Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-10-24
BENEVOLENT
ASSIMILATION.
A Republican NewspaperAc
count of a Philippine
Battle.

Just past this few hundred yards
we saw a solitary body lying in the
road. The body was almost stripped
of clothing, and there were no marks
of rank left on the blood-soaked coat.
But the face of the dead man had a
look had never noticed on the face
OF other dead men had found in in
surgent uniform on the field of battle,
in the wake Of an American firing
line. The features were clear cut and
forehead high and shapely. I decided
the man must have been an insurgenr.
officer. A soldier came running down
the tail.
That's old Pillar" he said. 1--WE
got the old rascal. guess he's sorry
he ever went up against the Thirty
third"
There amt no doubt about it's be-,
ing Pillar" ratified on the young SOL
! der. I'VE got his diary, and his let
tiers, and all his papers, and Sullivan
of our company's got his pants. AID
Snider's got his shoes, but he can't
wear them because they're too small,
| and sergeant in G company got one
of his silver spurs, and lieutenant
| got the other, and somebody swiped
the cuff buttons before got here or
l would have swiped them, and all
| got was stud button and his collar
with blood on it,
So this was the end of Gregorio del
Pillar. Only % years old. he managed
to make himself leader of men
when he was hardly more than boy,
and at last had laid down his life for
his convictions. Major Marsh had the
diary. In it he had written under the
date of December 2, the day he was
killed:
THE general has given me the pick
of all the men that can be spared and
ordered me to defend the pass. l re-
alize what terrible task is given me.
And yet feel that this is the most
glorious moment OF my life. What
do is done for my beloved country.
No sacrifice can be too great l
A private, sitting by the camp fire,
was exhibiting a handkerchief. Its
old Pillars. It's got Dolores Hosea
on the corner. l guess that was his
girl. Well. it's all off with Gregorio. I"
| Anyhow" said Private Sullivan, IT
got his pants. He won't need 'em
any more"
The man who had the generals
shoes strobe proudly past, refusing
with scorn Mexican dollar and a
pair of shoes taken from one of the
private insurgent soldiers. A private
sitting on rock was examining a
golden locket containing a curl Of a
woman's hair. Got the locket off his
neck" said the soldier.
AS the main column started on its
march for the summit of the mountain
a turn in the trail brought us again
in sight of the insurgent general far
down below us. There had been no
i time to bury him. Not even blanket
or poncho had been thrown over
him.
A crow sat on the dead mans feet.
Another perched on his head. The fog
settled down upon us. We could see
the body no longer.
We carved not a line, and we raised
not stone.
But we left him alone in his glory.
And when Private Sullivan went by
in his trousers, and Snider with his
shoes, and the other man who had the
cuff buttons, and the sergeant who had
the spur, and the lieutenant who had
the other spur, and the man that had
the handkerchief, and another man
that had his shoulder straps, it sud-
denly occurred to me that his glory
was about all we had left him.-Rich-
ard Henry Little in Chicago Tribune.