The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-06-08

Shocks, and Is well known Throughout
the city. The letter follows:
YL1GAN, MINDANAo, P. l.,
April 8, 1900.
DEAR FRIENDS LOUIS AND JOE:
II hope this Will find you both well and
prosperous. am quite well and now
leading a quiet life, after month OF
very active service In the province OF
Atbay, Luzon Island. My regiment was
stationed at the pumping station, near
Maniln, and although we did some very
considerable marches Called 'hikes')
10 Pasig, AngOnio Antipolo. Taytay,
Cainta and other towns supposed to be
strongly garrisoned by insurgents, we
did not meet a hostile Filipino, al
though the Forty-second, which rellev-
ed US, was fred upon one night and lost
several men and has since had several
scraps. We left the pumping station
January 26, 1900, and after short stay
at Loretta, near Manila, we boarded
transpOr: 1.-THE Second Battalion Of my
regimentl. and sailed for Legaspi, Luz
zon, p. /. We heard firing and saw
burning buildings as soon as we entered
the harbor and found the FOrty-seVenth
regiment very busy in keeping the in
surgents In check.
While there / was present In six en-
gagements, two of which might be dig
nilled by the name OF battles, but as
the instruction is supposed to be very
slight, II is impossible to have battle.
MY first fight was on February IA, 1900.
our company occupied the center OF
the American line, tlfty-one companies
being engaged. The companies had
been scouting the country to locate the
lnsurgent forces all day, but could md
- NNTFaEr
that Company II, FOrty-seVenth regi-
ment, was nearly surrounded and very
hard pressed The other four companies
happened TO be assembled for rest pre-
paratory to going home and were
speedily formed and advanced in dou-
Bile time to relieve Company II. When
we came within q thousand yards of
the scene of conflict we deplOyed as
skirmishers and swept across the bush
covered plain, offering very little tar
get to the enemy's fire, at the some
time covering all Of the ground. AS
the enemy saw us approaching IN
force, they retired to their breastworks
and poured in an extremely hot fire ut
us, but, as is their seemingly incurable
fault the bullets flew twenty feet over
| head In fact, the men who were half
mile behind holding the officers
horses, were in more danger than we
were, for the bullets would drop by the
| time they reached them and come quite
close Wei, we were not slow In shoot
ing back firing mostly by voiieys and
then running forward for about nifty
yards and A1eeling to fire another vol
ley, the companies advancing alternate
~. After we had come within four
hundred yards OF them We had to wade
a stream and whenever got on the
other bank the insurgent bullets came
very close and you could see the boys
| dodge as a bullet whistled past their
ears. II is hard to tell which Is the
most annoying. the shrIll song Of q Maui
ser or the dull hum of u Remington.
| The natives have Mausers and Reming-
| tons and use smokeless powder In the
Mausers and black powder in the
Remingtons. When we got within $50
| yards the insurgents. no doubt knowing
the craftsmanship of our men, kept
entirely concealed and confined their
shooting to carefully aimed volleys. and
the bullets came So near us that some
| OF the boys tiattened out on the ground
| and forgot to shoot. The insurgents
greatly outnumbered us and were be-
| hind trenches and most Of our fire was
directed at the pufis OF smoke that
came from the RemIngtons and an &C.
casionni head that showed itself.
Meanwhile we We're advancing by
rushes. and in one of them while was
running along n few yards ahead Of the
sklrmish line, with my rifle held ut n
trail and locked looking intently at
| the line OF trenches n few hundred
| yards ahead, n bolo man Jumped up
right under my right hand from the
grass, where he was hiding back of n
rice paddy bank, which / had Just
/ crossed and with yell that could have
i put an Indian war whOop to shame,
| came at me with his bolo swung way
back over his shoulder. firmly grippcd
In his right hand. It was then that my
bayonet exercise which l had thought
would never be of nny benefit to me.
\ came into good play. The fellow was
! so close to me that l could not unlock
my piece to shoot him. ! had just time
| to change my piece from the position OF
| trail arm in the left hand to a charge
bayonet and execute the rear pass
back over the bank before he had clos
| ed In on me and swung his bolo down
| toward my head. and he was quite close
| to me. as | did not have my bnyonet
fixed; at that moment made u power
| full thrust for right between his eyes,
but he instinctlvely turned his head
and caught him square on the tenn
pie, the muZZle Of my rifle crushing In
| TO his head half an inch. The blow
forced him back and the bolo descend
ed down in front Of my face. He
was dead game. however, and before !
could unlock my piece or strike him
again, he made another pass Mt me.
but he was very RFoggy and missed.
He then turned and endeavored to circle
around me, but kept turning to face
him and unlocking my piece, ! shot
him in the left side Just as one OF my
comrades shot him In the right side.
We both narrowly escaped shooting
each other. The fellow dropped and
suffered terrible agony. being quite
conscious as long as saw him. We
passed him on our way back and he
| asked me to pour water on his head,
which did. took his bolo and scab-
bard away from him and showing him
the weapon, said II was "Mucho malo,'
| md he nctnnllY smiled. He was going