The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1900-01-09
LIEUTENANT GILMORE
Tells Of His Experiences While a Pris-
Oner of the PHILIPPINES.
Aguinaldo Treated the Caplives Well.
But General Fino Ordered
Them Shot.

] HNihAi ""h' V's . " ms-l-ltubelhill
j. G. Gilmore, of the United States gun
boat Yorktown, who was captured by
the insurgents last April near Baler, on
the coast of Luzon, and rescued a few
days ago by Colonel Luther r. Hare, o
the Thirty-third volunteer infantry, tell:
a remarkable story of his seight months
in captivity, ending with his dramatic
deliverance from death that seemed
inevitable.
The steamer Venus came into the
harbor from Vigan, province sof South
Tlocos, with Lieutenant Gilmore and 1g
other American prisoners, including
several of his sailors, from the Yorktown.
Although tanned and ruddy from ex-
posure, he is weak and nervous, show
ing the results Jf long hardships. He
speaks warmly OF Aguinaldo,t and very
bitterly against General Tino, declaring
that while in the formers jurisdiction
he was treated splendidly, butthat af-
ter he fell into Tino's hands, he suffered
everything
Colonel Hare and Lieutenant. Colonel
Howse, the latter of the Thirty fourth
volunteer infantry, rescued Gilmorss
party on December 49, near the head.
waters OF the Abalut river, after they
had been abandoned by the Filipinos.
Lieutenant Gilmore made the follow.
ing statement to a correspondent of the
Associated Press:
"The Filipinos abandoned us on the
night of December lG We had reached
the Abalut river, near its source that
morning, and the Fiipinos RATED us
over. We then went down the stream
along rough trail, guarded by COM
pany Of Filipinos. That night we were
separated from this guard, and another
company, armed with Mausers, was put
in charge of us. suspected something
and questioned the lieutenant in com.
mand. lie said
&" Il have orders from General Tino ia
shoot you all, but my conscience for
bids. shall leave you here"
81 begged him for two rifles to protect
us from savages, adding that would
give him letters to the Americans, who
would pay him well and keep him from
all harm. lie refused this, however
saying he would not dare 10 comply.
Soon afterwards he left with his com
pany.
"We had seen some savages in war
paint around us, and we prepared Il
fight them with cobblestones, the only
weapons that were available TO MS. Tn,
next morning we followed the trail o.
the Filipino soldiers, feeling that il wal
better TO stick to them than be muir
dered by sayages, but we could no
catch up with them. Then | ORDERED
the men TO build RATS, in the hope oI
floating down the river. 1t was for
lorn hope, but knew the river mus
empty into the sea somewhere. | wa
so weak myself that did not expect Il
get out, but | thought some Of the mel
could.
On the morning OF December is, Will,
we were working on the RATS, the Amer
leans came toward us, yelling. One o
my men shouted They are ON us,
He was lashing raft OF bamboos. |
however, knew il was not the yell o
sayages, but the yell of Americans. Th'
rescuing troops thought we had Filipino
guards and called to us in English to Ii,
down so that they could shoot the Fill
pinos. That was the finest body o
officers and men ever saw"
Lieutenant Gilmore could not speak
enthusiastically enough about the lac
picked men who had rescued him and
his party
The command spent the day in max
ing RATS. Coonel Hare thought Lieu
tenant Gilmore too weak to live throgl
the trip, but there was no alternative
They shot many rapids, the men losirl
all their effects, and Lieutenant Gil
more valuable papers. Only "A out o
81 RATS survived the first nights ex
p'rience, and so men we're practically
unable to walk Shen Vigan wat
reached. Liutenant Gilmore said
did not have full meal from De
cembrr until reached Wig an. Indeed
the rescuiug party lived largely uloI
rice without salt. There was one dal
when was reduced To chewing gras
aud bark.
"While We were in the hands OF Gen