Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-01-08
Lieut., Gilmore Tells Of His Rescue
by the Boys in Blue,
SUFFERING WAS TERRIBLE.
Aguinaldo Was Kind, but Tho Orr
dered the American Prisoners
Shot-Baitle Near linus.

Manila, Jan. Lieut.. J. c. Gilmore
Of the United States gunboat York
town, who was captured by the in
surgents last April near Baler on the
coast of Luzon, and rescued few
days ago by Col. Luther Il, Hare Of the
Thlrty-thrd volunteer infantry, sat to-
day In the apartment Of his sister, Mrs.
Maj. Price, at the hotel Orlenie In Ma
Mia, and told a remarkable story OF his
eight months In captivity, ending with
his dramatic dellverance from a death
that seemed inevitable.
The steamer Venus came into the
harbor last evening from Vigan, pro-
vince Of South Ilocos, with Lieut.. Gill
more and nineteen other American pris-
oners, including seven Of his sailors
from the Yorktown. Lieut.. Gilmore,
after reporting, came ashore and
hobbled along, with the aid Of a cane,
TO the hotel Oriente, where American
officers and ladies' were Waiting
through the halls to the strains OF
'Aguinaldos March"
Although tanned and rudy from ex-
posure, he is weak and nervous, show
ing the results Of long hardships. He
speaks warmly Of Agulnaldo and very
bitterly against Gen. 1ino, declaring
that while in the formers Jurisdiction
he was treated splendidly, but after he
fell into Tino's hands he suffered ey-
| erything.
Col Hare and Lieut.. Col. Howse, the
latter OF the Thirty-fourth volunteer
Infantry, rescued Gillmores party on
December 18th, near the headwaters Of
! the Abalut river, after they had been
! abandoned by the Fllipinos and were
expecting death from the savage tribes
around them. When the rescuing force
reached them they were nearly starved
but were building RATS In the hope OF
! getting down the river TO the coast.
Lieut., Gilmore made the following
statement TO a correspondent OF the
| Associated Press: The Filipinos aban-
doned US on the night Of December 10th
We had reached the Abalut river neal
! It's source that morning, and the Fill.
pinos RATED us over. We then went
down the stream along a rough trail
|
That night we were separated from
this guard, and another company
armed with Mausers, was put in charge
Of US. ! suspected something and
| questioned the lieutenant in command
he said: I have orders from Gen
! Tino to shoot you all, but my con.
science forbids. shall leave you here.
Il begged for two rifles to protect US
| IRON 4 4 a
him letters 10 the American who
would pay him well and keep him from
all harm. He refused this however
saying he would not dare to comply
Soon afterward he left with his com.
pany.
We had seen some savages in wal
paint around US, and We prepared C
fight them with cobblestones, the only
weapons that were available 10 us. The
next morning We followed the trail oil
the Filipino soldiers, feeling that Il
was better to stick TO them than bt
murdered by savages, but we could moi
catch up with them.
Then l ordered the men 10 builC
RATS in the hope Of floating down tht
river 1t was forlorn hope, but
knew the river must empty into tn,
sea somewhere. ! was so weak myself
that j did not expect TO get out, but
thought some Of the men could.
"On the morning OF December 18th
While we were working on the RATS
the Americans came toward us yelling
one of my men shouted: They are OF
us. he was flashing a raft Of bamboos
/, however. knew It was not the vel
OF savages, but the yell Of Americans
The rescuing troops thought we haC
| Filipino guards, and called TO us n
English to lie down, so that they coult
shoot the Filipinos. That was IN,
finest body Of officers and men | evel
! saw"
Lieut. Gilmore could not speak en-.
| Enthusiastically enough about the Ia
! picked men who had rescued him ane
/ his party. The command spent IN,
day in making RATS. Col Hare thought
Lieut. Gilmore to weak TO live
through the trip, but there was no al.
Tentative. They shot many rapids, tho
men losing all their effects and Lieut.
Gilmore some valuable papers. Only
fourteen out Of thrty-seven RATS sur.
Vived the first nights experience. and
eighty men were practically unable 10
walk when Vigan was reached.
Describing the flight from Benguet
When the Americans approached. Lieut..
Gilmore said. THE FlliDinos, COM
pletely terrified, left Benguet on De-
oember It'll They hurried the prison.
ers from town 10 town, often retracing
the trail not knowing where the Amer
leans would attack. After being al
most without food for three DAYS. they
Killed several horses and we lived on
morse hesh for several days. | did not
have full meal from December Eth
until ] reached Vigan. Indeed, the res
cuing party lived largely upon rice
without salt. There was one day when
] was reduced TO chewing grass and
bark.
While we We're in the hands OF Gen.
Tino's men, he Issued an order that
any person aiding an American by food
or money should be treated as a crimi-
nal. one citizen Of Vigan, Senior Vera,
was probably killed for befriending us.
We would have starved but for the
Kindness Of some Of the residents Of the
towns and some OF the Filipino colonels.
but others treated us brutally. Wher-
ever there was a prison We were kept
there. Where there was no prison.
they would lodge us In a convent. We
suffered greatly from want Of exercise
as well as lack OF food"
For weeks Lieut.. Gilmore was COW
cred with boils and in great pain. When
hte Filipinos found the Americans were
approaching, the treatment became bet
ter. There was a sign-painter In the
party, and he painted advertisements
on the rocks throughout the retreat
with other emblems like a skull and
the word, Vengeance, by means OF
which the Americans were able to fol-
low
THE Filipino treatment OF the Span
ish, said Lieut. Gilmore. was brutal
In the extreme, The insurgents had old
grudges 20 wipe out against them.
Many talk about the reconcentrad0s in
Cuba, but have seen Spanards dying
at the rate OF two or three per day OF
starvation In the hospitals at Vigan.
! have seen Tagalo officers strike Span
iards in the face with whips and re.
yolvers"
Lieut. Gilmore declined to speak re-
garding political conditions, except TO
say that he thought the instruction
would last as long as there were any
Tagalos left.
The members Of the party reported 60
Gen. Otis this morning. They were
4 A.