The National tribune., 1901-01-10

"
His expected battle picture was lost. Two
kodak pictures of Tint charge across the
rice field were takenlby private in Co. Il,
of the Oregon regiment, while on the fir
ing line. He had his little camera slung
by strap over hisrshoulder, and stopped
once in the middlelof the field to take a
snap shot at his own platoon, showing the
men in all the positions of loading and fir
ing at will, and, again, he snapped it as
the men made Jtheifnal charge into the
timber and swept over the abandoned
trenches, for the Filipinos fed before there
was danger of the dreaded Americanos
getting within good striking distance.
THE CHARGE OF TIE oREGoNs.
field and rushed into the timber with every
man, who had not been stopped by bull
let, yelling at the top of his lungs. In
some places they encountered bamboo en-
tanglements and had to stop and cut their
way through them. The bamboo of the
Philippines has a long, stiff thorn, and
when it is thrown down in a heap or
woven between stakes, it makes a serious
obstructiOn-worse than barbed wire. Had
the Filipinos remained in their works long
enough to fire upon our men while they
were cutting their way through these OBJ
structions, the casualties would have been
very heavy, but when the yelling line ap-
peared at the edge of the timber the insur-
gents began to disappear in the woods to
the rear of their trenches. The most exc
cution our men did was upon little punches
of them, seen running across small open
spaces in their haste TO get behind another
intrenchment farther back. Here and
there few men were over the trench be-
fore all the defenders had left it. and quick
work was made in disposing of these, in
Guiding such of the wounded as showed
signs of ugliness.
There has been more or less said about
our soldiers killing the wounded in the
Philippines. This is true, but not in the
sense generally understood. 1t is war
custom of the Malay to sham death when
wounded and to shoot his enemy in the
back, or slash him with a knife as he
passes by. We lost Il number of men in
that way during the battles around Ma
Mia, and the whole army knew of it and
were on the watch for such things. So.
when our men charged over the trench at
Malabon, as was also done at other times,
they shot every man who had a weapon in
his hands, whether wounded or not.
know of two instances in that fight where
wounded Filipinos attempted to kill SOL
diers after they had passed. One was a
man in my own company, who heard one
of his comrades yell at him. Look ont,
Frank" and turned to see n Filipino lying
| on the ground, raising his Mauser to shoot
him. He jumped to one side, and as he
did so the native fired, the ball taking off a
toe of his left foot. At the same time his
comrade fired and shot the native dead.
The other was a man of another COM
pany. He had gone a few yards beyond
the trench and was still advancing and
loading his gun. He had completed the
loading, and was about TO bring the piece
to his shoulder to fire, when he heard Il
warning cry. he, looked back. and just to
his rear he sawi;l Filipino, he had sup
posed was dead, Eaising his rifle. With Il
| savage backward thrust of the gun he
planted the heel against the Filipino's
skull, and then swung it to the front again
and fred the whole. movement being rs
precise as though on drill.
Little time was given the F'ilipinos to
remain behind their second line of works,
for the line continued to advance and
charged again with the same terrifying
yell, and the same result OF panic and
flight The enemy then made for the
bridges crossing. the Taliahan, only IL few
remaining for u short time behind the
other trenches commanding the approaches
TO the structures These also crossed the
river and then the bridges were sufficient
ly destroyed to- prevent artillery or Il
column of troops from crossing, while the
defenders took positions behind the heavy
intrcnchments on the opposite side of the
river and poured heavy fire into the ad
vancing line.
The line kept on till it reached the brow
of n little ridge near the river. and in scme
places clear up to the bank of the stream.
where it remained all the afternoon ex-
changing a heavy fire with the Filipinos
behind their trenches across the river, or
ders having come not to attempt to force a
crossing, which the men were eager to do.
On the left of the line the third battalion
was under heavy cross fire from the
Malabon trenches, which the artillery at
Cal0ocan tried in vain to silence by she'll
ing at 4, 200 yards range. The men lay I'M
der this fire all the afternoon. protecting
themselves by throwing up little mounds
of dirt. getting into little hollows in the
ground, or using, as some of them were
able to do, the bodies of dead Filipinos as
n breastwork. When night came the fir