Gilpin observer., 1900-01-11
GILLMORE'S. STORY.
SuFFERINDS OF HIS MEN WHILE
PRISONERS.
Guard Was Ordered to Shoot Them, But
Turned Them Loose to Starve-Narrow
Escape From Death,

Manila, Jan. S.-Lieutenant. ]. g.
Gilmore, of the United States gun
boat Yorktown, who was captured by
the insurgents last April near Baler,
on the coast of Luzon, and rescued a
few days ago by Colonel Luther r.
Hare of the Thirty-third volunteer in
fantry, sat to-day in the apartments
of his sister, Mrs. Major Price, Mt the
Hotel Oriente in Manila and told re-
markable story of his eight months
captivity, ending with his dramatic
deliverance from death that seemed in
evitable.
The steamer Venus came into the
harbor last evening from the Vigan
province of South Ilocos with Lieu
tenant Gilmore and nineteen other
American prisoners, including seven of
his sailors from the Yorktown. Lieu
tenant 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 ex-
posure, he is weak and nervous, show
ing the results of long hardships. He
speaks warmly of Aguinaldo and very
bitterly against General TinO, declar-
ms tbdl W lhC III tht >
ton he was treated splendidly, but
after he fell into Tino's hands he suf-
fered everything.
Colonel Hare and Lieutenant Colo
mel Howse, the latter of the Thirty
fourth volunteer infantry, rescued
Gillmore's party on December 18th,
near the headwaters of the Abalut
river, after they had been abandoned
by the Filipinos and We're expecting
death from the savage tribes around
them. When the rescuing force
reached them they We're nearly
starved. but We're building RATS in
the hope of getting down the river to
the coast.
Lieutenant Gilmore made the fol-
lowing statement:
THE FilipinoS abandoned ,us on the
night of December 10th. We had reach
ed the Abalut river near its source that
morning and the Filipinos e.afted us
over. We then went down the stream
along a rough trail, guarded by a COM
pany of F'ilipinos. That night we were
separated from this guard and another
company, armed with Mausers, was
put in charge of us. l suspected some
thing. and questioned the lieutenant
in command. He said: 4 have orders
from General Tino to shoot you all,
but my conscience forbids. l shall
leave you here
Il begged him for two rifles to pro-
tect us from savages, adding that l
would give him letters to the Ameri-
cans who would pay him well and keep
him from all harm. He refused this,
however, saying he would not dare to
comply. Soon afterward he left with
his company.
I'VE had seen some Savages in war
paint around us and we prepared to
fight them with cobblestones the only
weapons that We're available to u.s.
The next morning we followed the trail
of the Filipino soldiers, feeling that it
was better to stick to them than be
murdered by savages, but we could not
catch up with them. Then ordered
the men to build RATS in the hope of
floating down the river 1t was a for
lorn hope. but l knew the river must
empty into the sea somewhere. | was
so weak myself that l did not expect
to get out. but l thought some of the
men could.
ION the morning of December 18th
while we were working on the RATS
the Americans came toward up yelling.
One of my men shouted: They are on
u.s. He was lashing a raft of bam-
boos. !, however, knew it was not the
yell of savages, but the yell of Ameri-
cans. The rescuing troops thought we
had Filipino guards and called to us
in English to lie down. so that they
could shoot the FilipinOs. That was
the finest body of officers and men |
ever saw"
Lieutenant Gilmore could not speak
enthusiastically enough about the 40
picked men who had rescued him and
his party
The command spent the day in max
ing RATS. Colonel Hare thought Lieu
tenant Gilmore too weak to live
through the trip, but there was no al
tentative. They shot many rapids. the
men losing all their effects. and Lieu
tenant Gilmore some valuable papers.
Only fourteen out of thirty-seven RATS
survided the first experience and
eighty men were practically unable to
walk when Vigan was reached.
Describing the flight from Benguet
when the Americans approached, Lieu.
tenant Gilmore said:
The Filipinos, completely terrified
left Benguet on Decersber 7th. They
hurried the prisoners from towr
trail, not knowing where the
Americans would attack After
being almost without food for three
days. they killed several horses and
we lived on horse flesh for several
days. / did not have n full meal from
December 18th until / reached Vigan.
Indeed. the rescuing party lived large
ly upon rice. without salt. There was
one day when | was reduced to chew
ing grass and bark"
Iiptou Chnilcnues yuIn