Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1901-10-05
FoRTY-ElGHT AMERICAN
SOLDIERS SLAUGHTERED
Company c, Ninth Infantry, Sur
prised by Large Force Of
fiIipinos.
"a ESCAPE BUT ARE WOUNDED
Not q Man Got Away Unhurt-Insurgenss
Thought By Some 30 Have Taken
Heart since McKiaisy's
Death.

between American troops n insur'
gents occurred on the island or Samar
lear Balangina. A large body or IN
surgents attacked Company {, Nlntl
infantry, only twenty-four embers OF
the company escaping.
All the others are reported to have
been killed. The company was az
breakfast when attacked and made q
determined resistance, but the over
whelming numbers of the insurgents
compelled them to retreat.
or the survivors who have arrived
at Bassey, eleven are wounded.
According to the latest returns the
strength OF the company was seven
ty-two. The survivors include captain
Thomas w. Connolly, First LIEUTENANT
Edward A. Bumpus, and DR.. r.. .
Griswold, surgeon.
The insurgents captured all the stores
and mmunitio of the company, anu
all the rifles except tw~enty-siX'
stirs the War ONCE.
ashinston. Oct. News Of the
| disastrous fight between troops OF tne
Ninth infantry and the insurgents IN
the island of Samar. Saturday, Was
sent promptly by General Hughes.
| comma nding in hat island, to General
CbafYee at Manila and by him trans
m,tted TO the war department IL
reached the department during inc
carly hours yesterday, and AoJutan'
General Corbin, realizing Its import
ance, at once made II pupnc' allei
sending a copy to the white NOUS
General Chaffee's dispatch Is us i"r
lows: conora,
"Manila, Sept. 29.-Adjutant General
Washington: Hughes reports follo"ihs
from Bassey, southern Samar:
"T~wenty-four men Ninth regiment,
United States infantry, wounded nav
tust arrived from Balangana; remain
der company killed.
"Insurgents secured all mpa sup
nl,es and all rifles except twelve. COM
many was attacked during
morning September 28; company sew
enty-two strong. Officers Thomas w.
Connolly (captain), Eward A. Bumpus
FIRST lieutenant) and DR.. r. ). Girls
void (major surgeon) escaped;
The news created a senation In ON
cial circles. 1t was the first severe re-
verse that has occurred for a long time;
still the officials were not unprepared
for news of just this character from
samar. In which the revolution start
ed by Aguinaldo still continues
Where the Attack Occurred.
samar is q country about as large as
the state Of Ohio, and the American
forces OF occupation number In all pc
tween 1000 and $500 men. These are
distributed among various posts In the
island, a large number being located at
the more important centers. spain
never made any effort to occupy ga
mar, and 1t only has been for propapiy
three months past that the Unlted
States has undertaken that work. Inc
last report by General Hughes TO the
war department was that the NUMBER
OF insurgent rifles on the island aggre-
gated about 800. The Filipinos carried
on a guerrilla warfare, and operations
against them were difficult. The disas-
ter TO Company G, Ninth infantry, oc-
CURED, II is believed, while IL was en-
gagged in an expedition to clear the
country of rowing bands or these lnsur
gents. The fact hat the Americans
were attacked while at indi-
Gates the daring and pluck OF the IN
%surgents.
Immediately upon receipt of the dis.
patch Adjutant General Corbin cabied
General Chaffee to send a complete re-
port Of the fight and a list OF the cas-
ualties.
A we'll known official of the govern
ment, In speaking of this outbreak
against the American forces In Samar'
said he regarded 1t as a consequence
OF the assassination of President Nc
Kinley. In all probability the insur-
gents had received, he said, only
meager reports of the tragedy, and pos
sibly believed the shooting to be the
result Of some popular outbreak agains,
the president. The natives a seized
the opportunity in the pickering hope
Of retrieving some of their lost ground
&c. G in China.
romnopv ~ WAS q norton of the
Ninth regiment Of United States In
fantry, which went to China at the
time of the Boxer outbreak and while
there performed valiant services. Later
the troops went to Manila and were en-
gagged in provost duty in that city. Dur
Ing the past summer a battalion OF thC
Ninth was sent to Samar.
All the officers connected with Com
pany G, which was almost wiped GU
by the insurgents, are named In Cen
aral Chaffees' dispatch, there being M
second lieutenant now with the com
pany. Captain Thomas w. Connolly
who commanded the company, was ap'
pointed to the military academy from
New York in September, 1883, and FRS
Lieutenant Bumpus was appointed
to the army from Massachusetts, hav'
ing served as a private in Company A
First Massachusetts, heavy artillery.
Surgeon Griswold is a recent addition
to the army, having crossed the Pa
cifc ocean with Adjutant General Cor
bin on his recent trip to the Philippines
During his trip General Corbin Wis
tied the island Of Samar. 1t was jus
seven weeks ago last night, he re
marked, when discussing the news o
the disaster to Company c., that he wa
talking with General Hughes at Hoil,
about the condition Of affairs in tn
islands.
The point where Company c was sur
prised, he said, was a considerable dis
lance from General Hughes headquar
tiers. He was not surprised at the at
tack on the troops at Samar, as that wa
one of the islands considered particu
larly troublesome. The natives alonl
the coast are friendly, but many O
those in the interior are regarded q
dangerous guerrillas.