The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-07-03

william iiHIleT VI fSV l<iliuSh StiSS'
artificer in the Eighteenth Infantry
U. s. A., now stationed at Fort Russell
wyoming, who Is home on a. three
months furlough was seen yesterday
by a Tribune man, and gave the latter
a detailed account of his adventures
during the last four years.
He has seen plenty OF service both
in Porto Rico, and the Philippines and
has passed through 1t all, safe and un-
scathed, without wound or injury. He
has put on considerable weight, Is the
picture of health and declares himself
more than satisfied with the army, In
which he is now serving his third term
OF enlistment.
His regiment was stationed on the
island OF Panay, in the Visayan
division. This part of the Eastern
possessions is now thoroughly sub
Indicated according to Rafter, and
there Is no danger of any subsequent
risings there. In discussing, the much
talked of abuses of prisoners and
neglect of the soldiers themselves, MIR.
Rafter declared that the greater part
of the stories are fabrications, circulat-
ed by members of discontented regi-
ments which have been returned to the
states.
ENLISTED IN ENGINEERS.
Artificer Rafter enlisted in the First
United States Volunteer engineers, for
the Spanish-American war, went to
Porto Rico with the regiment, in which
he was a sergeant. The engineers were
landed at Ponce, where they did patrol
duty in the city and also constructed
number of bridges. General Guy V.
Henry was in command at that time.
On Aug. 1, 1899, he set sail for the
Philippines with the Eighteenth in
fantry, and arrived at his destination,
Sept. is. At the Isle of Panay. engage
ments were many and brisk. The ba,t-
tie of Mindoreal, Oct. 12, 1899, was the
first real taste of war in the East ,1hnd
next came the battle of Pavia. op' Nov.
21. Trenches had been dug bySth in
surgents for a distance Of fGe miles,
in preparation for this engagement,
and as they were routed frSm one ditch
they retreated to the neyf and made a
stand there. -Four companies of the
Eighteenth, and battery constituted
the United States tfoops, while the
,ne p'!lP,n01 Ss,sle. had f'fte'Y hundred men i"
"Tlose trenches,% said Artificer Raf-
ter, 'were eight months in course of
construction, ana it took us just forty
five minutes tq get the enemy out Of
them. A small force OF Americans
could have ,!held entertainments like
those. for an indefinite time. AS it was,
VIC had five men killed, and twenty
nine wounded.
DEAD AND WOUNDED.
I'VE buried two hundred and sixty
eight men for the Filipinos. and they
carted away ninteen wagons full OF
wounded"
Other actions in which the Eigh-
tcenth figured prominently were at
Bannati, where a landing was effected
Nov. II, and Sara, where a short
skirmish took place, after a twenty-five
miles overland march to 1t.
"All this talk about i'll treatment
neglect and starvation is wholly exaS-
Eerated," Rafter remarked, when ques-
toned about the matter 1.-THE Twen-
tieth Massachusetts volunteers are
largely accountable for most of those
stories, and that regiment had one of
the worst names of any body in the
service. They couldn't set any motor
iety out in the islands, and so they are
trying hard to get it now they're home.
II notice one of them. Sergeant
O'Brien has stated that for over four
months he couldn't get a piece OF bread
Now I know that such a state of affairs
is impossible. Perhaps he didn't con-
slider biscuit as bread. but there's al
ways an abundant supply of the lat
ter along. There has never been a
day, hadn't enough to eat, as long as
I've been in the army.
Furthermore, the prisoners are
treated exceptionally well. have
known of plenty of cases, where natives
after being held for a month, begged
that we allow them to stay and remain
working around the kitchen. Talk
about cruelty" and Uncle Sans cham
pion shifted scornfully, "why I've seen
days, when we'd feed over fifty of those
Filipinos that came around begging for
food.
NO FURTHER UPRISINGS.
"There won't be any further upris-
ngs in our province" he continued.
IT'S located south of Luzon, and the
natives are now wholly subdued.
Wonderful progress has been made in
the island, the land is all we'll planted,
and the Filipinos are working hard and
behaving themselves generally. The
island of Cebu may prove troublesome
yet, and so may the Mindanao isles,
whose inhabitants are the fiercest and
most warlike of all the Filipinos, but
/ do not think any trouble Is to be an