The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-02-21
THE PHILIPPINES.
Interesting Details OF the Warfare and
Personal Incidents.

feESOuVt
Letter from Ensign Thomas d. Parker,
irniled States Steamship Princeton,
on Aparrl, January 5, lS9!
AS several steamers have come in during
the last few days, we are evidently wlthli
reach OF civilization, II not In IL, look 10
letters very soon.
I'VE have had visitors lately from the lant
of the savage Gugus aud lgarrats. -.
On New Years day an army volunteer Oil
Ger. COL Houze, appeared at ale saIgw"S I W..
iusI succeeued in struggling out 10 the coas
after one OF the most remarkable marches on
record. Since sometime IN octooeT ne @ aug
had been marching through country that the
natives considered wholly iinpassaole-they
had crossed the mountains IN the interior Oh
Northern Luzon and had then worked their
yay ont 10 the opposite coast. When they
emerged from the terrible wilderness OF ciiliS,
torrents, rocks (wth the heads oi Gugus DOB
hing up behind) they were almost naked,
com pletely shoeleSs, many 0l them SO sore.
looted they could hardly stand, some with
their toes corroding away from constant eX-
posure To mud and water, all OF them hungry
and tired, SO they could go no further-they
had made the last stretch To BaSaiing In Carl
bao carts, and mustered on the Sea shore.
some standing and some on their Knees be-
cause they could not walk.
The most Interesting figure in the party was
of course Gilmore (the captured navy lieuten-
tenanU who had been recaptured oy Hare anu
Houze aud who came at once aboard The
Princeton. Though we were two months on
Inc SoIace together hardly think should
have recognized him, looking as he did when
he crossed the gangway. ne wore straw nat
and an old insurgent uniform, ms race nall
covered by a scraggy beardi was thin and hag-
gard, and he had shrunk from rather portly
man TO a thin one. Almost the nrst thing he
seid In me lin answer to something said),
"Parker. ain an old man now," and his tone
and man ner forwards showed that he meant
it. He was perfectly controlled and In way
cheerful but there was @ no eanlsaon hooSt
turn TO friends and comfort. .-,.t
Though Col. Houze, the day before, had
looked exhausted, he had seemed bursting
with the satisfaction OF having got through
and having succeeded. In talking about1t
he could hardly hold himself down. But Gill
more wasn't like that. he always talked quiet
ly, and you couldn't tell from hia manner
whether he was telling Of fne brands oftobac.
co he had seen or OF the way he felt with 4
loaded rifle cooked and pointed at his head
and somebody about 10 sing out, FIRE" He
thoroughly experienced that he didn't glow
Almost ever since his, capture he, had been
on the edge of death. For the last few weeks
would find him alive. When first captured
he and his party were bound hand and foot
and were lined up 10 be shot. He says his
last thought was a regret at nob havingI
doubled his insurance. Everything wasreadyij
when an insurgent officer rushed down the |
hillside and headed of the eXecutioners. Them
AFTER long ana ALMOST LUduueuluS COuuu6s
ment they were taken by General Tlno's re. !
treating army into the heart OF the moun- |
tains, over trails and passes SO difficult thatl !
1t seemed almost Impossible TO avoid taktngl
,missteps and falling u few hundred feetS and
after this hard and famishing march, tEeyj
were separated from the other prisoners anEt
while huddled together In an unprotectH6t
place were told by Gen. Tinos lIeutenantt
that he had orders to shoot them all. But.heF
said his conscience would not let him carryal
out the order. Gilmore thinks for the reasorl
that he is an A. e. Episcopaian and has cru /
cifX tattooed on his breast. So the, partyl
was left, without food and without arms,toi 4
be killed by the savages In theSe parts oii
starve there In these mountains Fortnnatetf
ly our soldiers overlook them about this ttmeI
AS Gilmore said the first day he dineds withd
Us, q man appreciates even sea grab Whenshel
has been living on horse meat and berrles1
and grass. They had pet monkey whtcti
kept him awhile longer to taste the berries
Even after this 1t was Just toss up each aaysE
whether they would be drowned Shooting thef
torrents (Col. Houze said be himself SN1HApsf
Set fifty times) or would be shot by pruwIlAG3
natives. lss9 ~ sssa5S LII
From the accounts Houze gayesus 6ns 3aF3
and Gilmore the next twithout dtscr984qy3
c!es) the march down must have been 5eapt$} B
fully dangerous. They followed ibe 6S4 083{
torrent part OF the way and then had t0Atto83sfH
the rapids on rats oftheir Own 5mske & N Sf3F
The last days Of the huntfor G,ssa oss,s Se5S
was running for his life across his own connsE
try, the Americans. travelled twice as Ast,st
AT one time, however, the best; they con ~ +
two miles day, this describes the icountry.d
They were lgreatly aided In keeping track OF 1
the prisoners by advertsements OF Pabstb
Beer that an enterprising agent % pfisonesSi
was sticking up wherever they went "a AImosil
the last ciew they had Was q sigus sDrtnksE
Pabst Beer, Oggie like IT, or something oil
that kind. q Es .is,, 81 sSs
tanning the recapLnred prisopersss Am9rtcanEt
and Spanish. They were q staryed and snakedE
set. but TO them Apatri vas BIKE New YORK.
and when We cheered tAeIn as they passeu ~
was the American people, y ID 1. ~
We shall probably remain here sometfne:l
Yesterday We had drill With boats, under3t
afternoon. When we had q race In which my
Cutter came out just In the middle, FOR
awhile we were In the lead. but did not
allow enough for the current and lost Dy NOT
running close enough TO- the shore. M