Hutchinson gazette., 1900-01-11
ABANDONED IN A SAVAGE COUNTRY,

Manila, Jan. 9.-Lieut. j. c. Gill
more, of the United States gunboat
Yorktown, who was captured by the
insurgents last April, near BOler, on
the c0nst OF Lu2on, and rescued a few
days ago by Col. Luther Il, Hare, Of
the Thirty-third volunteer infantry,
sat yesterday in the apartment Of his
sister, Mrs, Major Price, at the Hotel
Oriente, In Manila and told remark
able story of his eight months in
captivity, ending with his dramatic
deliverance from death that seemed
inevitable.
The steamer Venus came into the
harbor Saturday froin Vigan, prov
lnce of South llocos, with Lieut., Gill
more and 10 other American prison.
ers, including seven of his sailors
from the Yorktown, Lieut., Gilmore,
after reporting, came ashore and hob
bled along, with the aid OF u cane, to
the Hotel Oricnte, where American
officers and ladies We're waltzing
through the halls to the strains of
"Agunaldo's March"
Although tanned and ruddy from
exposure, he Is weak and nervous,
showing the results of long hard
ships. lie speaks warmly of Agui-
naldo and very bitterly against Gen,
Tino, declaring that while in the for
mer's jurisdiction, hn was treated
splendidly, but after he fell into Ii
nos hands, he suffered everything,
Col, Hare and Lieut.. Col, IIowsc,
the latter of the Thirty-fourth yolun-
tecr infan ry, rescued Gillmore's purity
on December IS, near the heNdwa,crs
OF the AbOut river, after they had
been abandoned 10y the Filipinos and
were expecting death from the say-
age tribes around them. When the
lcscuing force reached them they
were nearly starved, but were build
ing RATS in the nope of getting down
the river 10 the const.
Lieut.. Gilmore made the follow
ing statement to correspondent Of
the Associated press:
The Tillpinos abandoned us on the
night Of December 10. We had reached
the Abnlut river, near It's source, that
morning, ana the Flliplnos RATED " over.
We then went down the stream, along
rough trail, guarded by u company Of
lNilipinos, That night we were separated
from this guard and another company,
armed with Muuscrs was put In charge
OF US. l suspected something, and qucs-
toned the lieutenant In command lie
said.
II have orders from Gen, Tlno to shoot
you all, but my conscience forblds l
shall leave you here"
l begged him for two rifles to protect
US from savages, adding that | would
give him letters to the Americans who
would pay him well and keep him from
all harm. He refused this, however, sny-
ing that he would not dare to comply
Soon afterwards he left with his COM
pany,
We had seen some savagcs In war paint
around us, and we prepared TO fight them
with cobble-stonos, the only weapons
that were available to us, The next
morning we followed the trail Of the FL
lnllO tululNlHt lNNllllh AlltAA " Nho b'NN'i
to stick to them than TO bo murdered by
savages, 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 n forlorn hope, but | knew
the river must empty into the sea some
where. / was 80 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 Amer
leans came toward us yelling. one of my
men shouted, "rhey are on us" He was
lashing a raft of bnmbOos. l. however,
knew II was not the yell of savages, but
the yell of Americans. The rescung
troops thought we had Filipino guards,
and called to w In English to lie down
10 that they could shoot the Fllipinos.
That was the finest body Of officers and
men ] ever saw
Lieut.. Gilmore could not speak en-
Enthusiastically enough about the l4O
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 rapids,
ne men losing all their effects, and
Lieut.. Gilmore some valuable papers.
Only IA ont OF % rnfts survived the
6rst nights experiences and 80 men
ere practically unable TO walk when
Vigan was reached.
"1he Filipino treatment of the
spaniords," said Lieut. Gilmore, "was
brutal in the extreme. The insur-
gents had old grudges to wipe out
against them. Many talk about the
reconcentrados In Cuba, but ! have
seen Spaniards dying at the rate of
two or three per day of starvation in
the hospitals Mt Vigan. have seen
Tagalo officers strike Spaniards in