The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1900-11-03
BENEVOLENT
ASSIMILATION.
A Republican Newspaper Ac.
count of a Philippine
Battle.

Just past this few hundred ward.
we saw solitary body lying in tn.
read. The body was almost strirna,
Of clothing. and there were no marks
of rank left on the blood -soaked Goa,
But the face of the dead man had !
look had never noticed on the faea
OF other dead men l had found In in
surgent uniform on the field of battls
in the wake OF an American firtnp
lire. The features were clear cut and
forehead high and shapely. I decided
the man must have been an insurgen>
officer A soldier came running down
the trail.
That's old Pillar" he said. I'VE
got the old rascal. l guess he's sorry
he ever went up against the Thirty
third"
There amt no doubt about its be-.
ing Pillar" ratified on the young SOL
der. I'VE got his diary, and his let
ters, and all his papers, and Sullivan
Of our company's got his pants, ard
Snider's got his stoes. but he cant
wear them because they're too small
and a sergeant in G company got ono
of his silver spurs, and lieutenant
got the other, and somebody swiped
the cuff buttons before l got here or
| would have swiped them, and all /
got was stud button and his collar
with blood on it"
So this was the end of Gregorio del
Pillar. Only % years old, he managed
to make himself leader of men
when he was hardly more than a boy
and at last had laid down his life for
his convictions. Major Marsh had the
diary. In it he had written under the
date Of December 2, me day he was
killed:
The general has given me the pick
Of all the men that can be spared and
ordered me to defend the pass. re-
alize what a terrible task is given me-
And yet | feel that this is the most
glorious moment or my life. What |
do is done for my beloved country.
No sacrifice can be too great"
A private, sitting by the camp fire,
was exhibiting handkerchief. ITS
old Pillars It's got Dolores Hosea
on the corner. l guess that was his
girl. Well. it's all off with Gregorio"
Anyhow" said Private Sullivan. Il
got his pants. He wont need 'em
any more"
The man who had the generals
shoes strobe proudly past, refusing
with scorn Mexican dollar and a
najr Of chOec olxep frop, opo 80 ~,
private insurgent soldiers. private
sitting on rock was examining a
golden locket containing a curl Of a
woman's hair. Got the locket off has
neck" said the soldier
AS the main column started on its
march for the summit OF. the mountain
turn in the trail brought us again
in sight Of the insurgent general far
down below us. There had been no
time to bury him. Not even a blanket
or poncho had been thrown over
him. 4
A crow sat on the dead mans feet.
Another perched on his head. The fog
settled down upon u.s. We could see
the body no longer.
we carved not a line, and we raised
not a stone.
But we left him alone in his glory.
And when Private Sullivan went BY
IN his trousers, and Snider with his
shoes, and the other man who had the
CUT buttons, and the sergeant who had
the spur, and the lieutenant who had
the other spur, and the man that had
the handkerchief, and another man
that had his shoulder straps, it sud-
denly occurred to me that his glory
was about all We had left him-Rich-
ard Henry Little in Chicago Tribune.