The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-01-08
GILMOPE'S
THRILLING
EXPERIENCE
with the Barbaruus FilipinoS-In-
human Treatment to which
BE Was Subjected By
THE VILLAINOUS GEN. TINO.
Abandoned Among savagss by Their
captors, They Built Rats,
And Rescue Came.


ant J. c. Gilmore. Of the United States
gunboat Yorktown, who was captured
by the Insurgents last April near Baler,
on the east coast Of Luzon, and res
cued few days ago by Colonel Luther
r. Hare. Of the Thirty-thIrd volunteer
infantry, sat to-day in the apartment OF
his sister, Mrs. Major Price, at the
Hotel oriente, in Manila, and told a
remarkable story of his eight months
In captivity. ending with his dramatic
dellverance from a death that seemed
Inevitable.
The steamer Venus came into the
harbor last evening from Ylgan. prov
lnce OF South Ilocos, with Lieutenant
Gilmore aud nineteen other American
prisoners. including seven from his ves-
sci, the yorktown.
Lieutenant Gilmore, after rising,
came ashore and hobbled along, with
the aid of cane, to the Hotel oriente,
where American officers and ladies
were waltzlng through the halls to the
strains Of "Aguinaldos March"
Although tanned and ruddy from ex-
posure, he is weak and nervous, show
ing the results of long hardshIps. He
speaks warmly Of AgvinaldU and very
bitterly against General -ino, declar-
ing that while Ia the formers jurisdic-
ton he was treated splendIdly, but that
after he fell into Tinos hands he suffer-
ed everything.
Colonel Hare and Lieutenant Colonel
Howe, the latter Of the Thirty-fourth
volunteer infantry, rescued Gillmore's
party on December IS, near the head
waters Of the Abalut river, after they
had been sbandRned by the FlllpinoS
and were expecting death from the saw
age tribes around them. When the res
cuIng force reached them they were
nearly starved, but were building RATS
In the hope OF getting down the river
to the COAST.
Lieutenant Gilmore made the fol-
lowing statement to a correspondent
of the Associated Press:
THE Fillplnos abandoned US on the
night Of December 16. We had reached
the AbaIut river. near its source, that
morning, and the Filipinos RATED US
over. We then went down the stream,
along a rough trail, guarded by COM
pany Of FlllpInos. That night we were
separated from this guard and another
company, armed with MauSers, was
| put In charge OF US. I suspected some
thing, and questioned the lieutenant in
command. He said: I have orders
from General Tino to shoot you all,
but my conscience forblds. shall leave
you here
"I begged him for two rifles to pro-
tect US from savages, adding that 1
would give him letters to the Amer-
cans, who would pay him wen and keep
him from all harm. He refused this,
however, saying that he would not dare
to comply. Soon atterward he left with
his company.
I'VE had seen some savuges in war
paint around us, ana we prepared to
fight them with cobblestones, the only
weapons that were available to US. The
next morning we followed the trail Of
the Filipino soldiers, feeling that It WAS
better to stick TO them than to be muir
dered by eavages, but we could not
catch up with them. Then / ordered
the men to build RATS, in the hope OF
floating down the river. II was a for
lorn hope, but 1 knew the river must
empty into the sea somewhere. l was
so weak myself that did not expect
to get out. but thought some Of the
men could.
''on the morning Of December IS.
while we were working on the RATS, the
Americans came toward as yelling. One
Of my men shouted, They are on us!'
He was lashlng n raft of bRmboos, I,
however, knew 1t was not the yell of
savages, but the yell OF Americans.
The resculng troops thought we had
Filipino guards, ana called to Us in
English to lie down. so that they could
shoot the Flllplnos. That was the fin-
est body Of officers and men ever
saw"
Lieutenant Gilmore could not speak
enthusiastically enough about the 40
picked men who had rescued him and
his party.
The command spent the day in max
| ing RATS. Colonel Hare thought Lieu
tenant Gilmore too weak to live
through the trip, but there was no al
tentative. They shot many rapids. the
men losing all their effects, and Lieu
tenant Gilmore some valuable papers.
Only fourteen out of thlrty-Seven RATS
survived the Grst nights experiences,
and eighty men were practically un-
able to walk when vigan was reached.
Describing the flight from BenEuet,
when the Americans approached. Lleu-
tenant Gilmore said:
"The FllIplnos. completely terrified,
left Benguet on December I. They hur-
=ried the prisoners from town to town,
often retracIng the trail. not knowing
where the Americans would attack.
After passing almost without food for
three days, they killed several horses.
and We lived on hOrsefesh for several
days. / did not have n full meal from
December until reached Vignn. In
deed, tho rcseuing party lived largely
upon rice without salt, There was enc