The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-19

duty az this place. This is 70 miles frem
Bsssey. the lace where our company was
attacked and almost annihilated. We are
here waiting 10 be recruited I'D again
We have only Is of the company; the rest
C5I) having been slaughtered by the in
surrectionist hordes at Bassey-
The battle at Bassey on the part Of
the Americars. was Z terrible fight for
life. We were taken completely BY sur
prise. We were all at breakfast and had
left our guns ard belts in our quarters
When the ms lrrectioniSts swarmed in the
mess hole, brandishing their bolos and
daggers in tie sir, We were SO stupined
with surprise that three or four OF our
brave boys were killed before any OF as
realized the extreme gravity of the situ-
alton and the urgent necessity Of getting
back to our Quarters If we would escape
slaughter under the blades of the bolos
which flashed and cleaned ominously IN
the early morning light as they We're
brandished b. the yelling, bloodthirsty
foe The strokes of the bolomen dealt
death around them. but they struck no
terror to the hearts of the heroic little
American band. unarmed as they were
and outnumbered fully five to one In
the awful confusion that reigned anything
approaching the intelligent giving Of or
ders by the officers was utterly impossi-
ble, but every one knew what was re-
6uired of him, and that was TO reach the
quarters. where our arms and ammuni-
ton were stored. This was the object
Of every man. and each one realized
that his life depended on its attainment.
But alas, No more than one-half Of the
boys succeeded in making their escape
from the fearful death-trap. I made my
escape from 4 window that was near
the place where I was eating, and ran
to the quarters. When I got there, the
place was full of bolomen. About 30 Of
US fought our way. step by step, I'D the
stairs, but before we reached the landing
five more Of our comrades had fallen. I
grabbed the first rife that was within
my reach. and every other man did the
same. Then there was a turn in the tide
Of the battle. and the time OF our ven
geance was at hand. We poured voley
after volley into the mass of yelling
fiends. driving them pell nell from the
quarters. and continuing the fusnade un-
til every live Filipino had fed beyond
the range OF our LlIESs anu % boit4AitAl 10 ,
dead on the field.
1T was during about the middle OF the
fight that 7 received my wound. i went
down out OF the quarters with several
more Of the boys 10 assist the ones out
side that were wounded and dying, and
just as we vert out of the door bolo-
man. with a dagger in one hand and a
bolo in the other, started toward me. I
old not see him. but clear and distinct
above the din of the conflict comrades
voice rang cat: Look out, there. Glib
son" and I thrust nay bayonet into him.
He stabbed me in the hip. jumped back
ward, and before he could repeat the
thrust, I ran my bayonet into him. The
fellow still showed fight. bat one Of the
boys dispatched him with bullet from a
rife
There were only three in the company
who came off without scratch When it
was all over we picked up all the wound
ed men and put them in little skiffs and
went up the river about IS miles. where
Company C was stationed. Three died on
the way Capt. Bookmiller of Co. G. took
his company down to Bassey and buried
all our dead. which was As. We counted
the dead bodies Of 1eo of the enemy