The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1900-01-13
GILMORE PARTY IN MANILA
SAILORS WERE LEFT TO DIE.
Were Finally Rescued-Were Nearly
stnrved-Says AguinnIdO Was
Good to Them-Lieutenant Gil
more's story-A PitifuI Tale.

Manila, Jan. l0.-Leutenant j. G. Gill
more of the United States gunboat York
town, who was captured by the insur-
gents last April near Baier, on the coast
OF Luzon and rescued a few days ago
by Colonel Luther II. Hare of the Thir-
tythird volunteer infantry, was in the
apartment of his sister, the wife of Major
Price, at the Hotel Oriental, Sunday,
in Manila, and told remarkable story
OF his eight months in captivity, ending
with his dramatic deliverance from
death that seemed inevitable.
The steamer Venus came into the har-
Dor from Vigan, province of South Ilocos,
with Lieutenant Gilmore and 10 other
American prisoners, including seven of
his sailors from the Yorktown Lieuten-
ant Gilmore, after reporting, came ashore
and hobbled along with the aid OF cane
TO the Hotel Oriente, where American
officers and ladies were waltzing through
the halls to the strains of "Aguinaldo's
March"
Although tanned and ruddy from expo
sure, he is weak and nervous, showing
the results OF long hardships He speaks
warmly of Aguinaldo and very bitterly
against General Tino, declaring that
while in the formers jurisdiction he was
treated splendidly, but that after he fell
into limos hands he suffered everything.
Colonel Hare and Lieutenant Colonel
Howse, the latter of the Thirty-ffth vol
unteer infantry, rescued Gillmore's party
on December near the headwaters of the
Abalut river, after they had been aban-
doned by the Filipinos and were expecting
death from the savage tribes around
them. When the rescuing force reached
them they We're nearly starved, but were
building RATS in the hope of getting
down the river to the coast
Lieutenant Gilmore made the following
statement to a correspondent of the Asso-
ciated Press: "The FilipinOs abandoned
us on the night of December 10. We had
reached the Abalut river near its source
that morning and the Fiipinos RATED us
over We then went down the streaus
along a rough trail, guarded by a com
pany OF Filipinos. That night we were
separated from this guard and another
company, armed with Mausers, was put
in charge of us. l suspected something,
and questioned the lieutenant in com
mand. He said: L have orders from
General limo to shoot you all, but my
conscience forbids. shall leave you
here
Il begged 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 to comply. Soon afterward he
left with his company. We 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
tran OF the Filipino soldiers, feeling that
1t was better to stick to them than be
murdered by savages, but we could not
catch up with them. Then l ordered the
men to build RATS, in the hope of floating
down the river. 1t was forlorn hope,
but | knew the river must empty into
the sea somewhere. l was so weak myself
that l did not expect to get out, but l
thought some of the men could. On the
morning of December 8, while we were
working on the RATS, the Americans came
toward us, yelling. One of my men
shouted They are after u.s. lie was
lashing bambOos. l knew it was the yell
OF Americans. The rescuing troops
thought we had Filipino guards and
called to us to lie down SO they could
shoot the Filipinos. That was the finest
body OF officers and men l ever saw"
Lieutenant Gilmore could not speak
enthusiastically enough about the l4O
picked men who had rescued him and