Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-06-12
LETTERS OF SOLDIERS.
Campaign Experiences of Amer
leans In the Philippines.
ESCAPE OF TWO CONDEMNED MEN.

Fled From a Filipino Firing squad
as They Were About TO BE Shot.
Experience of Two Soldiers Am
pushed In a Launch.
a letter received at Columbia, Mo-,
from Walter Cans, a Columbia boy
now in the Philippines, contains much
interesting Information, says the ST.
Louis Globe-Democrat. 1t tells among
other things of a wonderful escape.
Two OF his comrades, he says, were
recently captured by the enemy. They
were Privates James and Peterson of
the Twelfth infantry. The commander
of their captors condemned them to
death. They were marched 10 a spot
near Victoria and told TO prepare to
die. The Americans determined to
make q dash for life and agreed upon a
signal for the start. They were told
that, according to custom, they must
die with their backs to their execution
ers, with faces turned from the firing
squad. They saw just in front of them
a large, deep gully skirted with q
growth of bushes and small trees. The
for prayer, and they kneeled, with their
backs to the firing squad, who bowed
their heads for an instant in respect
for the doomed Americans. At a Sig
nal James and Peterson dashed for the
ditch. A volley crashed behind them,
and each was pierced with Mauser bull
lets, but they reached the shelter alive.
Peterson, who was hit hard, buried
himself in the underbrush. and the FL
lipinos blundered past him in pursuit
Of James. A scouting party of Ameri-
cans heard the firing and reached the
scene in time to save their comrades,
both of whom will recover from their
wounds.
W. r. hurry of Company E, Six
teenth United States infantry, far in
the interior of Luzon, p. l., writes his
father, ]. w. hurry of Ethel, Macon
county. near Macon, Mo-, n letter con-
tanning an interesting account Of a
piece Of daring by two young soldiers
Of his company, its fatal results and
the swift apprehension of the ambush
ing party of insurgents, says the st.
Louis Globe-Democrat. The letter was
received the other day.
1.-TWO volunteers were called for"
writes Private hurry. ''to man a small
launch loaded with supplies for one Of
the outposts some 90 miles up the riv-
er. y hundred hands went up. Tie
two men from our company were Sc
lected because of their known precision
with the rife and quick eyes. We
crowded down to the landing to see
off Xy-fS n,D
their perilous voyage, and even there
several tried to get them to exchange
places. 1t is hard to explain the fas-
cination an errand of that sort has for
q soldier; there were men there who
would gladly have given their months
pay to have got in that little craft.
'"The next we heard of the expedition
was two days afterward, when some
of the boys were in the water and
found n fioater. The body was taken
ashore and found to be one of the sol
diers who had volunteered to take the
supplies up the river. He was literally
cut to pieces, and a determined effort
had been made to sever the head from
the body. The body was entirely nude.
This was the first many of us had
seen of such warfare, and several were
sickened at the CHASTITY sight Then
we waited with much foreboding for
news OF his companion But he had
better fortune. He came in late in the
evening as a party was about to be
sent out to hunt for him. He told us
that when within eight miles of their
destination, while passing through
narrow channel their boat struck some
sort of an obstruction and almost i'm
mediately the bank was alive with Il
crowd OF bowling and geSticulating
Filipino warriors. Both soldiers pick
ed up their guns and thinned out the
enemy some. but his companion was
struck down and could not escape. He
did his best to get the boat off, and at
last found ii would be two dead men
instead of one IL he remained; so. after
emptying his gun, he made for the op-
posite bank and got away.
Next day a scouting party was sent
out and succeeded in capturing 81 in
surgents not far from the place the
launch was attacked. Four of the men
had serious wounds, furnish
ing pretty good evidence they belonged
to the ambuscade. 1t was learned
there had been three killed outright;
SO our cOmrdOe ulaue IneIn pay lot MS
life"
Chester Kennedy of Company F.
Forty fifth regiment, L. S. A, located
on Luzon island. in the Philippines,
writes home, according to n Muncie
Qnd) dispatch TO the Chicago Trib-
Une, describing the recent landing
OF his company. The boys were forced
In, nd
waist deep from the transport, and all
the time ambushed Filipinos were fir
ing at them.
One soldier was killed and buried
near by. That night the negroes dug
him up and cut his heart out. They
roasted it and placed IT on a pole. with
a notice that all Americans would be
treated likewise IL they did not leave.