Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-03-22
EXPERIENCED
BY MARINES IN sAMAR

From the Manila Times of Jan. 30:
The following account of the expert
enccs Of the marines who made the
recent expedition i'm Samar under
Major Waller, received from a. Pri-
vate letter, exceeds in its horror and
pitifulness anything which has yet
been reported from that dark and
bloody island.
The battalion of the marine corps
stationed at Bascy. on the southern
part of the island OF Samar. opposite
racolban. Leyte. has suffered SER
ious disaster. losing a number of
men, rifles and ammunition.
4 few days after Christmas Major
Waller, in command of the marines.
left Basey for scouting expedition
from Laoang. taking Il few days ra-
tions. After beating up one of the
small rivers, il was decided To push
back to Basey overland. The party
pushed out into the mountains, with
several native guides who proved I'M
trus tworthy. 1t seems that the trail
was lost and the party, after a few
days, was out of rations, with little
or nothing available for the susie
mace of the troops in the wild and
barren country in which they found
themselves. To add To their distress
there was a terrible storm sweeping
over the island of Samar. \ number
of the men were too badly done up
TO make any attempt TO push on
without food and in the dilemma the
best place that could be found was
III
the major with a part of his com
mauI struck out again manfully de-
termincd To reach BaScy and secure
re-CnfurcementS and rations at any
cost. After the most severe hard
ships he arrived in Basey and led Il
relief expedition to the assistance of
the starving troops. who had in the
meantime. after considerable delay.
for the relief was delayed longer than
they expected. decided to- return over
the trail that they knew. Finally
part of them got To camp, but in
horrible condition. Nine men are
sick i'm hospital at TacOban- ten are
entirely unaccounted for. as they
were compelled to drop out of the
column i'm the wil,Is of the Jungle and
nothing is known Of their fate
whether they have died of starvation
or fallen into the hands Of the boil
eros. All who passed through the or
deal will be untitled for duty for
weeks to come.
An incident current in Catabalogan.
if true, illustrates in terribly
graphic manner the great straits to
which the soldiers were reduced. y
guide attacked one of
the lieutenants of the party with
bolO. The lieutenant managed to
drag his pistol from the holster and
the sight of il made his would-be as
sassin hesitate. The lieutenant tried
to fire the revolver at his blood-thirS-
" assailant. but was so exhausted
by lack of food and wcll-nigh worn
out that there was not strength
enough in his trigger-finger To dis
charge the revolver. Observing this
the savage guide wrenchcd the re-
voIver from his hand and in turn
tried to shoot the lieutenant with his
own fire arm. The devil was ignorant
of the mechanism of the revolver and
after finding that he could not dis
charge IT, disappeared in the forest
with Inc revolver.
Twenty-nine rifles are lost, with
more than that many cartrige belts
and at least three thousands rounds
of ammunition. Under the stress of
the trail. exhausted from lack of
food, The men cast aside first one
thing and then another, in the final
describing the cartridge
belts that were growing heavier and
heavier as the days advanced and the
pangs of hunger increased. They as
sert that their rifles were lost in
crossing the streams swollen into
swift rushing torrents by the rains.
IL is feared that the treacherous
guides noted where the rifles were
dropped and that many of them are
now in the hands of the enemy. The
insurrecto leader in that
section of the island is Capt. Eugenio
Daza. who was the leader of the Ba-
langiga massacre. The thirty rifles
or so that he was reported to have
NAV have been considerably augment
ed by this last fiasco.
What the object of the expedition
was that has resulted so disastrously
Is unknown. IL is supposed here that
the object was to try and come to
quarters with Capt. Eugerio Daza,
who was reported to be in the Vi
Unity OF the almost inaccessible Ma
abogo country.
1t is reported that the most terrible
conditions prevail in Samar; that
ietachments can hardly stir outside
1f the garrisoned towns without peril
IF being ambushed and wiped out |
entirely. The regiments in Samar
are so depleted by their short-time |