The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-06-23
Can't. psrshIng Tells Of Best
Battle With Moros.
BLOODY HAND TO HAND light
$50 Natives Were killed and Not One
American Lost Ills Life, and but
Two Were Wounded.

washington, June 3.-Capt John j
Perching. who commanded the troops at
the fight at Lake Lanao, in the Philip
pines. thus describes the battle IN ie'-
ter 10 a friend in the War Department:
"Tha BacoIod incident was the best
nght of the Moro campaigns
First, we got behind them, mucn 10
their surprise, and could post our guns
above and drop protectiies down INTO
their fort.
"yye had some work and some fghting
to gain this position, but once there IL
was only a question OF sitting down oe-
liberately and waiting TO see what 'he
Moros would do. Many got away before
the place was invested thoroughly Inc
fight begun I'm flood OF rain tnat iasteu
till dark. and accommodating was oii,
cult. So we did not find all the avenues
of escape until the next day.
"I am glad now we didn't, as they mao
such confidence In this fort that they had
been constructing for year that 'ney
took many women and children inside, and
thesesascaped during the night.
scoRNED TO SURRENDER.
.srhe next day and night we held them
fast. however. and tried to get theni "
surrender, having two talks under nag
OF truce. No, they would fight IL out, so
there was then only to finish IT,
.srhe main article was deep ditcn
* feet wide and 40 feet deep to be crossed.
II was TO be bridged with fallen trees,
and over all a bamboo bridge was iaid'
I'm the face OF heavy Remington nre
the lines advanced against two races OF
the fort. putting out of business every
Moro that appeared. They could not use
their protholes; we had battered them 10
nieces. although we could not with our
light field artillery damage the earth
work.
.aThe bridge WAS completed by two COM
panies detailed for that purpose-the tiees
having been previously cut and hauled as
near as could safely be done--in thirty
rn,nutes when the assaulting infantry
swung across and formed line on the
berme and ciamered up nearly In line
TO the top OF the parapet.
HAND-To-HAND FIGHTING.
"Here they were met with kampilan
and kris and bloody hand-to-hand nght
occurred--one soldier against two Moros
here. another running his bayonet into
fanatic there. Moros plunging headlong
into the deep ditch in their impetuosity.
..Too much cannot be said OF the vaior,
the bravery. the courage and cool nerve
OF the American soldier. 80,
.None of our men was killed. Two VIII
lose an arm each. the rest will recover
with honorable scars but not manned.
Some officers counted so dead on one
noor and the Moros say there was more
than 100 killed inside. while the list OUT
side has been growing ever since the
battle. so that 150 all told is conser-
vative estimate.
READY TO BE FRIENDS
'The old Panandungan "a sort OF Moro
title meaning chief counsellor or some
thing OF that kind-in this case he had
more power than the Sultan) lost his life
and the rest OF them that are left nave
sent word that they want 10 be friends
..From Bacolod north TO Marahui more
United States flags were displayed In the
road and in rancheros than i supposed
existed in all this country"