Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-29
Robert Tarlton's Graphic Account
of Filipino Battle.
A BOLO-MAN'S HORRIBLE FATE.
Was RiddIed With American Bullets
After Making Ferocious Attempt
on the Life of Tarlton-Remember
MARSHALL" a company's Battle Cry.

Harry D. Parlee of this city has re-
ceived letter from Robert S. Tarlton
who is a member of the volunteer
army now in the Philippines. Mr..
Tarlton gives a graphic account OF a
fight he was in recently and tells CT
his narrow escape from death. Mr..
Tarlton says he went to the Philip
pines to see a battle and apparently
he has had his wish. Following is the
letter:
TarIton's Letter.
"Sagua Bohol, P. l., September IL,
1900. Dear friend Harry:-Altho 1t
has been some time since have heard
from you, know we'll enough what
the mail connections are, and will not
blame you. / came over here for the
purpose of seeing fight and have
seer it.
"on the 2sth of August six
teen men from the town Of
Guendolman and twelve men
from this town, learning of the pres
ence of some insurgents in the noun
tain town of Carmen went after ON
and got 'em. We ran into about 500
of them and they had very neat trap
arranged for us. The men with rifles
were on hill in front of us, and AS
they fired the bolo-men closed in be-
hind us.
DepIoy as Skirmishers.
1--WE were marching in single Ale
in the road and had given up hope of
seeing anything at all, when suddenly
they fired on us and the lieutenant
gave the Right front into line Of
r,,, ic1, Tbo+ int q.
i line of skirmishers about or 10 feet
apart and facing the enemy. AS we
plunged into the grass to the right Of
the road We hoped right into the
bolo-men, who were Lying next to the
road. They were SO thick we had to
get out of the grass onto the road
again. BY the time we had gotten to
the road one of our men was dead and
six others were cut, one of them so
bad he may die. Another man had
the fingers of his right hand cut Off
He got the doctor to tie up his hand
and then put his gun in the hollow
of his right arm and went on shooting
right handed. The scrap lasted for
about 20 or 80 minutes.
Watch Saved His Life.
"The only scratch / got was on my
watch. While in the grass a Niger
made a plunge at my heart with
dagger. He put hole half way thru
the watch which was in my left
shirt pocket. He only made one jab
and then fell with half dozen bullets
in him, as most of the boys were in
the road by that time. I will keep
the watch and dagger as momentos of
narrow escape. One of the niggers
who was in the scrap and who is now
spy on our side and who is paid by
the United States government, says
we killed 120 of our opponents on that
day
On returning to Loey we receivedre-
Inducements. went back to the place
with force Of 100 men and burned it,
Remember Marshall"
Tomorrow, | start with Ia others
under the command of our captain to
Ubay, 40 miles from here and we take
100 rounds of ammunition with us.
don't know what those so rounds extra
are for, unless the commander of the
island, Major Hale, has an inside
track on something, and knows where
there are some niggers. If we do run
up against them this time as think
we will, look out, for there's going to
be lots OF blood spilled. If we get in
TO tight place and any one of us yeils
Remember Marshall" (the boy that
was killed. the niggers had better look
out, Tor there are not enough niggers
IN the philippines to atone for the loss
or that one American soldier, who
was killed. AS even, your friend,
| Robert S. Tarltoa,
co. 9, 44th U. S. v. Infantry.
| OTTIIMMA MAN c,MEn 8{