The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-08
WHAT GILMORE SUFFERED.
IN MANILA HE RELATES HIS Sc
WE'RE EXPERIENCES.

They Were VcrglnH on Starvation
When Rescued by the Soldiers.
Manila, Jan. 7.-Lleut. j. c. Gilmore of
the United States gunboat Yorktown, who
was captured by the Insurgents last April
near Baler, on the east coast Of Luzon,
and rescued few days ago by Col. Lu-
ther r. Hare of the Thlrty-thrd Volun-
teer Infantry, sat to-day In the apartment
of his sister. Mrs. Mai Price, at the Ho-
tel Oriente, in Manila and told remark
able story of his eight months in captly
ity, ending with his dramatic deliverance
from death that seemed inevitable.
The steamer Venus came into the har-
Dor last evening from Vigan. province of
South Ilocos with Lieut.. Gilmore and
nineteen other American prisoners, includ-
ing seven of his sailors from the York
town. Lieut.. Gilmore, after reporting,
came ashore and hobbled along, with the
aid of a cane, to the Hotel Oriente, where
American officers and ladies' were waltzing
through the halls to the strains of Gag
uinaldo's March,"
Although tanned and ruddy from expos
ure he is weak and nervous, showing the
warmly of Aguinaldo and very bitterly
against Gen. Tino. declaring that while in
the formers jurisdiction he was treated
splendidly but that after he fell into IT.
nos hands he suffered everything.
Col Hare and Lieut.. Col. Howe, the lat
ter of the Thirty-fourth Volunteer Infan-
try, rescued Gillmore's party on Dec Is,
ba bpa dxtyo .,ft ~
after they had been abandoned by the F'n-
ipinos and were expecting death from the
savage tribes around them. When the
rescuing party reached them they were
nearly starved, but were building RATS in
the hope of getting down the river to the
coast.
Narrow Escape From Death.
Lieut.. Gilmore made the following
statement to correspondent of the Asso-
ciated Press:
"The Fihpinos abandoned us on the
night of Dec. 16. We had reached the
Abalut river. near it's source, that morn
ing and the Filipinos RATED us over. We
then went down the stream, along a rough
trail, guarded by a company of Filipinos.
That night we were separated from this
guard, and another company, armed with
pected something and questioned the lieu
tenant in command. He said: I have or
ders from Gen. Tino TO shoot you all, but
my conscience forblds. l shall leave you
here
II begged him for two rifles to protect
us from savages, adding that 1 would
give him letters to the Americans who
would pay him well and keep him from
all harm. He refused this however. say
ing that he would not dare to comply.
Soon afterward he left with his company.
I'VE had seen some savages in war paint
around US, and we prepared to fight them
with cobblestones, the only weapons that
were available to us. The next morning
we followed the trail of the Filipino sol
diers, feeling that it was better to stick
to them than to be murdered by savages,
but we could not catch up with them.
Then ordered the men to build RATS, in
hope of floating down the river 1t was
a forlorn hope, but l knew the river must
empty into the sea somewhere / was so
weak myself that 1 did not expect to get
out, but / thought some of tho men
could.
Arrival of Rescue Party.
ION the morning of Dec. IS, while we
were working on the RATS, the Americans
came toward US yelling. One Of my men
shouted They are on u.s. He was lashlug
raft of bamboos. l. however, knew it
%
Americans. The rescuing troops thought
we had Filipino guards, and called to IL
in English to lie down, so that they could
shoot the Filipinos. That was the finest
body of officers and men / ever saw"
Lieut. Gilmore could not speak enthu-
siastically enough about the 1D picked
men who had rescued him and his party.
The command spent the day in making
RATS Cob Hare thought Lieut.. Gill
more too weak to live through the trip.
but there was no alternative. They shot
many rapids the men losing all their ef-
fects and Lieut.. Gilmore some valuable
papers Only fourteen out of thirty seven
RATS survived the first nights experiences
and eighty men were practically unable to
walk when Vigan was reached.
Starved the Prisoners.
Describing the flight from Benguet
when the Americans approached, Lieut..
Gilmore said:
THE Fiipinos. completely terrified left
Benguet on Dec. 7. They hurried the pris-
oners from town to town, often retracing
the trail not knowing where the Ameri-
cans would attack After being almost
without food for three days. they killed
several horses and we lived on horse flesh
for several days. ] did not have a full
meal from Dec until reached Vigan.
Indeed, the rescuing party lived largely
upon rice without salt There was one
ldY WntH l. was ASIuleh " NiAtHliiS grass
and bark.
while we were in the hands of Gen
Tino's men he issued an order that any
person aiding an American by food or
money should be treated az a criminal.
one citizen Of Vigan, Senior Vera, was
probably killed for befrlending us. We
would have starved but for the kindness
Of some Of the presidents of the towns
and some Of the Filipino coonels, but
others treated us brutally. Whenever
there was a prison we were kept there
When there was no prison they would
lodge us I'm a convent. We suffered greatly
from want Of exercise, as well as lack Of
food"
Treatment by FiIiplnos.
Formerly, Lieut.. Gilmore was covered
with boils and in great pain When the
Filipinos found the Americans were APP
preaching the treatment became better
There was a sign painter In the party ard
he painted advertisements on the, rocks
throughout the retreat, with other cm-
blens like skull and the word "ven-