The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-01-21
lola Soldiers Tell of the Shoot
ing at Calo0can.
Interesting Disclosures Regard
ing Metcalf's Investigation.
NO NAMES ARE GIVEN.
Prisoners Ordered to the Rear
But Never Taken.
Are Shot Down to Get Them Out
of the Road.

lola, Jan. 21.-GeneraI Wilder S. Met
calf. recently appointed pension agent
for the district of Kansas, is to undergo
an investigation because of a charge
made that he either shot, or was a wit
ness to the shooting of two Filipino
prisoners during the time the Twentieth
Kansas was in the Philippines. The
charge is made by Captain Edmond
BOltwOod of the Ottawa company, and
is backed by the affidavit of a private
named Moore, who claims to have seen
the shooting and also to know that
Metcalf also witnessed it
There are several lola boys, former
members Of the Twentieth Kansas, who
saw the shooting, and one lola boy did
a part of the shooting. Monday affida-
Wits were sent to Washington, telling as
much of the story as the boys cared to
tell The affidavits are very unsatfSfac-
tory in that they fail to disclose who
did the shooting. although three lola
boys saw it all from the start and know
all about it,
The shooting happened duSing the
fight for Caloocan. The Twentieth
Kansas was in front of Caloocan church
advancing almost parallel to the Duga-
pan and Malollos railroads. In front
OF them was trench, or sunken roads
in which the insurgents had stationed
themselves. The fighting for this trench
was about the hottest of the day The
line had advanced until the Twentieth
struck this trench, when they were
forced to halt The rest of the line ad-
vanced, having met with little resist
ance. The Kansas boys ran over the
space in front of the trench and were
meeting with a hot fire. Finally they
succeeded in mounting the trench and
at once began shooting at close range
at the insurgents hiding behind the
earthworl1s. All but two of the Filipinos
in the trench were killed. IL in all.
These two surrendered.
AS they We're taken out of the trench
Major Metcalf came up and ordered
Private Lew Cofield. When this was
done there were present Lewis Coheld,
Will Rumbly, Fuller Swearingen and
others whose names the home boys have
fogotten.
Private Cofield will take ttfe pris-
oners to the rear" ordered Major Met
calf. Fuller Swearingen was also de-
tailed to assist him.
Before they started for the rear, Colin
H. Ball, an officer in the regiment, came
up. He had been with his company in
another part of the line, but seems to
have become lost from them.
Ball said there wasn't any rear. As
fast as the line advanced the insurgents
would close in behind the regiment and
vancing line would have meant capture
for all the men This was stated to
Major Metcalf.
you know your ORDERS" Metca1f re-
piled and started for the front. In a
minute more one of the group whipped
out a gun and shot one prisoner.
e sad one Wifi IF sne fbat yo TO
are not separated from your buddy"
With which he deliberately plugged the
other one, blowing the whole top of his
head Off.
did Metcalf see the shooting 50 a Rec
ord reporter asked one of the witnesses
to the shooting this morning.
at think not" he replied.
could he have heard it?"
"Oh, yes I suppose he could. He
couldn't have gone very far from us
when the shooting happened. I do not
think, however, that he even looked
no reason to believe that we were
shooting. The whole line was firing,
and the din was so great that a couple
of shots would create no impression on
ones mind"
''Was Metcalf aSar enough to know
what had been done?"
81 don't remember. I have heard
some of the boys say that he was still
in sight"
81 don't know. Not being a mind
reader don't know what was going on
in their minds, but this do know, they
would have shot us as quick as wink
if they had a chance. We couldn't take
them to the rear because there wasn't
any rear and had we released them
there they would have fallen into the
hands of the insurgents who were ad-
vancing on our rear as fast as we went
forward
'sWho shot them?''
"That is another story"
One of the men is now a member of
the regular army and the other lives in
lola
J. @. TEFT'S STORY.
Emporia, Kan, Jan. Ill. O. Teft,
who was a lieutenant in the Twentieth
Kansas regiment under General Met
calf, is a, student here in the state nor
NAL school left says he was an eye
witness of the shooting of the Philip
pine prisoner, which is charged against
Metcalf, and at the time the shot was