Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-01-16

gents Are Killed Americans Lose
Fonr Lieut.. Gilmore Safe in Manila
Tells Thrilling Story of His Captivity.
Ihe campaign against the Filipino in
surgents who have been massing in the
province of Cavite during the last few
Weeks has been opened by Gen. Bates
IN decisive fashion, and a severe blow
has been inflicted on the rebelS-not with
our serious loss TO the American troops.
however. Preliminary Reconnaissance
have been made by Col Birkhimer with
battalion of the Twenty eighth volun-
teers and one gun at Novaeta. by Mai.
Iaggart with two battalions of the same
regiment, at Perez das Marinas. and by
a detachment of the Fourth infantry
south of linus
The American force under Col. Birk-
himer was strongly opposed by the rebels,
who were attacked in a strongly fortified
position. Sixty-ive of the insurgents
were killed in their trenches and forty
were wounded. The Americans lost three
killed, including lieutenant Twenty
were wounded. Thirty-tive rifles were
captured. Gen. Schwan's command
which is now at Binang, also had an en-
gagement with the Filipinos, in which
nine of the enemy were killed and TWEEN
ty-six captured. The American losses in
this fight were one killed and eleven
wounded. Gen. Schwan has been work
ing to the southeast. near Santa Rosa
along the Laguna de Bay
Gilmore Safe at Manila.
Lieut.. Gilmore of the cruiser York
town, who was captured by the insur-
gents near Baler many months ago, ar
rived at Manila Saturday night by boat
from Nigan. He was attired in Span
ish uniform when he landed. Naval Off
GERS are rejoiced at the escape of Lieut..
Gilmore. During most of the time he
was in the hands of the rebels he was
treated very harshly, and be is thin and
weak. He very modestly tells a thrill
ing story of his adventures. He says
that he and his companions were half
starved when they were rescued on Dec.
IS on the A0ulut river.
In the fght near Balcr, where Lieut..
Gilmore was captured, four of the land
ing party which he commanded were
killed. These were Dillon, Marcy, Me
Donald and Nygtrd Three of the men,
Winders, Vanville and Woodbury., were
wounded. The survivors of the party,
who came to Manila with Lieut.. Gill
more, are Walton, Voudoet, Ellsworth,
Edwards, Petersen, Anderson and Bras
olese.
A er the men were captured they were
all taken to San Isidro, where Lieut.
Gilmore, who had been wounded in the
knee, recovered from the effects of his
injury. They were hurried from one place
to another, frequently so weak as to be
hardly able to move, yet always fearful
of meeting the fate of one who fell by
the wayside and was promptly bayonet-
ed; subsisting on horsefiesh part of the
time and nearly starved all the time;
confined in converts and filthy prisons
between forced marches back and forth,
neeessitated by the uncertainty as TO
where the Americans would strike next;
unsuitably and insufficiently clothed and
cruelty treated; ordered shot and then
left unarmed to the mercy of sayages
by captain who had not the heart to
carry out the death sentence, and finally
rescued by a detachment of American
soldiers as they were building RATS in
the almost vain hope of floating down
Z IlNeI 10 tue OCtdA7 ali TINS lu1hNp ShpiA
as thrilling as any ever told by prisoners
of war. Yet there is one feature that
lightens the gloom of it all. Mercy and
kindness were occasionally encountered.
Aguinaldo personally treated the men as
well as circumstances would permit, end
the Filipinos in some of the villages
through which they passed actually Jeop-
ardized their lives to make the lot of the
Americans little easier. Indeed, Lieut..
Gilmore is Of the opinion that one Of
them Senior Vera Of Vigan-was eXecut-
ed for befriending them.
The opinion OF the party, as n result of
its observations, is that the Tagalos will
fight to the last, but thar most OF the
other Filipinos are tractable and quite
ready to submit to American authority.
The Tagalos are those responsible for
the many eruelties, and Gen Tino, In
whose charge the Americans were good
part of the time, was an able representa-
tive of the tribe He it was who order
ed the prisoners shot and who likewise
made it capital offense for any native
to assist them by offers of either food
or money. The fact that his orders were
sometimes disobeyed speaks volumes for
the humanity and lleroism Of some of the
natives.
Lieut.. Gilmore states That the natives
generally. when under the influence Of
Aguinaldo. were kindly and we'll behaved,
eycept for occasional hotheads, but there
were quite number of Cen Tinos class,
who were brutal. He adds that the gen
eral treatment of the Spanish prisoners
was brutal m the extreme.