The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-25
MACABEBES ARE FIGHTERS.
CAPT. BATsON SAYS IHEr CAV SWIM
RIDE IND SHOOT STRAIGHT.

RIDE IND SHOOT STR4IGhI.
-. r.r. ~, m. Good Work His Native
scout, Have Done In QueiiinE Insurrec-
ton In Northern L~uzon-Their Loyaity'o
IN. Americans and Obedience Of ORDERS
Cant Matthew A. Batson. the originator OF
,be now celebrated Batson's Mncabebe SCOUTS
| who played SO important IA part IN the rece"s
rampaign in northern Luzon. Il at nome on s'eN
leave, nursing a wounded foot. 'for the iass
few wears Uncle sam has kept nm busy ON
one mission or another. but when at honie"
is at lOi Nj, Prospect avenue, Newarh' ~"
and there he chattcd most intercstlns'y wv
other day about his scouts and about the ih'"'
sion into the northern Businesses OF the 'sianu'
lie believes that the instruction Is pract''on,
over and that all the lighting In the future WIZ
be with scattered bands. mostly iddroh' go
h,Hsoues. Wherever the fighters are insur'
rectos they viii be. for the most part. small com'
panies held together by petty Generals VINO are
seeking 10 further their special ends.
cant, Batson was wounded at Aringay after
n spirited encounter with a force OF about four
hundred. led by Aguinaldo. who was then being
driven hard by Lawton's column. A bullet
struck the Captain on the outside OF the leit
foot, passed through the ball OF the loot anu
pierced his horse. The bullet was Hired at
close range and had an explosive eject. crush'
ing the small bones OF the foot. He was taken
to the coast and put on the gunboat samar'
which carried him to Nigan. While the guns
boat lay of Nigan the place was captured by
Lieut.. Col. james Parker, with a part OF mo
Forty-nith Infantry. Col. Parker ana capt.
Raison are both Newarkers. and. what
/, more. they are mcmbers Of the snns
Regular Army regiment. tho Fourth
Cavalry. The Colonel saw TO 1t that the
CAPTAIN WAS well taken care Of. and when the
battlcship Oregon arrived on the scene the
wounded man was put aboard Of her and
shortly afterward taken to Manila. There he
received the best OF surgical treatment. Fora
time il was thought he would lose his foot, but
hc fou ght hard 10 have II saved ana At last IL
was determined to take the risk. Alter u long
Ierlod ~ most excrucia'ing suffering capt
Balson began to IN prove and about six weeks
ago was invaded home. in a fair way to re.
cover and TO have the use OF his foot In the III.
turc. He will no doubt always walk with a
limp. but il is thought that It will not incapacl-
tate him for active service. He Is TO nave two
months at home. and last Wednesday he lett
Newark to 90 To Washington to submit various
reports and documents intrusted to his care.
But the most important phase Of his visit TO
Washington. from his own standpoint. Ia a
proposition which he will submit to the Score.
tary Of War. TO the effect that a regiment OF
Macabebe cavalry be formed to fight the
insurgents and ladroncs on their " ground
and alter their own fashion. Capt. Batson IL
most enthusiastic IN his commentator OF the
Macabebcs as soldiers and he will urge the
formation Of "A cavalry regiment as q result of
his six-month experience at the head of the
first command of Filipino soldiers ever enroll.
ed under the stars and Stripes.
THE Macahebes are born swimmers" no
says. Whenever We came TO a river there was
never any hesitation about crossing it. The
command would march ny and into It with
scarcely so much as q preliminary halt, aud l
found. to my astonishment; that every man
pony during the greater part OF my service IN
the field with my Macabebes. and | soon
learned that the ponies swan as well as the
occurred to me that a picked Organization
Of Macabebes on Filipino ponies would be
i]c. @Hss N poT iht Island iUdit Of Lnzo on"''ff know NO
more about the other Philippine. islands
than you Do. ana not so mTel,i In In suTe:
mcnt. such "a will urge. could follow the ~.
surr"cto- and ladrones whelever they might
disOrgani2atIon. You see. the Macabebes live
of the country: They therefore require. no
wagon train and all they need Is ammunition.
there is really no need to carry a special supply
beyond that which each man carries n his can.
teen. Once 10 a while the men suffer a little
for water. but these periods are never OF long
duration. The enemy will. as he is harder
and through these he must be pursued, There
are no troops that We can muster IN the Unlted
States 50 wei adapted 70 this peculiar warfare
as the Macabehes They know the country
and they hate the TaRalogs. and they are
SPLENDID fighters. The ponies, beside being
good swtmmcr-. are strong little brutes and
every Macahebe can ride
II wa, early last july that Can't. Batson
recommended to the War Department that =
force OF Macabebes he enrolled. hut the DEPART
ment did not give its consent until September.
Al first Capt Tatson was somer hat. uncertain
g. to 0r tine lis3t nIiS in Ga3,li 10 ss Si , tss M dnIS ;dT
sort Of patrol, He had noticed that they were
very skilful with the banca or native boat.
long and less than three feet beam. The
Macabcbes can send the banca over tbs water
time uncic Sans soldiers were having no end
of trouble because they could not pursue the
i9snrGsn,s When Ehheenn they rss q dIsaprea redoi int - the he
Macahebcs. and for a time he had as many a.
sixty lancas securing the waterways around
Manila and hunting out the ~Filipinos.
But alter a time it was necessary to go into
the interior. and then the captain waited with
music OF the Mau-er. Their conduct from the
il the usual manner for military body gong
'ITsoin,,"" 9,:.Eirn shSrs on, 'a6eaa. 4, he flss
close w. drop on their knees and go TO work.
Capt, Batson saw that they did not hold their
rifles so that the barrels pointed up to the sky
or down to the ground but at the horizontal:
and he also noticed that those rife barrels
never waverei, Soon, too. he found that the
percentage Of hits was remarkable. The Ma
uabch"S never stop to take cover when the
hostile bullets begin to drop about them.
They fall on their knees and To- work At once,
in the road or open. wherever they may he.
Il bccam M so impressed with their accuracy
and steadineSs of fire. said Cant. Batson,
that ] iete rnined to make a test during the
next engagement found that in this fight
my men fred $50 shots. They killed fifteen
and wounded seventeen. a total Of thirfy.two
hits, which j. an average of one hit TO every
thirty shots. This. ct course. is awav above
the average and ought 10. satisfy any one that
the Maca behes are frst-class fighting men. To
be sure. most OF our encounters we're Of the
hanG-tO-hand order. which had something to
do with the percentage OF hits. but. on. the
a tendency TO make the aim Of many soldiers
unsteady. don't believe we had more than
two or three brushes in which. some Of our
men did, not knock some at the insurrectos
over with their guns"
The Macaba hes were in ten engagements up
TO and including the fight at Aringsy. whers
Capt. Batson got his wound. and in fully ne
many more small affairs. After he was hit he
finished stationing his men for the final attack
a. tn" day and then had his wound dressed by
the surgeon Of his. command. That surgeon,
by The, way. was Lieut.. Malcolm ;. Simpson.
formerly Of Plainfeid. \. j., who was for q
vision Of the New Jersey Naval Reserves. and
served with the reserves on the auxiliary
cruiser Badger in the blockade Of the coast N
tubn during the Spanish war Wbilp he Law in