The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1901-10-04
A COMPANY WIPED OUT
Infantrymen of Ninth Regiment Sur
prised While at Breakfast.
NEARLY FIFTY MfN ARE KILLED
Besides This Many Are Wounded-A
Force of seventy-Two Men Overcome
by Greater Acknowledgements Secure
Rich Prize.

| MANILA, Sept 30.-A disastrous
fight between UNITED States troups
the island of Samar, near Balingiga.
| A large body of insurgents attacked
Company c, Ninth infantry, only
| twenty-four members Of the company
escaping. All the others are report
| ed to have been killed.
| The company was at breakfast
when attacked and made a determin-
| ed resistance, but the overwhelming
numbers of the insurgents compelled
retreats.
OF the survivors, who have arrived
at Basey, eleven are wounded.
| According to the latest returns the
strength of the company was seventy
two. The survivors include Captain
Thomas W. Connolly, First Lieuten-
ant Edward A. Bumpus and Dr. R. S.
| Griswold, surgeon.
Captain Edwin V. Bookmiller of
the Ninth infantry reports that Gen
eral Hughes is assembling a force to
| attack the insurgents.
The insurgents captured all the
stores ard ammunition of the COM
pany and all the rifles except twenty
six
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30-News of
the disastrous fight between troops of
the Ninth infantry and the insurgents
in the island of Samar yesterday
was sent promptly by General
Hughes, commanding in that island,
to General Chaffee, at Manila, and by
him transmitted to the War depart
ment. 1t reached the department dur
ing the early hours today and Ad-
jutant General Corbin, realizing the
Importance, at once made it public,
after sending a copy to the White
House. General Chaffee's dispatch,
which agrees with the Associated
Press, is as follows:
MANILA, Sept. 20. = Adjutant
General, Washington: Hughes re-
ports following from Basey, Southern
Samar:
Twenty-four men Ninth regi-
ment, United States infantry, many
wounded, have just arrived from Bal
angiga; remainder company killed.
Insurgents secured all company sup
plies and all rifles except twelve.
Company was attacked during break
fast, morning September %; COM
pany, seventy-two strong. Officers,
Thomas w. Connolly, captain; Ed
wrd A Bumpus, first lieutenant; Dr.
R. S. Griswold, major, surgeon, es-
capped CHAFFEE"
The news created a sensation in
official circles. 1t was the first Sc
we're reverse that has occurred for
long time Still the officials were not
unprepared for news of just this char
acter from Samar, in which the rev.
olution started by Aguinaldo still
continues. Samar is a country about
as large as the state of Ohio and the
American forces of occupation num-
ber in all between 1000 and $500
men. These are distributed among
various posts in the island, a large
number being located at the more i'm
portant centers. Spain never made
any efforts to occupy Samar and it
only has been for probably three
months past that the United States
has undertaken that work. The lat |
est report made by General Hughes
to the War department was that the
number of insurgent rifles in the is
land aggregated about 300. The Fill
ipinos carried on guerrilla warfare
and operations against them were diff |
flcult. The disaster to Company G |
of the ninth infantry occurred, it is
believed, while it was engaged in an
expedition to clear the country of |
rowing bands of these insurgents.
he fact that the Americans were
attacked while at breakfast indicates
the daring and pluck of the insur- |
gents.