The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-02-28
CHAPTER VII.

Willis began his letter by descrip-
ton of some fighting on the main rail
road line running out of Manila.
Talk about oxctement-he went on Football
Is nothing to 1t. We crossed the stream near
Outowa and came pretty near being ambuscaded
the other side, for, after forcing our way
through one OF the meanest swamps you ever saw,
where the mosquitoes all on the side of the
Filipinos, we suddenly came out OF the brush
upon the village. At first we thought it was de-
serted, everything was so quiet, but the minute
out from got it slap in the
face from lot OF the natives, who behind
the huts and then another volley from another
lot the other side of broad ditch just outside
the village limits
Half dozen in company fell, among them
Perkins OF the university. You remember him..
Played in the Thanksgiving day game-the one
you didn't play in. Well. saw him dive head
first to the ground, arms up and gun going every
way, Just as you see in pictures OF battles And
had queer. sick sort OF feeling, as II my turn
would be next; but 1t wasn't and then thing
happened that made me sicker yet. The natives
began to tumble out OF the huts In twos and
threes, yelling and running toward the ditch.
Some OF them leaped across 1t and turned and
fired from the other side. But the sickening part
OF 1t was the women and children OF course we
had orders not to shoot them, and we did our
best to obey the order, but they were jumping In
and out among the men, and they were all mixed
up together on the other side OF the ditch, firing
like devils at u.s. and it would have been a mira.
Gle itnone OF the children and women had been
hurt. Well, we drove for the ditch, every man
Of us yelling and firing like mad, and when we
got up to ii we discovered a great thicket OF
thorns and abatis work fringing the other side.
And all the natives, men, women and children to-
gether, crowded in huddled up group
alongside the ditch hemmed in by the thicket on
ptI mi he ;tal,z h.
they had been expecting an attack from that side
OF the village instead OF the rear, where we came
up, and, being driven out OF the village, they
were caught in the trap of their own defenses.
We yelled to them to surrender, seeing they
were cooped up like rats in trap, but they blaz-
ed away with their guns and threw their long
knives at us, and we had to shoot back in reply.
One Of the knives grazed my cheek and cut it
open. ] think didn't realize what IL was until
began to taste the blood running down into my
mouth The next thing | knew ] was leaping
the ditch and the natives running up
and down, some OF them trying to jump the ditch
again back toward our lines But they were shot
down like rabbits and tumbed into the ditch,
until in several places saw afterward, our men
walked straight across on the bodies, they filed
the ditch up SO level full.
This is not very pleasant reading, but you re-
member you said that Sherman somebody
said that "war is hell" And never realized the
in the best cause that Christian nation ever
had. though l have my doubts OF it. But that
does not make the fighting any more refined or
pleasant.
The one thing started to tell you about this
action was the incident Of Barnes. You remem-
Der how kind hearted Barnes always was In col
lege. The fellows used to laugh at the way he
would take lame dogs and cats up to his room.
Well, after the shooting was all over and we were
taking breath to notice the results, there was
Barnes sitting on the ground, wounded In the
foot with a Mauser bullet. But he was not pay
ing any attention to that. There was the dead
body OF a native woman lying half over the edge
OF the ditch. and 1t was impossible to tell from
her position and her wound whether she had been
shot by our men or her own. Anyhow, she was
dead, and her baby, not more than Ia years old.
was Juggling at the mothers arm and calling to
her In her language.
/ tell you the sight made me choke. Barnes
was sitting there trying to get the baby to come
TO him. But every time he tried TO coax the child
away II struck at him and then turned and pulled
its mothers aria again. The men began to gather
around aud look on. Barnes was crying like
baby himself, and every last man who came up
and stood stock stll by that dead mother gave
gulp and then went to pieces.
Well. can't tell any more about that We got
the baby away after awhile, and Barnes, who was
in the hospital, got the surgeon TO take care OF
Il. I hate to tell you the rest. The most terrific
storm came. up that night, and The rain flooded