The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-04

on Christmas day. Captain Francis schoef-
fel was scouting with a detachment of the
Ninth Infantry. Fortunately the savages
were too impatient. and made their attack
within hearing OF the garrison. Two bolo-
men had been told off TO cut down each
man of SchOefel's party OF twenty-four,
and eight OF our men were killed In the first
rush.
When Lieutenant Lang came up with
his column he found the survivors Win
SchOefel, who is a nan Of herculean
strength and stature, at their head, IN
trenched behind "A heap Of the slain and
selling their lives dearly. When the re-
endorsements drove off the disappointed
savages IL was found that among the sur
Vlvors there was not one unscatned, ahd
many afterward died Of their wounds.
The question Of granting quarter in war
fare of this nature is a very difficult one.
As a general thing. the savages of Samar
fight to a finish. j know of only one In
stance where quarter was asked and re-
fused. and I'm the investigation which fol-
lowed the action of our men was held 10 be
fully justified by the military eXigencies OF
the situation.
The facts I am about to relate did not
come under my personal observation. I be
ing at Balan6iga at the time, but / verified
them I'm the most careful manner on my re-
turn 10 the scene Of the occurrence, a few
days later.
''The commanding officer at CaIbayoc adj
Vanced a post OF twenty-five men. under
Lieutenant Wallace. to the first fork of the
Gandara river. Here they were ordered 10
- AAf EAAAAElAtlr MlAUs dS iuA bEtl
ascertained without a doubt. were carrying
provisions and ammunition to Lucban. then
encamped In the mountain Businesses about
the mead waters Of the Gandara.
CONCEALED FOR DAYS.
Our men lay concealed for ten days on a
point of land covered with thick brush.
without, however, getting wind Of the
smugglers or receiving any orders from the
coast. Under these circumstance Lieuten-
ant Wallace. thinking that his orders had
miscarried or the bearer been cut down in
the jungle. decided to repair to headquar-
ters in person and left the camp in a canoe
on the night Of oct. il last, accompanied by
one man.
AT daylight the camp was aroused by a
shot from the most distant sentry, a shot
which he fired as he fell with half a dozen
knife blades in his body. and in the next
minute a band of savages numbering two
hundred were upon them. The majority of
our men were still in their tents and but
half dressed.
Fortunately, or else there had been no
survivors, the savages first fell with ire
mendous fury on the little dog tent of the
absent oTtlcer, cutting the canvas into rib
bOnS. However, ten of our men were killed
and several others mOrtaIly wounded in the
hand-to-hand encounter before the survi-
vors brought their rifles into effective use
and cleared the camp. The savages re-
treated in two directions, some back into
the jungle from whence they came, but
about one hundred of them. having run
through the camp, took refuge i'm the brush
that covered the little point of land sur
rounded by water.
Urged on by "A Dios-diOs priest, who is
said 10 have been the leader in the slaugh-
ter at Balangiga, the repulsed savages re-
newed the attack. Our force was reduced
to ten effective rifles. with two hundred
bOlOmen on both TANKS.
FINALLY the savages huddled together
and separated from their comrades on the
point, begged for quarter, but the main
body did not desist from their attack. 1t
was impossible for a force so reduced to
take prisoners, and in the end il was found
that eighty-fOur savages had been slain. In
a pause between the attacks, in need of a
leader and of a doctor. our men withdrew
TO their boats and returned TO CalbayOc.
Two days later General Smith investi-
gated the matter on the spot. and, while re-
GREETING the necessity of the slaughter,
recognized that ii was inevitable and COM
mended the men in most generous terms for
their conduct.
I'm some portions of the press / find the
position taken that our officers, before de-
scending TO fight the savages with their
own savage weapons, should have made an
appeal TO Lukban, warning him of the un-
speakable horrors that would follow upon
the shameless scene of slaughter inaugu-
rated by his orders. AS a matter of fact
this was done. and the answer came in the
general orders and proclamations, twelve
of which l have seen, that the dictator
issued from his mountain camp.
They are addressed to the civilian inhab-
itants as well as TO the enrolled bolomen,
and in nearly every one of these orders
which 1 I have seen the desirability-in fact,
the imperative necessity of showing no
quarters impressed upon all readers.
"In one of these documents the dictator.
now happily in our power, commands: Kill
all the white men you can lay your hands
upon, by fair means or by foul. but spare
the white women that they may serve us
as slaves
Under these circumstances there was
nothing for the officers and men serving in
Samar TO do but to accept the gage of
battle and to fight il out 10 a finish. If
they thought the game demOraliZing, blood
thirsty. and. on the whole. not worthy the
very expensive candle. as many of them
did, it was not for them TO say so, but for
the authorities in Manila"