Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-05-03
EXPANSION NEEDED.
Fnvoritc Pnstimc of the Filipinos Is
10 Euru American Sol
diers.

Charles ii. Clark, a st. Louis boy,
now fighting in the Philippines, had Il
thrilling experience with a band of
savage natives, into whose hands he
fell, last January. In a letter to his
mother, which was only recently re-
ceived, he tells of his capture, and
how he was rescued by a squad of
Colorado troopers, who arrived just
in time to prevent the natives from
casting him into n roaring fire, which,
he states, they had prepared to in
cinerate him. The ST. Louis Repub-
lie, democratic paper, tells the story
which shows how utterly unfit the
Filipinos are to be intrusted with
self-government, let alone with the
government of Europeans and Amer
leans.
Clark is 90 years old and Il member
of company B, Twenty-second United
States infantry, which is now fighting
around Mexico, u small town not far
from Manila. About d month before
the holidays Clark's company was or
dered to the mountains to break up
and rout the little bands of Filipinos
which were engaged in guerrilla war
fare with the Americans. 1t was
tedious march, but the irksomeness
of the journey did not compare with
the hardships they had to undergo
in the mountains. Clark says they
could not carry n large store of pro-
visions with them, and the rations
soon gave out. Then for 81 days they
were compelled to subsist on rice and
water. At length the order came
for the company to return to Mexico,
and there was almost demonstra-
ton among the troops.
On the return march three of the
soldiers were taken i'll with chills and
lever, with which the troops had al
ready suffered to n marked degree.
There was no way to carry the sick
men, and as they were unable to
march it was decided to leave them
behind. Young Clark was one of the
unfortunate trio. a weeks rations,
such as they were, were left with
them, and the troops kept on the
march, as they were under orders
to reach Mexico at a certain date.
When they had lain in the noun
tains day without recuperating
their lost energy, one of the invalids
started out for the Tenth Colorado
| camp, % miles distant. On the third
day after his departure seven natives
came across the two soldiers. Clark's
companion deserted him at once, and
| the St. Louis boy, who was too sick
to run, was seized by the Filipinos.
They put him through all the tor
lures they knew. They stripped him
of his clothing, each of them taking
piece of the uniform and putting
it on in some ridiculous fashion which
he thought appropriate. When they
| had satisfied themselves in this way
they tied Clark's hands and feet and
laid him out on the ground with a
guard over him, while the others col
lected wood and built fire. Then
| thew formed in a circle around it and
danced
1t was doubtless their intention to
cast Clark in the fire, and they were
making merry over the prospect when
a squad of ten of the Colorado troop
ers came upon the scene. They had
come at the solicitation of the sick
soldier who had gone into their camp
from the mountains.
The Filipinos started to run, but
the Colorado boys fired in the air and
threatened to shoot them down. The
seven natives were taken prisoners of
war and led back to the camp.
Clark's companion, who had run
away. came up, and all of them went
to the Colorado camp, where they re-
mained until rccupcrated, when they
joined their company in Mexico.