The Springfield herald., 1900-01-12
GILLMORE'S STORY.
SUFFERINGS OF HIS MEN WHILE
PRISONERS.
Guard Was ordered to Shoot Thorn, But
Turned Them Loose to Starvc-Nsrrow
Escape From Death.


boat Yorktown. who was captured by
the Insurgents last April near S'nlcr,
on the coast of LuZon. and rescued Il
few days ago by Colonel Luther Il.
Hare of the Thirty-third volunteer in
fhntry. sal to-day in the apartments
of his sister. Mrs. Major Price at the
Hotel Oriente iii Manila - = = = re
marknblr story of his eight months
captivity ending with his dramatic
deliv,ial, = m u":ith that seemed in
evitable
The steamer Venus came into the
harbor last evening from the Nigan
province of South IlocoS with Lieu
tenant Gilmore and nineteen other
American prisoners. including seven of
his sailors from the Yorktown. Lieu
tenant Gilmore, after reporting. came
ashore and hobbled along. with the aid
of Il cane, to the Hotel Oricnte. where
American officers and ladies' were
waltZing through the halls to the
strains of "Aguinnido's March,
Although tanned and ruddy from eX-
posure, he is weak and nervous, show
ing the results of long hardships. He
speaks warmly of Aguinaldo and very
bitterly against General Tino, declnr-
ing that while in the formers jurisdic-
tion he was treated splendidly. but
after he fell into Tino's hands he Suf-
fered everything.
Colonel Hare and Lieutenant Colo
mel Howse. the latter of the Thirty
fourth volunteer infantry. rescued
Gillmore's party on December 18th.
near the hcadwatcrS of the Abalut
river, after they had been abandoned
by the Filipinos and We're expecting
death from the savage tribes around
them. When the reScning force
reached them they We're nearly
starved. but We're building RATS in
the hope of getting down the river to
the coast.
Lieutenant Gilmore made the fol
lowing statement:
''The Filipinos abandoned us on the
night of December 10th. We had reach
ed the Abulut river near its source that
morning and the Filipinos RATED us
over. We then went down the stream
along n rough trail, guarded by II COM
pany of FilipinoS. That night we We're
separated from this guard and another
company, armed with Mauscrs, was
put in charge of us. suspected some
thing. and questioned the lieutenant
in command. He said: i have orders
from General Tino TO shoot you all.
but my conscience forbids. l shall
'es'-1 vpi. hIr" .vr=gl.,.,. .-ga-a
II begged him for two rifles to pro-
tect us from savnges, adding that l
would give him letters to the Amer
cans who would pay him well and keep
him from all harm. He refused this.
however, saying he would not dare to
comply. Soon afterward he left with
his company.
I'VE had seen some Savagcs in war
paint around us and we prepared to
fight them with cohhlestones. the only
weapons that We're available to us.
n>st ii I'm oil -pI hn pu
of the Filipino soldiers. feeling that 1t
was better to stick 10 them than be
murdered by savnSrS. but we could not
catch up with them. Then | ordered
the men to build rafts in the hope of
floating down the river. 1t was n for
lorn hope. but | knew the river must
empty into the sea somewhere. | was
SO weak myself that | did not expect
to get out. but thought some of the
men could.
"On the morning of December 18th
while we We're working on the RATS
the Americans came toward up yelling.
One of my men shouted: They are on
u.s. He was lashng Il raft of bam-
bOos. l. however. knew it was not the
yell OF SavngeS. but the yell of Ameri
cans. The rescuing troops thought we
had Filipino guards and called to us
in English to lie down. so that they
could shoot the Fi!ipinos. That was
the finest body of officers and men
ever saw
Lieutenant Gilmore could not speaI,
enthusiastically enough about the 14d
picked men who had rescued him and
his party.
The command spent the day in max
ing RATS. Colonel Hare thought Lieu
tenant Gilmore too weak to live
through the trip. but there was no al
tentative They shot many rapids. the
men losing all their effects. and Lieu
tenant Gilmore soma valuable papers.
Only fourteen out of thirty seven RATS
survided the first experience and
eighty men We're practically unable to
walk when Nigan was reached.
Describing the fight from Benguet
when the Americans approached. Lieu
tenant Gilmore said:
"The Filipinos. completely terrified
left Benguct on December 7th. They
hurried the prisoners from town
to town. often rctracing the
trail. not knowing where the
Americans would attack. After
being almost without food for three
days. they killed several horses and
we lived OH horse flesh for several
days. l did not have n full meal from
December Ith until | reached Nigan.
Indeed, the rcscuing party lived large
ly upon rice, without salt There was
one day when | was reduced to chew
ing grass and bark
rrainmen and Teleg piers to Form Orde
Cincinnati IAN S-Grand Chief =