The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1900-01-12
TOLD BY LIEUT.. GILMORE
The Yorktown's Officer Tells a Story
of Hardship at the Hands
of the Tagals.
FORTUNATE TO HAVE COME OUT ALIVE.
All the American Prisoners Were Ordered
to BE shot by Gen. TinO, But the Fill
pinO Ofhcer Charged with the Deed
Simply Left Them to the Mercy of the
Savage Tribes.


Manila, Jan. 8.-Lieut. J. c. Gilmore,
of the United States gunboat York
town, who was captured by the in
sCrgents last April near Palero, on the
coast of Luzon, and rescued a few days
ago by Col. Luther r. Hare, of the
Thirty-third volunteer infantry, sat
yesterday in the apartment of his sis
ter, Mrs. Maj. Price, at the Hotel
Oriente, in Manila, and told a remark
able story of his eight months in cap
tivity, ending with the dramatic deliv~
erance from a death that seemed inev-
tia BILE.
The Rescued Prisoners Land.
The steamer Venus came into the
harbOr Saturday evening from Vigan,
Province of South IliIos, with Lieut..
Gilmore and 10 other American pris-
Oners, including seven of his sailor S
from the Yorktown. Lieut.. Gilmore,
after reporting, came ashore and hob
bled along, with the aid of a cane, TO
the Hotel Oriente, where American CT
fcers and ladies erewaltzing through
the halls to the strains of ''AguinaldO's
March,
Praises AGuinaIdO, BIames TinO.
Although tanned and ruddy from eX-
posture, he is weak and nervous, shUw-
ms the results of long hardships. He
speaks warmly of AguinaldO and very
bitterly against Gen. Tino, declaring
that while in the formers jurisdiction
he was treated splendidly, but that af-
tel he fell into Tino's hands de suf-
fered everything.
The RescuinE Party.
Col Hare and Lieut.-Col. Howse, the
latter of the Thirty-fOurth volunteer
infantry. rescued GilImOre's party on
December IS. near the headwaterS of
the Abalut river, after they had been
abandoned by the FilipinOs and were
expecting death from the savage tribes
around them. When the rescuing force
reached them they were nearly starved,
but were building rats in the hope Of
getting down the river TO the coast.
Lieut.. Gilmore made the following
statement:
Lieut.. GiImOrc's story.
THE FiIipinOs abandoned us on the
night of December 16. We had reached
the Abalut river near it's source, that
morning, and the Filipinos RATED KS
over. We then went down the stream,
along rough trail, guarded by a COM
pany of Filipinos. That night we We're
separated from this guard, and anOth-
er company, armed with Mausers, was
put in charge of us. l suspected some
thing. and questioned the lieutenant
in command. He said:
4 Filipino With n Conscience.
Il have orders from Gen. TinO to
shoot you all, but my conscience for
bids. L shall leave you here"
Il begged him for two rifles to pro-
tect us from savages, adding that
would give him letters to the Amcri-
cans, who would pay him well and
keep him from all harm. He refused
this, however, saying that he would
not dare to comply. Soon afterwards
he left with his company.
In Danger from SavnEes.
eve had seen some savages in war
paint around us, and we prepared to
fight them with cobble stones, the only
weapons that were available to us. The
next morning we followed the trail of
the Filipino soldiers, feeling that it
was better to stick to them than to be
murdered by savages, but we cOIld
not catch up with them. Then l or
dered the men to build RATS in the
hope of floating down the river. 1t was
a fOrlOrn hope, but l knew the river
must empty into the sea somewhere.
l was so weak myself that l did not eN
pect to get out, but l thought some
of the men could.
Recognized the Voices of Friends.
"On the morning of December Is.
while we were working on the rats,
the Americans came toward us yelling
One of my men shouted: They are On
us He was flashing a raft of BAN
zoos. l, however, knew it was not the
yell of savages, but the yell of Amcri-
cans. The rescuing troops thought we
had Filipino guards, and called to us
in English to lie down, so that they
could shoot the Filipinos. That was
the finest body of officers and men L
ever saw
Lieut.. Gilmore could not speak en-
Enthusiastically enough about the 40
picked men who had rescued him and
his party.
a Nights Rough Experience.
The command spent the day in max
ing RATS. Col Hare thought Lieut..
Gilmore was too weak to live through
the trip, but there was no alternative.
They shot many rapids, the men los
ing all their effects, and Lieut.. Gil
more some valuable papers. Only IA
out of the 81 RATS survived the first
nights experiences, and so men were
practically unable to walk when Vigen
was reached.
Describing the flight from Benguet
when the Americans approached, Lieut..
Gilmore said:
The PiIipinOs Were Terrified.
THE Filipinos, completely terrified,
left Benguet on December 7. They
hurried the prisoners from town to
town, often retracing the trail, not
knowing where the Americans would
attack. After being almost without
food for three days, they killed sew
eral horses, and we lived on horse flesh
for several days. l did not have a full
meal from December until l reached
The sO&alled modest violet commands a
hirhar rfioa in DrODosfiOp tO r.