Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-12-18
LETTER FROM THE palLlpplaEs.
Governor Zee. n. Grant Writes Interestingly
from tho Distant Isles Massacre OF Co. c.

{ # = = sa. VI
Governor Zee. n. Grant Writes Interestingly
from tho Distant Isles Massacre OF Co. C.
On December 1st Mr.. John +. latham
received an interesting letter from Capt.
Jas. II. Grant, now Governor of the
Province of Leyte. Tho letter follows:
Taoloban, Province OF Leyte, r. l.,
October 8, 1901.-Dear latham: / have
been looking. for a lettor from you ever
since you reached homo, but suppose
you have been busy telling the people
about your experience in the Philippines.
After you left I was detailed as Judge
Advocate Of general court martial at
Headquarters Department. of Southern
Louzon, where remained until June
Both, when was mustered out. I took
a months rest, and at the expiration of
that time | was appointed Governor of
the Province of Leyte, which includes
the islands of Leyte, Biliran, Maripipi
and two others South of Leyte. The
capital is Tacloban, which you will re-
member had the reputation of being one
of the prettiest towns in the Philippines,
and 1 am sure it is. The Governor 8
mansion, which is just nearing compile
tion, la magnificent residence, with
beautiful driveways and luxuriant flower
gardens. 1T is one of the loveliest places
you ever saw, facing the bay and only
about thirty yards from it. 1 get a
Haiary of two thousand dollars per year
fpO1d apd bo,oa %o ;,,o q, IT o.ou. =.
my private secretary at salary of
seventy-f per month, and have Joe,
the little interpreter at Calbayog, as in
terpreter for me. have three other
clerks in my Office and an orderly, SO
have no clerical work to do at all.
Lieut.. Farwell, of the old 10th, is Col
lector of Customs here at a salary of
fourteen hundred year.
My appointment is only until the 1st
of March, as Governors are to be elected
all over the Philippines during the month
of February; but may be candidate,
and, if am elected, will hold Office for a
term of two years.
Enough about myself; will tell you
something about old Samar. As 1 am
just across the straits from there and
within two miles of the island across the
bay from here, I keep pretty well
posted.
The ports all over the island have been
closed for about six months and the
enemy are fighting along the same lines
they were when we left there. I mean
by that that they fire into the towns and
run, and you can only get fight when
you surround them, as we used to do
occasionally.
About month ago Capt. jackson, of
the First, got close enough to Lukban to
wound him, capture his wife and child
and his secretary, with all of his official
in which it was discov-
erod that our friends, Gibson and Brown,
IS ~Calbayog, and Easton, of Smith, Bell
& Co.,. at Catbalogan, had been very
closely connected with the insurrectos;
so much 30 that they have been ordered
to leave the island.
MASSACRE OF COMPANY G.
have now to tell you of one of the
most brutal things that has happened to
our troops since they have been out here.
About forty miles below here is little
town, on the Samar side, called Ballan-
gigi. Stationed in this place was Com
pany G, of the 9th infantry. They had
about ninety Filipino prisoners in the
guard house and when they turned them
out to 60 to breakfast about ten days
ago, they made a rush on the guard, and
at the same time on the Presidente.
Policemen rushed to the officers quar-
ters, who were still in bed, while bolo-
men from out of town, who had ap-
preached near enough to be in readiness,
with the people in the town, rushed to
the mons quarters, who were at break
fast, and seized their guns. Then began
a hand-to-hand fight for life. With the
garrison completely disarmed, the result
was that the officers were all killed and
the men killed or captured, with the
exception of about twenty, who escaped
fourteen IL one boat, with eleven of
them wounded. The officers were mutt
lated after they were killed-noses, ears
and other members being cut off, Then
the bodies were partially burned. Some
of the captured were carried out of town
and treated the came way, and when
found forty-eight hours later, the hogs
and crows were eating their bodies. Up
to last night forty-nine Americans had
been found and buried. This included
the captain, first lieutenant and the
major surgeon. believe it is estimated
that about one hundred natives were
killed.. After the fight the enemy took
everything in the post, including about
eighty seryiceable guns and thirty thou
sand rounds of ammunition. They also
stripped the men and officers, taking
every piece of clothing, hat and shoe in
the town. 1t was the work of savages,
and they did 1t just about as our North
American Indians would have. A few
weeks prior to this affair, four men were
attacked just across tho bay, within
sight of here, and boloed; three of them
killed and the other severely wounded.
A lieutenant was also killed In the same
way few weeks prior to the attack on
these four men.
You will see from this that the insur.
rectiOn is not quite over in Samar, yet.
We used to have six companies with
which we held down the entire island
Now, and prior to this affair at Ballan-
gigi, they have twenty-five companies of
infantry, with General Hughes's head
weeks prior to this occurrence, when he
returned to Cebu.
Well, you and I had some pretty close
calls while we were there, especially
when we were on the last hike, when we
had q running fight for about three
hours, driving them from hill to hill
until we oornered about three hundred
and came near being ambushed as we
approached their fortified barracks.
Nrxay .N.~w