The Dickinson press., 1900-01-13
ARE NOW AT MANILA
LIEUTENANT GILMORE AND PARTY
AT THE PHILIPPINE CAPITAL

Teils Remarkable story of His Expert.
ences During His f ght Months in
Captivity-General Tino Ordered Pris.
oncrs Shot but a Subordinate With .
Conscience Abandons Them.
MANILA, Jan. S.-Lieutenant j. G.
Gilmore Of the United States gunboat
Yorktown, who was captured by the
insurgents last April near Baler and re-
leased few days ago by Colonel
Luther R. Hare of the Thirty third vol
unteer infantry, sat in the apartments
of his sister, Mrs. Major Price, at the
Hotel Oriente, in Manila, and told re-.
markable story of his eight months in
captivity, ending with his dramatic de-
liverance from death that seemed to be
inevitable.
The steamer Venus came into the
harbor Saturday evening from Vigan,
province of South Ilocos, with Lieuten-
ant Gilmore and 10 other American
prisoners, including Z of his sailors
from the Yorktown. Although tanned
and ruddy from exposure he is weak
and nervous from hardships. He speaks
warmly of Aguinaldo and very bitterly
against General Tino, stating that
while in the formers jurisdiction he
was treated splendidly, but that after
he fell into Tino's hands he suffered
everything.
Lieutenant Gilmore's Statement.
Lieutenant Gilmore made the follow
ing statement:
''The Filipinos abandoned us on the
night of Dec. l6. We had reached the
Adult river, near its source, that morn
ing and the Filipinos RATED us over.
We then went down the stream, along
rough trail, guarded by company of
Filipinos. That night we were separ-
ated from this guard and another COM
pany, armed with Mausers, was put in
charge of us. I suspected something
and questioned the lieutenant in COM
mand. He said:
"'I have orders from General Tino
to shoot you all, by my conscience for
bids. shall leave you here
II begged him for two rifles to pro-
tect US from savages, adding that I
would give him letters to the Ameri-
cans who would pay him we'll and keep
him from all harm. He refused this,
however, saying that he would not dare
to comply. Soon after 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.
Hoped to Escape Down the River.
'The next morning we followed the
trail Of the Filipino soldiers, feeling
that it was better to stick to them than
to 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. It was
a forlorn hope, but I knew the river
must empty into the sea somewhere.
ION the morning of Dec. 10, while
we were working on the RATS, the
Americans came toward US yelling.
The rescuing troops thought we were
Filipino guides and called to us in Eng
lish to lie down so that they could
shoot the Filipinos. That was the
finest body of officers and men that
ever saw"
The command spent the day in max
ing rafts. They shot many rapids, the
men losing all their effects and Lieu
tenant Gilmore some of his papers.
Only IA out of the 81 RATS survived the
first nights experience and 80 men
were practically unable to walk when
Vigan was reached.
Lived on Grass and Bark.
Describing the fight from Benguet,
when the Americans appeared, Lieu.
tenant Gilmore said:
"The Filipinos, completely te1rorized,
left Bouquet on Dec. 7. They hurried
the prisoners from town to town, often
retracing the trail, not knowing where
the Americans would attack. After be,
ing almost without food for three days
they killed several horses and we lived
on horse flesh for several days. did
not have full meal from Dec. until
I reached Vigan. In fact the entire
party lived entirely upon rice without
salt. There was one day was reduced
to chewing grass and bark.
The Filipinos' treatment of the
Spaniards was brutal in tho cxtreme,
Ihe E4llplnos had old grievances against
them to wipe OUT
Lieutenant Gilmore declined to speak
regarding political conditions, except
to say he believed the insurrection
would last as long as there were any