Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1900-01-18
THRILLING STORY IS TOLD.
Experiences of Lieut.. Gilmore and
Party During Eight Months
in Captivity.
WERE NEAR TO DEATH WHEN RESCUED.
The Lieutenant Praises ARuinaldO
and Dcnounces TinO-Latter Or.
ders Prisoners to Be Shot, But
Guard Turns Them Loose-Dexcrip-
ton of the Rescue.

ders Prisoners to Be Shot, But
Guard Turns The m Loose-Dexcrip-
ton of the Rescue.
Manila, Jan. s.-Lieut. j. c. Gilmore,
of the United States gunboat York
town, who was captured by the in
surgents last April near Baler, on the
east coast of Luzon, and rescued a
few days ago by Col. Luther r. Hare,
of the Thirty third volunteer infantry,
sat Sunday in the apartment of his
sister, Mrs. Maj. Price, at the Hot-l
Oriente, in Manila, and told a re-
marllable story of his eight months in
captivity, ending with his dramatic
deliverance from a death that seemed
inevitable.
Treated Well by Aguinaldo.
Although tanned and ruddy from ex-
posure, he is weak and nervous, show
ing the results of long hardships. He
speaks warmly of Aguinaldo and very
Nv against Gen. Tino, declaring
& in the formers jursdic-
1ion was treated splendidly, but
that after he fell into Tino's hands he
suffered everything.
| His Story.
Lieut.. Gilmore made the following
| statement to correspondents:
1.-The Filipinos abandoned US on the nigh:
| of December Is. We had reached the Aba
| Tut river, near its source. that morning ana
| the FilipnoS RATED us over. We then went
down the stream, along rough trail.
| guarded by company of Fiiipinos. That
| night We we're separated from this guard,
| and another company, armed with mausers.
was put in charge of US. l suspected
something. and questioned the Neuten-
ant in command He said: 1 have orders
from Gen. Tino to shoot you all. but my
conscience forbds. l shall leave you here.
begged him for two rifles to protect US
| from savages, adding that l would give
| him letters TO the Americans, who would
pay him we'll and keep him from ali harm
He refused this, however, saying that he
| would not dare comply. Soon afterWard
| he left With his company.
| We had seen some savases in war paint
| around US. and We prepared TO fight them
| With cobbles tones, the only weapons that
were available to US.
The next morning we followed the trail
| OF the Filipino soldiers, feeling that it was
better to stick to them than TO be muir
| dered by savages but We could rot catch
| up with them. Then l ordered the men TO
| build RATS in the hope of floating down the
| river 1t was forlorn hope, but l knew
| the river must empty into the sea some
where. l was so weak myself that did
not expect to get out, but thought some OF
| the men could.
The Rescue.
"On the morning of December is,
While We We're working on the RATS.
| the Americans came toward US Yell
ing. One of my men shouted: They
are on U.S.. He vas flashing a raft
of bamboos. 1, however, knew it was
not the Yell of savages, but the yell OF
Americans. The rescuing troops thought
we had Filipino guards, and called TO us
in English TO lie Gown, so that they could
shoot the F'ilipinos. That was the finest
body OF officers and men l ever saw"
Lieut.. Gilmore could not speak enthu-
siasticaily enough about the liU picked men
who had rescued him ard his party. The
command spent the day in making
RATS. Col. Hare thought Lieut.. Gilmore
too weak to live through the trip, but there
was no alternative. They shot many rap
ids, the men losing all their effects and
Lieut.. Gilmore some valuable papers.
Only IA out of 81 RATS survived the first
nights experiences and so men We're prac-
tically unable to walk when Nigan was
reached.
Describing the flight from Bensuet when
the Americans approached, Lieut.. Gilmore
said: The F!l.pinos completely terrified,
left Be. guet on December T. They hurried
the prisoners from town to town. often re-
tracing the trail, not knowing where the
Am orleans would attack. After being al
most without food for three days they
killed severa. horses, and we lived Oh horse
flesh for several days. ! did rot have
full meal from December until l reached
Nisan. indeed. the rescuing party lived
largely upon rice without salt. There was
one Cay when L was reduced to chewing
grass and bark.
brutality of Tino.
i'm, har of
Tino's men he issued an, order that any
person aiding an American by food or
money should be treated as criminal.
One citizen of Nigan, Senior Vera, was
probably killed for befrierding US We
would have starved but for the kiCdness
Of some of the presidents of The towns ard
some of the Filipino colonies, but others
treated US brutaly. Wherever there was
a prison we were kept there. When there
was 10 prison they would lodge US IN a
convent. We suffered greatly from want
of exercise as Well as lack of food"
The Filipino treatment of the Span
!ards" SAL! Lieut.. Gilmore. was brutal
in the extreme The insurgents had old
grudges to wipe out against them. Many
talk about the reconcentrados ir Cuba. but
| have seen Span:ards dying at the rate Of
two or three per day Of starvation in the
hospitals at Nigan. l have seen Tagalo Of
.lcers strike Spania-ds in the face with
whips and revo.vers.
The Rescued Men.
Among the prisoners arriving with
Lieut.. Gilmore were f. J. Hubert, Ed
ward Burke and j. j. Farley, sailors
from the Urdaneta; Won Galen. of the
Baltimore; A. H. Gordon and George
Sackett, of the Third infantry: Leland
Smith and Frank Stone. of the signal
corps; Harry Hubert, of the hospital
corps; William Bruce and Edward
Honeyman. of the Nevada cavalry;
Martin Brennan and James Curran. of
the Sixteenth infantry; Albert Bishop.
of the Third artillery. and John 0 'Brien
and David Brown. civilians.
Has No Assets.
Chicago. Jan. 11.-Leroy Paine. one
of the oldest livery stable proprietors
in Chicago. has filed a petition in