the towns and
some of the Filipino coionels, but others
treated us brutaAy. 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 cxer Use as well as lack of food.
The. Filipino treatment of the Span
tards" said Lieut.. Gilmore, was brutal
IN the extreme. The insurgents had ola
prudpes to wipe out against them. Many
ralk about the reconcentrados In Cuba, but
/ have seen Spaniards dying at the rate Of
two or three per day of starvation in the
hospitals at Vigan. ! have seen Iaga!o of
dcers strike Spanards In the face with
whips and revolvers.
The Rescued Men.
Among the prisoners arriving with
ljeu,. Gilmore were +. j. Hubert. Ed
ward Burke and J. J. Farley, sailors
from the lrdaneta; Won Galen, Of the
Baltimore; \. H. Gordon and George
| Sackctt. of the Third infantry; Leland
| Smith and Frank Stone, Of the signal
corps; Harry Hubert, of the hospital
corps. William Bruce and Edward
Honeymau.. of the Nevada cavalry:
! Martin Brennan and James turran, of
! the sixteenth infantry; Albert bishop.
OF the Third artillery, and John O'Rrien
| and David Brown, civilians.