Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-01-17
CAMPAIGN In LUZON.
SEVERE BLOW INFLICTED o.,
THE FlliPlNOS.
Fight In Which Seventy -fonr Insur-
gents Are Killed Americans Lose
Lieut.. Gilmore Safe in Manila
Tells Thrilling story Of His Captivity.


Tells Thrilling Story of His capfivity.
ne campaign against the Filipino In
surgents who have been maSsing in the
province OF Cayite during the last few
weeks mas been opened by Geil. Bates
IN decisive fashion, and a severe blow
has been inflicted on the rebels-not with
out serious loss to the American troops,
however. Preliminary Reconnaissance
have been made by Col. Birkhiner With
a battalion Of the Twenty-eighth volun-
teers and one gun at Novaleta, By Maj
Iaggart with two battalions of the same
regiment, at Perez das Marinas, an. by
detachment Of the Fourth infantr.
south of linus.
The American force under Col Birk
Inner was strongly opposed by the rebels
who were attacked in a strongly fortified
position. Sixty-fiye Of the insurgents
We're killed in their trenches and forty
We're wounded. The Americans lost three
killed, including lieutenant Invent,
were wounded Thirty-fye rifles were
captured. Gen. Schwan's command
which is now at Binang, also had an en-
gagement with the Filipinos, in which
nine of the enemy were killed and tween
ty-six captured. The American losses III
this fight were one killed and eleven
wounded. Gen. SchwaE has been work
ing 70 the southeast, near Santa Rosa,
along the Laguna de Bay
Gilmore safe at Manila.
Lieut.. Gilmore of the cruiser York
town, who was captured by the insur-
Onlr Al.
rived at Manila Saturday night by boat
from Nigan. He was affixed in Span
ish uniform when he landed Naval off
GERS are rejoiced at the escape CT Lieut..
Gilmore. During most of the time he
was in the hands of the rebels he was
treated very harshly. and he is thin and
weak. He very modestly tells thrill.
ing story of his adventures. He says
that he and his companions were half
starved when they were rescued ON Dec.
Is on the Abulut river.
In the fight near Baler, where Lieut..
Gilmore was captured, four of the land
ing party which he commanded were
killed. These We're Dillon, Marcy, Nc
Donald and Nygtrd. Three of the men,
Winders, Vanyille and Woodbury., were
wounded. The survivors of the party,
who came to Manila with Lieut.. Gill
more, are Walton, youdoet, Ellsworth,
Edwards, Petersen, Anderson and Bras
olese.
After the men were captured they were
all taken to San 1sidro, where Lieut..
Gilmore, who had been wounded in the
knee, recovered from the effects of his
injury. They We're hurried from one place
to another, frequently so weak as to be
hardly able to move, yet always fearful
of meeting the fate of one who fell by
the wayside and was promptly bayonet-
ed subsisting on horsefiesh part of the
time and learly starved all the time;
confined in converts and filthy prisons
between forced marches hack and forth,
neeessitated by the uncertainty as to
where the Americans would strike next;
unsuitably and insufficienily clothed and
cruelty treated; ordered shot and then
left unarmed to the mercy of savages
by captain who had no. the heart to
carry out the death sentel ce, and finally
rescued by a detachment of American
soldiers as they were building RATS in
the almost vain hope of floating down a
river to the ocean-all this .hakes 4 story
as thrilling as any ever told by prisoners
of war; Yet there is one feature that
lightens the gloom of it an. Mercy and
kindness were occasionally encountered.
Aguinaldo personally treated the men as
we'll as circumstances would permit, and
the Filipinos in some of the villages
through which they passed actually Jeop-
ardized their lives to make the lot of the
Americans a little easier. Indeed, Lieut..
Gillr'o ore is Of the opinion that one Of
the Senior Vera of Vigan- was execut-
ed for befriending them.
The opinion of the party, "a a result of
it's observations, is that the Sagaios will
fight to the last, but that most of the
other F'ilipinos are tractable and quite
ready to submit to American authority.
The Tagalos are those responsible for
the many cruelties, and Gen. Tino, in
whose charge the Americans were good
part of the time, was an able representa-
i've of the tribe. He it was who order
Il the prisoners shot and who likewise
made it capital offense for any native
10 assist them by offers Of either food
or money The fact that his orders were
sometimes disobeyed speaks volumes for
the humanity and hcroism of SEINE of the
natives.
Lieut.. Gilmore states that the natives
generally, when under the influence of
Aguinaldo, were kindly and we'll behaved,
except for occasional Gotheads, but there
were quite a number Of Gen. Tino's class,
who were brutal. He adds chat the gen
eral treatment of the Spanish prisoners
was brutal in the extreme.