The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-21
PRISONER AT TARLAC
ST. PAUL BOY WRITES AN ACCOUNT
OF HIS EXPERIENCES WHILE
DETAINED
AT THE CAMP OF AGUINALDO
He Was Well Fed the Greater Part
of the Time and Sp1endidly
Treated by the Officers and Sol
diers of the Insurgent Army-He
Progress.

W. ]. Sheehy, the st. Paul boy who is
In the Philippines with the volunteer
infantry and who spent several weeks a
prisoner of the Filipinos, gives the fol-
lowing interesting account Of his ex-
periences in a letter to his father, P.
w. Sheehy, of $50 Selby avenue:
Angeles, P. l., Dec. 10, 1S99.-Sept. %
the train was wrecked and attacked by
the insurgents at a. m. I was wounded
in the abdomen, Remington ball en-
tering near the ninth rib, near the me-
dian line, following the cartilage and
making it's exit three inches to the left.
The bullet did not penetrate my intes-
tines or digestive organs. / was taken
prisoner from the hospital car by the
insurgents. There were two soldiers
killed, also some Chinese and Maccabees,
and / remained there about forty days.
While there lived, after the first week,
with Filipino major. He and his fam
lily were very kind to me. His name is
Maj. Arturo Dancel. I met a number
of generals and other officers also; have
seen President Don Emilio Aguinaldo and
wife while in Tarlac.
My wound was dressed and attended to
as well as I could expect by their doc
tors. We received very good food most
of the time. I left Tarlac about Nov. 8.
Went to San Carlos; remained there one
week, where We were in charge of the
overnor of Pangasinan province. From
here five of US, a signal corps man, two
sailors from the Oregon, Powers and
Green, a Twelfth infantry man and 1
were sent to Mangatarene. From there
up into the mountains we were taken
by Gen. Alejandrino Nov. %. Col. Bell
and his men eight companies) attacked
the insurgents in the mountains from
above, coming down on them in the face
of rapid fire cannon. He captured thir-
teen cannon and their arsenal, and we
American prisoners -four of us) assisted
by a Spanish lieutenant of artillery of
the insurgent forces made our escape to
Mangatarene, a distance of four miles
from the mountains, where we found our
troops-a company of the Thirty-third
infantry-and we were once again free
to breathe Philippine air protected by Old
Glory.
| am here at Angeles, fifty miles from
Manila, taking rest. l received a lot
of papers and your letters. The steward
had put all my mail away, intending to
return it, but some Spanish prisoners had
reported having seen me in Tarlac, so
they saved my mail, hoping 1 might sue
coed in escaping, which did. I am feel
ing pretty well after my experience, and
to
of few weeks. have now been in two
exciting engagements, the wrecking of the
train, Sept. %, and the fight in the noun
tains Nov. %. Owing to our being near
the cannon under a guard when the
American forces opened fire, at o'clock
in the morning, the bullets came too close
to US for comfort. Then the insurgents
turned their rapid-fire guns loose, and we
four prisoners were between the two fires,
but Providence ordained otherwise.
l will go to Manila in few days and
will see Cen Otis. The recommendation
to Mr.. Vaille, L received. 1t is all I re-
quire, l think. I may be granted leave
of absence next spring, If 1 wish 1T, to
visit the states for a few months. 1 will
be guided by Maj. Harris, Maj. Braden
and Maj Shields as to my future move
ments Maj. Harris is our major surgeon.
Maj. Shields Is on Gen. Wheeler'S staff,
and he is a friend of mine since last
July. He Is surgeon also. Maj. Braden
is of Col. Bells regiment. He Is Char
ley's uncle. 1 met and conversed with
Col Bell after my escape. He is a fine
man and great fighter. He will soon be
general. The Forty-fifth will soon be
here, 1 understand. Maj. D. w. Hand,
Capt. Monfort, and many Minnesota boys
are in this regiment whom I know. I
have bright prospects ahead. I can now
speak Spanish quite well, as I studied
the language while a prisoner.
While taking me from the car 1 was
struck on the head with gun, but a
Filipino major interfered and placed me
in charge of a guard. The insurgents
poured volley after volley into the train,
and 1 was shot while in the car. I was
on duty on the train on the hospital car.
We carried the mail, express and sick
on our car. Owing to our services being
required out on the line, 1 had to go out
on the train, and expected to be back in
Manila Oct. to remain. I will try to
write every week in the future. Sin
cerely. Will ]. Sheehy.