Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1900-11-14
WILL COAN is WOUNDED
IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.
He Writes an Interesting Letter to
His Mother Describing the
Battle of Carman.

lands, will be of interest to our readers
CITY OF CEBU, CEBU ISLAND, p. /.
Friday, Sept. 7, 1900.
DEAR MOTHER: Will once more try
and drop few lines to let you all know
how am getting along. Well, here
am in the hospital from bolo wound
received i'm battle. 1t runs diagonal
across the hand from the little finger
to the thumb on the left hand. ]
won't lose any of my fingers but the
last three will be stiff, think. i am
sure the little one will be; now, don't
worry, 1 am well and feeling fine
The doctor fixed my wound and am
all right every other way.
l will give you full detail of the
battle. We got orders the 28th oil
August to proceed to the town of Car
man, about fifty miles up in the noun
tains, and drive the insurgents out Of
1t if there We're any there. There were
twenty-eight men, including First
Lieutenant Theodore Lavack. We
passed through Gundehigh Battanan
and found white flags flying which
meant friends. At last we came to the
town of Carman but finding no insur-
gents there, we camped all night and
had no trouble. The next morning we
got fourteen native carriers to carry
our ratiops, haversacks and stuff. We
left the town of Carman about six
o'clock Aug 31st, and struck the foot
hills about half mile out of town.
We were fully prepared for battle for
we had good information that there
were 600 or 700 riflemen and bolomen
in that part of the country.
We had our guns loaded to the muz-
zle, one in the chamber and five in
the magazine. We proceeded about
one mile farther, going around the
base of the mountain, when all at once
a shot rang out which killed the Lieu
tenants horse from under him. In
one instant % riflemen were at port
arms, for we knew the battle was open
and we had to fight for our lives
against great odds.
The Lieutenant turnedami a shower
of bullets and gave us fright front into
line, double time," which threw the
right of the detachment into the long
gra and weeds.
/ was about in the center of the de-
tachment, looking out for Coan, for /
had no time to watch the rest of the
boys. When the Lieutenant gave us
fright front into line,n jumped from
the narrow path we were in right into
the weeds. had no more than hit
the weeds until line of bolo-men
raised in the grass in front of me. /
killed the two on the right and was
turning on the third, when he made a
slash at me with his bolo. To save my
head from being split open. L threw up
my left hand and got it there instead
of on the head, which saved my life.
A boy by the name of Charley Aus,
tin was on my left and / hollered
"Charley, kill this negro" and ht
whirled and shot him dead, just as hi
was about to finish me with his bolo
1 held on to my gun all the time.
backed out of the grass and the hos
pital man ran up to me, tied bandag,
around my wrist to stop the flow o
the blood, loaded my gun and wen
to shooting again.
Well, we stood face to face and jus
moved them down. After we ha(
killed all that We're close around W,
began picking them Off at long range
There was one killed and six wounded
ON our side.
A boy by the name of Alva Marshal
was the one killed and the wounded
were Andrew Mcdonald, Ernest Noel
John H. Brown, Nike Martinchick
Will Harris and myself. Mcdonald
Harris and myself were the wors
wounded of all. We killed 100 negroes
We never left one alive. If one wa.
wounded we would run our bayonet
through him. There was nothing bu
dead negroes all around us.
We went back to the town, burnt i
down, and got about $500 in Mexican
money out of the Presidency house
dividing it up among us. We shot ou
way out of town and they had to carry
Mcdonald 25 miles on four gun straps
Harris rode y horse hnt Mcdonald wa
not able to ride. The rest of us walket
through. carried my gun all th'
way, they wanted to carry 1t for m,
but / would not let them as was no
going to run the risk of getting killet
with nothing to protect myself with
1t saved my life once and did no
know but what it might again, so
carried 1t through in great pain. Tn
saddest part Of all was when We had t
leave little Marshall in that lonely spO