The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-11-15
MASSACRE AT SAMAR
DESPERATE RESISTANCE OF ENTRAPPfD
NINTH INfANTRYMeN.
Cut on From Their Guns the Men
Fight With Tableknives, Clubs and
Stones-A Few who Secure Arms Do
Terrible Execution on the Sayages.
Retreat Of the Small Band of Sur
vivors The Dead Mutfiated

NlClOIld, D. -, NOV
tenant F. P. Allison, United states
navy, who arrived here yesterday on
board the steamer Empress Of China
on the way home from Manila, gives
some interesting details Of the recent
massacre Of the members of the Ninth
infantry at Samar.
Lieutenant Allison says the natives
had grown to like the colored troops
who had been stationed there, and when
the Ninth arrived it was thought by
the American troops that the same
friendly feeling would be shown to
them, and the guard was not as strict
ly kept as it otherwise would have
been. The night before the massacre
the village president came to Captain
Connell and before the padre declared
that it would take 100 more bambres
(native laborers) to DO certain pioneer
work. He did not have the men and
begged the indulgence of the army cap
tain.
Honest and true in the legitimate dis
charge of his duty, Captain Connell
said: do the best you can. Get any
native who will work, but clear away
the underbrush.'
Just after daybreak the natives with
bolos to cut underbrush began coming
into camp. Then the massacre began.
The last underbrush man killed the SEN
try; the church bell rang, the soldiers
IF OF haIn no
held their arms. The insurgents divid-
ed. Half went upstairs and shot down
and the other half went in the mess
room and murdered the unarmed SOL
diers by force of numbers.
Not one of the survivors turned his
back upon the scene of carnage until
all was lost. their officers fallen, their
comrades slaughtered and a terrible
vengeance executed upon the enemy.
Then they saved themselves and their
wounded mates.
Captain Connell apparently I was
awakened in his quarters by the attack
ers pouring in. He was alone. so he
jumped from the window down in
among his guards, but they had all
been slaughtered. He was struck down
by many bolos amost as soon as he
struck the ground. Not satisfied with
body and severed the head, upon which
they piled paper and sticks of wood,
setting them on fire to render the face
unrecognizable. The body, however,
was identified by Lieutenant Drouil-
1ard's detachment which came down
from Basey.
The bodies of Lieutenant Bumpus and
the doctor were found upon a bridge
leading UP to the quarters, over a lit
tie stream. The lieutenant had a bolo
cut horizontally across the forehead, al
most severing the top of the head, and
a deep cash down each side of the face,
so that when his body was picked up
the face was practically severed from
the rest Of the head. The doctors body
was not so badly mutilated.
Separated from their weapons, most
of the rank and file fought like heroes
with tableknives, stones, clubs and such
rude weapons as chance threw in their
way. 1t was a bitter fate that befell
those who closed with the Americans
before they had received their death
wounds. Some of the native dead were
buried by their own crew before they
fled, but Colonel de Russy ordered 16O
more to be thrown into a trench.
rifle in the hands of the first SER
geant Of the company rendered a ter
rible account. The sergeant who is now
in the Tocablan hospital killed the
faithless presidente who led the attack.
With six men he fought his way to the
headquarters building to see if they
could rescue or pick up a stricken COM
rade. Despite the mad rushes of the
savages that surrounded them, they
were able to secure the post colors
Then they cut their way back to the
beach, where another little knot of
comrades were defending the Barotos
and the wounded companions.
Lieutenant Allison says there are 1000
troops in Samar. He says there have
been a number of filibustering expedi-
tions fitted out in Singapore and Hong
Kong, mostly by Germans which. in
some cases have succeeded in landing
their contraband arms and ammunition,
but many captures have been made by
the gunboats.