The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-04-12
FILIPINO BANDI'T-ROOS1t.
AMERICAN SOLDIERS CAPTURE A
RENDEZVOUS STORED WITH BOOTY.


to War Department dispatches, has
been cleaned ont on the island of
Negros by Captain Is. A. Byrne aud u
detachment of the Sixth Infantry.
The story is by all odds the most
weird that has been forwarded from
our newly acquired archipelago mp 20
date, aud, on the whole, the achieve
ment in q military sense is the most
remarkable.
1t seems that FOR several years past
ia Negros there have existed bands of
marauders and robbers who lived in
the mountains and dclicd authority.
Under Spanish rule they exacted
tribute from the hacicudas and pueb.
los without much interference, and
the prospect that their reveuuo would
be cut of under the new regime has
not served 20 make them warm friends
of the United Suites.
The greatest stronghold os these
bandits was at Bobong, where they
were about 450 strong, and, when
Captain Byrnc received orders to ut
tack them, they had been for some
time making life uncertain and prop
erty unsafe in the San Carlota dis.
trict. Indeed, the natives were in
such terror Of them that II was very
difficult TO get any information as to
their exact whereabouts.
At length, however, everything
necessary was Rscertained as to the
situation OF The robber town and its
approaches, and it was also learned
that the outlaws had au observation
tower and signal station on the noun.
tain top, from which they could watch
the movement of troops marching
against them.
"On this account says Captain
Byrne, in telling the story, II de-
cided on n night march OF fifteen
miles, though the odds seemed much
against success, part of the way being
through trackless Jungle. But it was
thnt OF nothing, il the bandits were TO
be surprised, aud in that manner only
could blow be delivered with fatal
effect.
"I had los men. My plan was to
20 in command of seventy men and
land them, il possible, in such posi-
tion on the mountain side as to com
| mand 9th Salupitan and Bobong, the
attack TO be on the place where the
enemy happened to he strongest at
| The time. Another column of thirty
| 1--WE men was to march to the vicinity
OF Sanguinit and hold the mountain
pass there, Ivy which the bandits
might escape should they elude my
column.
'At 7.30 o'clock the men were mott.
| fed to he in ranks at g. Exactly on
time the column started
1T had been raining most of the
afternoon; the night was as dark as
night could he, the rain came down
rs though the heavens had opened, as
it only can III this country.
after entering the jungle the night
was as black as ink; the hand held one
foot from the face could not be seen.
| The rule was that each man should
| hold on so the man III his front, and
each man was required TO keep in COM
munication with the man III his rear
by touch or voice, not speaking louder
than whisper. In this manner the
men with difficulty were kept together.
I'm this way, with an occasional
haltto close up the column, we marched
until o'clock n. M, when the guido
informed us that we were near the
base of the mountain, which it would
be impossible to climb until daylight.
owe therefore rested until clock,
the day beginning to dawn at that
hour.
"At : o'clock we began the ascent
OF the mountain.
''Steep at first, and then, getting
almost perpendicular, it ceased to be
marching and was only climbing in
stead.
Foot by foot the mon pulled them
selves up by grasping roots aud small
trees; anything to hold on to or upon
which the foot could rest, was taken
advantage of, and, moving in this way
for ten or fifteen yards, all would stop
and rest.
1--WE climbed to the top OF the hill,
md, looking cautiously over, we were
astonished to find one of the robbers
| block houses aud observation towers
not over fifteen or twenty yards away.
Ithad commanding view of the valley
and all the trails in that vicinity, but
not of the route We came,
Some of the bandits were cooking
breakfast in perfect ignorance of our
presence. We instantly rushed upon
them, and, before those in and around
the house had realized what had hap
pened, seven out OF the nine had been
shot down, the two who escaped, zig.
zaging 40 quickly in their flight that
they could not be hit before reaching
some high grass.
II soon heard continuous firing in
the direction Lieutenant Nesbitt had
taken, and started tbither. / had
proceeded but few hundred yards
when ] came in plain view of the vii
lage, about three hundred yards dis
tant.
ut was beautiful place for ban
dit stronghold, defended by block
houses and stockade against any enemy
except on the side OF the mountain,
where it was not expected, appar-
ontly, that foe would appear.
1.-The mountain did not descend
directly to tho village, but lis slope
continued to point some distance be-
low the level OF the town, where it was
met by the slope of the elevation upon
which the village WAS situntcd