Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-05
WITH MOROS
American Troops Have Another
Desperate Engagement With
Natives OF Mindanao.
Hand to Hand Conflict for Pos.
session of Moro Fort-20O
MOros Killed.
Trenches Filled With Dead and
Wounded of Enemy--Amer.
cans Suffer Loss.

Baldwin, with the T~wenty-tifth Battery
and seven companies Of the Twenty
seventh Infantry, attacked and cap
tured the Moro fort at Bayan. Island
of Mindanao, after a desperate engage
ment in which one American officer and
seven enlisted men were killed and four
officers and thirty-seven men wounded.
The American loss was eight killed
and f%orty-one wounded. The Moros lost
more than 200 killed. and at the end of
the battle the survivors, e~ighty-four
in number, surrendered unconditional
ly.
OF the Americans Lieutenant Bovars
was killed and Captain Moore, Lieuten-
ant Jossman and Surgeon Major Porter
were wounded.
(The principal Moro leaders were
killed, including the sultan Of Bayan.
Raja Muda of Bayan. tile sultan of
Panda Patan and many OF the leading
dattos.
The capture of the fort and the sur
render Of the surviving defenders is a
severe blow to the Moro rebellion
against American sovereignty in the
most savage part of Mindanao, altho
the military authorities realize that the
cooperation Of the sultans and chiefs
is gerenal when the flag Of the phophet
is raised In a. jehad or holy war.
The battle was a hand-to-hand one
The fort was defended by fully 800 men,
and was surrounded by four trenches.
The attack began soon after day
break. The American forces, consists
guns, had slept all night in a pouring
rain, without blankets. and were
drenched to the skin long before the
fight began.
The mountain guns fired 100 rounds
at a range OF 1,400 yards. but the Moro
Notifications withstood the lombard
ment, and Colonel Baldwin ordered the
infantryinen to take the fort by storm.
The Americans were compelled to
work their way forward thru entangle-
ments of grasses and took the success
sive trenches after hand-to-hand en-
counters. The Moros fought furiously.
After exhausting their ammunition they
resorted to krisses, barongs and kam-
plans. Several wounded Moros who
were hidden in the grass attacked the
members OF the hospital corps. who
were seeking the wounded to succor
them.
Brigadier General Davis, In his re-
port to Major General Chaffee, char
acterizes the engagement as n of the
most gallant performances of American
arms in the Philippines. He says he
has never s%een;nor heard Of anything
exceeding the grit Of the American
troops, who fought their way over n
trench after another. When the n
gagement was ended the trenches were
filled with Moro dead.
When the Moros had lost their lead
crs the survivors raised the white flag
and eighty-four of them marched out
Of the fort and surrendered.
After the surrender eight Moros who
had concealed themselves inside the
fort made a break for liberty, but. all
were killed.
General Davis has sent the dead to
Malabang for burial. He intends to in
vite the sultan of Tarac to al interview
His fort is of the same strength as
Bayan, the one captured yesterday.
General Davis is urging the people to
return to the CIVILIZATIONS of rice, Of
which there are thousands of acres In
fine growing condition.
General Davis further reports his In
tention of retaining his prisoners until
the few adjacent Moro forts are oc-
cupied. Then. with the consent Of Gen.
Chaffee, he will retain ten of his prici-
pal captives as hostages and release
the others.
President Cables Congratulations.