Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1900-01-11
Told BY LIEUT.. GILMORE.
The Yorktown's Officer Tells Story
of Hardship at the Hands
of the Taga1s.
FORTUNATE TO HAVE COME OUT ALIVE.
All the American Prisoners Were Ordered
to Be Shot by tien. Tino, But the Fili-
PinO Omcer Charged with the Deed
Simply Left Them TO the Mercy of the
Savage Tribes.

Manila, Jan. S.-Lieut j. c. Gilmore,
of the United States gunboat York
town, who was captured by the in
Surgents last April near Baler, on the
@oaSt 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 remark
eble story of his eight months in cap
zivity, ending with the dramatic deliv-
erance from death that seemed inev-
table.
The Rescued Prisoners Land.
The steamer Venus came into the
aarbor Saturday evening from Vigan,
province of South Ilicos, with Lieut..
Gilmore and 10 other American pris-
oners, including seven of his sailors
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 of
+;cers and ladies were Waiting through
the halls to the strains of ''Aguinaldo's
March,
Praises AguinaIdO, BIames Tino.
Although tanned and rudy from ex-
posture, he is weak and nervous, show
ing 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-
ter he fell into limos hands he suf-
tered everything.
The Rescuing Party.
Col. Hare and Lieut.-Col. Howe, the
latter of the Thirty-fourth volunteer
infantry, rescued Gillmore's party on
December IS, near the headwaters of
the Abalut river, after they had been
abandoned by the FiIipinos 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 10 the coast.
Lieut.. Gilmore made the following
statement:
Lieut.. GiImore's story.
''The Fiipinos abandoned us on the
night of December 16. We had reached
the Abalut river, near its source, that
morning, and the Filipinos RATED us
over. We then went down the stream,
along a rough trail. guarded by 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. 1 suspected some
thing, and questioned the lieutenant
in command. He said:
A Filipino With Conscience.
~ have ordres from Gen. Tino to
shoot you all. but my conscience for
bids. / shall leave you here
Il begged him for two rifles to pro-
tect us from savages, adding that /
would give him letters to the Ameri-
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 Savages.
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 could
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.
was so weak myself that 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 1s,
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 flashing a raft of bau,-
zoos. /, however, knew it was not the
yell of savages, 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 Filipinos. That was
the finest body of officers and men l
ever saw"
Lieut.. Gilmore could not speak en-
Enthusiastically enough about the 14O
picked men who had rescued him and
his party.
4 Nights Rough Experiences.
L lie SOIhAHdLu spent the 0d,N III 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.. Gill
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 Vign
was reached.
describing the flight from Benquet,
when the Americans approached, Lieut..
Gilmore said:
The FfIipinos Were Terrified.
1.-THE Filipinos, completely terrified,
left Benguet on December {. 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. 1 did not have a full
meal from December until / reached
Vigan. Indeed, the rescuing party |
lived largely upon rice without salt. |
There was one day when / was re-
5uced to chewing grass and bark.
Dangerous to Aid an American.
'While we were in the hands of Gen. |
Tino's men he issued an order that any |
persons aiding an American by food |
or money should be treated as a GRIM /
NAL. One citizen of vigan, Senior Vera.
,x-a ,,ro1,a l1lx- l-;lled for hafr;epdinr ms 4