The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1906-03-15
BLOODY BATTLE
IN PHILIPPINES
EIGHTEEN AMERICANS AND
600 MOROS DEAD.
ON STEEP MOUNTAIN SIDE
The Fight Took Place on Mountain
side With Slant Of Sixty Degrees
and Artillery Had to be Hoisted
By Means Of Ropes.


Manila.-Maj. General Leonard
Wood, commander Of the Philippines,
reports as follows from Jolo, capitol
Of the Sulu islands:
"A severe action between troops
naval detachment and constabulary
and hostile Moros has taken place at
Mount Dajo, near Kalo. The engage
ment opened during the afternoon
of March 9th and ended in the MORN
ing Of March 9Th. The action involv-
ed the capture Of Mount Dajo, lava
cone 2,1OO feet high with q crater at
its summit and extremely deep. The
last 400 feet were at an angle of six
ty degrees and there were fifty per-
pendicular ridges covered with a
growth Of timber and strongly forti-
fed and defended by an invisible
force Of Moros.
"The army casualties were fifteen
enlisted men killed, four commission
ed officers wounded and thirty-two
men wounded. The naval casualties
numbered thirty-two. Ensign H. D..
Cooke, Jr., of the United States
steamer Pampanga, commanding the
Pampanga fort, was severely wound
ed, and Coxswain Gilmore was seve-
rely wounded in the elbow.
"The constabulary casualties were
Capt. John R. White, wounded in the
thigh, severely; three enlisted men
killed and thirteen wounded. Capt.
Tyree Rivers sustained slight flesh
wound in the thigh, Lieut.. Gordon
was slightly wounded in the right
hand; Lieut.. Wylie T. Conway, of the
sixth infantry, was slightly wounded
In the left eye. All the wounded are
doing well.
"Col. Joseph W. Duncan, Of the
sixth infantry, directed the opera
tons. ALI the defenders of the
stronghold were killed. Six hundred
bodies were found on the field.
"The action resulted in the extinc-
tion of a band of outlaws, recogniz-
ing no chief had been raiding friend
~ Moros and owing to their defiance
of the American authorities had
stirred up dangerous condition of
affairs.
"The artillery was llf.ed By Jock
and tackle q distance OF 800 reet into
position on the top OF the crater.
Brig. Gen. Bliss and myself were
present throughout the action.
"The attacking columns were COM
manded by Maj. Omar Bundy, Capt.
K. p. Lawton. Capt. Rivers, Capt. L..
M. Koehler, Capt. McGlachlin and
Lieut.. johnson.
The officers and men engaged
highly commend the constabulary
who did excellent work, their casual
ties numbering seventeen out Of the
force of forty-four engaged.
1T is impossible to conceive q
stronger natural position than that
tackled.'
Another account Of the fight near
Jolo states that six hundred outlaw
Moros were killed in the crater Of the
PERCEPTIONS volcano. The Americans
lost eighteen killed and ffty-two
wounded, including Capt. Rivers, of
the fourth cavalry; Lieut.. Agnew
sof the sixth infantry; Lieut.. Gordon
Johnston, of the signal corps; En-
Sign Cook, commanding the Pam
panga, and Capt. White, of the con-
stabulary. The attack was under the
Immediate command of Col. Duncan
of the sixth infantry. The fighting
lasted two days among the lava ridges
which had been strongly fortified by
the Moros.
Artillery had to be hoisted by
means of ropes up the last 100 feet
at an angle of sixty degrees.
Gen. Wood highly commends the
work Of his troops.
Assuming that the organizations
were up to their normal strength
there were about 400 soldiers in the
action besides the naval contingent
the strength of which is not known.
It is believed, however, that owing
to the sick list and other causes there
were probably not more than 400 Of
the military engaged. The strength
Of the constabulary is also unknown.
The dispatch does not enable the
authorities here to place exactly the
scene of the combat. The only era
ter known on the island of Jolo is
well toward the center Of the island
and some distance removed from the
capitol which is on the sea coast.
There is, however, near the city Of
Jolo, distance only five miles, noun
Fort Worth, Tex After period