The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1900-05-03
TEN MONTHS OF I'M
PRIS0NMENT.
WIZ. BRUCE TELLS OF HIS CAP
TURE BY THE FILIPINOS.
His Subsequent Privations and
Escape.


something would turn up during the
day to give us our release. At ten the
corporal of the guard informed us that
hoslilities had at last broken out be-
tween our troops and Filipinos, but We
refused TO believe the report. Such
thing seemed impossible, in spite OF
their aggressive and insolYent bearing
towards us.
Nothing OF Importance transpired
until 4P. n. when we heard great
commotion in the corridor, and, peep
ing out through the crack. in our cell
door. We saw a man being carried in on
a litter and two others with bandaged
arms following behind, Immediately
after the arrival OF the wounded men,
the Filipino prisoners confined in the
cell with US were removed and the two
Americans confined in the cell opposite
we're transferred to our cell and double
guards placed over our door and win
dow. A few minutes later the corporal
Of the guard entered our cell and in
formed US that the wounded men were
! Gen. Nenros and two soldiers who had
been wounded in the fighting the night
of the fourth He also informed us that
the General had died few moments af-
ter being carried into the prison. The
news Of the general s death soon became
l known throughout the town and then
we understood why the extra guards
! had been placed over us, for the inhab-
/ itants OF the town began to assemble
around our cell bringing with them all
| kinds Of weapons and the cry from one
and all was, kill the American dogs.
1t was with great difficulty that the
guards held the angry mob at bay, be-
| ing forced to fix bayonets and threaten
to run any one through who attempted
to pass We had not the slightest doubt
by that time that hostilities had really
begun. and we retired that night with
anything but light hearts.
On the morning of February 9th We
! arose early as we were all expecting
/ Important things to happen, but the
! day wore away, bringing lis no news of
any kind. We all expected that our
| troops would advance and take Malolos
| in five or six days, as the distance was
1 only twenty-five miles. | wish to say
! here that this was the first mistake
made in the campaign, which is re-
markable only for the number of mis-
takes made. Had the American troops
advanced on the fifth or sixth of Feb,
they could have taken the entire rail
road line TO Dagupan with the loss of
very few lives, as there were no trenches
whatever to pass at that time, and the
insurgent soldiers we're divided into
small parties and stationed in the many
towns OF the island, and | know for a
certain fact that they did not begin to
concentrate their forces for several days
after the commencement OF hostilities,
which they did only after becoming en-
boldened by the slowness to advance on
the part of the American troops which
they mstook as evidence of fear or
weakness.
On the 18th nothing occurred during
the day and we had all retired and were
asleep when our cell door was thrown
open ] awoke just in time to see an
object of some kind thrown in bodily,
striking the earthen floor with a sick
ening thud. Meanwhile, outside of the
cell, | could hear much loud talking
and could recognize the words 'sureto'
and 'traidor' meaning spy and traitor.
These words were used freely, and as
we were suspected OF being spies, they
caused me to feel quite uneasy, as | ma
turally thought they were being applied
to myself and companions. A few mo-
ments after the entrance of the object
above mentioned, however, one Of the
guards entered the cell bearing a light
and followed by tho warden OF the pris-
on, the sergeant of the guard and sew
eral soldiers. We then found that the
object which had made such "a sudden
and unlimited entrance, was that of a
man, or at least of human being, and
| do not think it has ever been my mis-
/ fortune to witness a more miserable
specimen of humanity. The warden
! forced the man to rise and walking up
to him as he was leaning against the
prison wall for support, struck him in
the face with his clinched hand, and
not being satisfied with that, kicked
/ him In the stomach. Then came the
sergeant's turn to abuse the poor devil
and after him the soldiers, who each,
/
kick. After all had left the cell and
the door was once more close, the poor
man, more dead than alive was lying
on the floor moaning in agony. He asked
for drink of water, which | offered
him, and instead OF reaching for the
cup he made an attempt to yet his head
to 1t. At first | could not understand
his actions but on examination | found
his arms to be bound behind his back.
| held the cup while he drank like a
famished animal. Then with great dif-
ficulty removed from his arms the
thongs OF bamboo which had been
drawn so tight that they we're almost
buried in his flesh. His arms were also
badly swollen and discolored. On par
TALLY reviving he asked II we had any
thing to eat, and fortunately we had
some cooked rice saved from our sup
per, which he ate ravinously, saying it
was the first bite he had eaten for 4S
hours. After he had eaten he told us
his story. He had been servant in
Manila and when hostilities began he
became frightened and in the night
stole out OF Manila and succeeded in
passing the American outposts, but not
uninjured, as he received an ugly flesh
wound in the foot while doing 30. At
the Filipino outpost he was arrested as
a spy, his arms bound behind his back
and in that condition he was forced to
march to Malolos, arriving there In the
condition above mentioned.
Truekee Hotel Destroyed by Fire
: TRUCKEE. April 26.-The Truckee