The Topeka state journal., 1900-01-31
Wonderful Achievements of a
Brave Photographer.
p. F. Rocket Faced Mausers'
Muzzles to Get Pictures.
A LANTERN LECTURE.
Shows q Topeka Audience Re.
suits OF His Adventures.
Views OF Kansas Troops on the
Battle Field.

men engaged in battle a San Francisco
photographer braved the dangers of
the firing line in the Philippines and
followed the fortunes of a soldiers life,
armed with a camera in addition to
a rife. The photographer was P. F.
Rocket, and he showed his pictures
with stereopticon to Topeka audi
ence in the high school assembly hall
last evening.
Mr.. Rocket spent a large part of his
time with the Twentieth Kansas boys,
and the greater portion of his pictures
of engagements show the Kansas boys,
and for this reason the pictures are
intensely interesting to a. Kansas audi
enee.
While Mr.. Rocket was free to go and
come as he pleased, he probably en-
countered more actual danger than the
great majority Of the troops who were
engaged in the fighting, and he was
Whenever fighting ceased on one part
of the line he made his way to another
part in order to get as many views as
possible where the fighting was the hot
test. In order to get these views it
was often necessary to expose himself
to the bullets of the Filipinos, and on
one occasion he was caught between
the lines when the firing was brisk on
both sides.
one of Mr.. Rockett's earliest views
of the firing line shows company NJ of
the Twentieth Kansas, lying behind a
rice dyke, pouring a constant fire into
the insurgent line only a short distance
away The soldiers were sheltered
with the exception of their heads and
shoulders, but the man with the camera
was standing a little behind one end
of the line on a slight elevation, and
the Mausers were singing around him
viciously. In the picture the marks of
the bullets are to be seen on objects
lying close to the camera, and Mr..
Rocket says one of them tore splinter
from the tripod of his camera.
Just q few seconds before the button
was pressed an insurgent bullet struck
Private Charles Pratt, of Salina, in the
head, and the picture shows his body
stretched at full length behind the
after Pratt was killed that his COM
rades had not discovered that he was
struck. This was the first tragedy in
the Twentieth Kansas in the Philip
pines.
Another view shows the fire from both
the insurgent and Twentieth Kansas
lines. A gun from the fnsurgent line
has just fired a shell and the smoke is
shown belching from the cannon's
mouth The shell has already nearly
reached the Twentieth Kansas line
when it explOdeS and the picture was
taken just as the explosion takes place
Mr.. Rocket claims that this is the only
photograph ever taken on a battle field
showing such a thing.
On another occasion Mr.. Rocket at
tempted to make his way from one line
to another through the brush He lost
his bearings and suddenly came out on
a rice field a short distance in front of
an inSurgent line. The insurgents began
firing on him and he dropped behind
rice dyke. This did not afford very good
protection, and the photographer look
ed around for a larger shelter.
'sSome distance back of me-" said Mr..
Rocket in telling of the experience, Il
saw a large rock and 1 determined to
try to reach it. I craw1ed on my hands
and knees the entire distance, and on
the way l heard the American line COM
ing towards the insurgents, and was
between them. realized that was in
danger from both directions but when
reached the rock I was glad to find
that it was split and the crevice was
large enough to shelter me.
LAS the American line advanced
looked up to see how close the boys
were getting, thinking 1 would jump
up as soon as they reached me and ad-
vance with them. I had on a big straw
hat and the boys took me for Filipino
in ambush, and imme mediately ping, ping,
ping went the bullets. They struck the
rock right over my head, and I was
pretty much frightened, because
I thought some of the boys might shoot
me before they came close enough to
see who I was. 1 thought I might bet
ter lose an arm than my life, so L raised
my camera at arms length and waved
it. The boys recognized it and the
command was given to cease firing.
When 1 heard that jumped up, and
as the boys came running towards me
1 took snap at them with my camera"
This view Mr.. Rocket exhibited on the
screen last evening" ana II SHOWS the NJ NJ
place from which the picture was taken,
ana the expression on the men races
indicates the strain under which they
were laboring.
tured was before the breaking out of the
insurrection. The FilipinOs had armed
guards stationed all around Manila, and
the city. but Mr.. Rocket managed to
bribe one Of the guardsfto let him through
| the line. He wandered out into the coun-
tured by a band Of ,Filipinos. He was
| taken before General Luna and repre-
] sented himself to be an Englishman and
his release was ordered: While he was
! tors and took a picture of them. They
| ranged in age from y years 10 GO. Any
for enlistment in the Filipino army
After his release was ordered he was
| drugged. He was taken sick and then
| became unconscious. When he recovered
! Of the Pasig river about seven miles
| from Manila. He was so weak that he
| hands and knees to the roadside and a
/ Filipino with a water buffalo team helped
/ him into the city. but he suffered from
the effects of his experience for some time
| The second time Mr. Rocket was cap
tured was while trying to go from one
line to another while on the firing line.
! After he started the line was shifted. and
/ instead of reaching the end of the Am
| erican line. as he expected. he ran on to
| a band of Filipinos. who took him pris-
1 oner. He again represented himself to
| be Englishman and q physician. and
| he had little trouble in palming himself
/ off as such, as he had viols of quinine,
bismuth and few other drugs, which
1 he had slipped into his camera, and also
| a pocket surgical case. One of his, cap
I tors had been wounded in the hand and
\ Mr.. Rocket dressed and bandaged the
| wound. When. the, Insurgents moved,
/ Rocket was biindfOlded and taken along.
! but after time he stumbled and hurt
| his arm. and the bandage was taken from
his eyes. About this time the American
line charged the insurgents, and the lat
| ter got down behind barricade. but COM
| pelled MI Rocket to remain eEnosed to