Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-09-21
SOLDIERS TRAGIC ROMANCE.

Lieut. W. J. Wiley, who served in
the Philippines in the Twentieth Kan
sas Volunteer Infantry, tells an inter
esting story of the tragic romance of
an American soldier and a native Ca
marine girl. He says: when we
landed in the Camarines we found the
people to be very friendly, but the in
surgent Tagalo soldiers had treated
them so cruelty that they were afraid
to act openly as our friends. The
Tagalos had erected system of i'm
mense breastworks about six feet thick
and with deep trench in front, very
similar to those which we were obliged
to capture in the advance north from
Manila. We rested in front of these
trenches for two or three days while
a detachment of the troops was sent
around to the north side of the city
Another detachment was provided with
rockets, and the understanding was
that when they reached a certain po-
sition rocket was to be sent 4, and
the rebels would be attacked from
both sides. AS L have said. the ma
tives had no love for the Tagalo SOL
diers in front of the trenches and kept
the rebels hemmed in. We allowed the
natives to come and sell fruit to the
a pretty Camarine and she agreed to
marry him if he secured the rescue of
her father, who, it appears, had been
imprisoned by the Tagalos for refus-
ing to join the ranks. She told the
corporal how they made the old man
work and failed to feed him, whipping
him with cat-o'-nine-tails when he
failed to do enough labor. She so
worked upon the feeling of the cor
poral that he swore he would kill ev-
cry Talago he saw, without making
any effort to capture. Finally, one
night the senorita came to him and
told him she had learned a way
through the swamp west of the city.
by which a small force could get in
and surprise the outfit. The corporal
came to me with the story and urged
that a small detachment be sent in. I
was at first inclined to ridicule the af-
fair. but finally agreed to talk with the
girl. After going over the matter with
her for an hour 1 decided the thing
could be done, and going to the colo
mel, asked for a detachment to make
the attempt The boys had been ly
ing idle under the hot sun so long that
they were becoming restless. and
the colonel finally said: If fifty men
will volunteer to go with you, you can
make the attempt The corporal was
delighted, and in less than three min
utes we had over one-haf of the regi-
ment planning to go. 1 selected my
men, and accompanied by the girl.
we started out. Through the jungle
and swamp she led US until finally we
saw a bright glow of what we after
ward learned to be the cigaret of
Tagalo sentinel. The girl stopped and
pointed to the light and said, 'Soldado.'
thereby giving the alarm. We crept
forward and were within ten feet o.
the sentry when the corporal stumbled
and that stumble cost him his life ana
the life of his girl We sprang for
ward and as the corporal Drained the
sentry one of the Tagalo guards forced
his long bayonet through the body of
the corporal and he fell to the ground
a corpse The girl gave a wild cry.
and, springing to the side of the cor
poral she quickly learned he was dead
Selling the big cots revolver which
he wore in his belt. she stood acros
his body and laid out four Tagalos be-
fore she was killed herself Mean
while the remainder of the detachment
had got into action and We drove the
rebels out of the city and into the
arms of the other party. which was
coming up on the other side The cor
poral and the girl were the only ones
killed on our side and we buried them
together.'-Utica Globe.