The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-12
AMERICAN TROOPS OCCUPY BULAN
AND DONSOL, LUZON, WITH
OUT A STRUGGLE
SINGLE voLLEY FIRED HIGH
Only Incident of "a Warlike Char
acter at DOnsOl-NOt a SOL
der Found I'm BuIan
at All.

gave orders for the occupation OF Bulan,
twenty-five miles south, and Donsol,
thirty miles above Sorsogon, both small
coast towns. Early this morning prep
arations Were under way to transfer
Companies A and D, of the Forty-sev-
enth, from the Hancock to the Helena
for conveyance to Donsol, and for Com
pany to go aboard the Nashville for
Bulan. By 8 o'clock the Helena and
Nashville were loaded and steamed
away, the Helena for Donsol, and the
Nashville turning toward Bulan At II
the Helena was off Donsol
Through glasses could be seen men and
women leaving the town, carrying bun
dies of household goods with them. The
beach trenches were lined with .peering
faces, and the only flag over the town
was Spanish. Donsol appeared as a few
zirc-roofed warehouses. and some long
lines Of thatch huts. The white beach
is lined with fish weirs, drying nets and
dug-out canoes. Behind the town, some
thirty miles, the symmetrical cone
shaped volcano of Mayor rises 5000 feet
one company of soldiers was loaded
into the Helena's small boats, but this
action was followed by such activity be-
hind the trenches that the leaders of this
expedition decided upon another course
OF action. The Helenas launch, with
Maj. Wise and Lieut.. Kobbe on board,
ran in for the beach, towing a rowEoat.
When close to the fish weirs the launch
stopped and the rowboat, carrying a
flag of truce, landed in front of the
trenches. Meantime the Helena had
cleared for action, and the sailors still
on board were sent to cover, and those
already in the small boats were waiting
just astern in tow of the tug Nunez.
The boat with the flag of truce re-
turned after a conference.
They want until this afternoon to
decide whether they want to resist us or
surrender" said Maj. Wise, but guess
Wen be going ashore right now
At 12:45 the boats started in for the
beach, the Helena prepared to lombard
the village in case our men were fired
on, but not shot was fired. When the
men landed on the beach, not a face was
to be seen at the trenches. We formed
In company front, and small squads were
started through the town. 1t was abb
solutely deserted.
On a low hill, about 600 yards behind
the town, the enemy was discovered, clus-
tered in and about small trench and
around last century Misunderstanding
cannon
Meanwhile Maj Wise had gone to the
door of the house from which flew the
Spanish flag. 1t was on a high pole and
Maj. Wise wanted that for the American
flag. He knocked on the door, and the
commander of the Filipino forces in that
town, the local president, and the civil
governor of the district, all in the per-
son of a brown man in a Filipino uni
form, came and let him IN.
viii you haul down that Spanish
fiaR?' asked the major "T want n mt
this one In Its place"
There was no objection to the request,
SO at lilo the Stars and Stripes fioated
over Donsol, and the Helena and her
launch footed their greetings. The
Helena was landing the second company
and already beginning to get the soldiers
rations ashore.
AS Capt Hart and a dozen men were
crossing the rice fields, between the town
and the hill, where the enemy was To-
Gated, there was a volley from the Fill
pinos and hostilities had opened. Most
of the bullets sang over Capt. Harris
head, and so out to sea. The enemy were
firing high. They had left a message in
town saying they would give us battle on
the heights.
Send them word that If they do not
surrender and bring In their cannon IN
two hours, I'll have the navy shell their
position" answered Maj. Wise.
The president found a messenger for
this reply, and he was on his way when
the first Volley was fired. Then began
the storming of Donsol heights. We had
been told there were but twenty rifles
and a small store Of ammunition among
theh insurgents, and as our soldiers start
ed for the hill we saw the enemy disap
pear from their trenches at its top. The
soldiers went laughing. painting and
stumbling through the jungle that grew
on the hillside, and came to the top vic
torious, for there was no enemy in sight
From beside the old brass cannon there
was g. good view of the country behind
the town, and as we looked the enemy
peered out at US from behind nearly every
clump OF trees. We caught sight of
them in small parties as they sunk
through the jungle, apparently waiting
to come back into town, but not quite
daring to attempt It.
The Chinese residents of Donsol had
not abandoned the town. They hid away
in shacks and warehouses, coming out
later to loot Filipino houses, but this
practice was quickly terminated by the
American officers.
In the morning, before we landed, there
had been a meeting of the townspeople
in the principal plaza of Donsol Some
men with property interests and bales of
hemp ready for the market were in favor
of surrendering. But there was a revo-
lutionary hot-head an officer, in the
gathering, who turned to his followers
and said:
Shall we tamely surrender our town
to the enemy and become the laughing
stock of our fighting brothers In the
North? Let US show them we also have
the courage to fight, and, If need be, to
die, for our beloved country
This won the orator a certain follow
ing, and it was decided to ask for three
hours for elaboration. But when our
boats were actually seen coming ashore,
| the Tagalos in the party for resistance
could not hold their less sanguinary fol-
! lowers, and the army broke for the hill
| top, where they were persuaded to fire
| that one volley, and then ran away.
! There was little enough food in Donsol
| and back in the hills there IS still less
| The natives already have begun to come
back to the village, bringing their fam.
lies.
Company B and the Nashville met with
no resistance at Bulan. The natives die
| not abandon the town, but crowded down
| to the beach to witness the landing. II
1 seems that about nine months ago three
| Tagalos with rifles walked into Bulau
and In the name of the Filipino govern
| ment ordered the townspeople to con.
| struct trenches for the defense Of the
! place. This the people did, whereupor
the Tagalos went away, and that was the
first and last time the people Of Bular
| ever saw any insurgents There was not
| soldier in the place when our mer
/ landed. A few frightened women had rur
! into the country when the Nashville
had steamed In but they soon came bach
| to their homes and were laughed at by
| their neighbors for their fears. Our of.
] ficers talked with the town president