Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-03-13
AMERICAN TROOPS
Clash With AOR0S
FIFTEEN soLDIERs ARE KILLED
IN FIERca BATTLE ON IS
LAND OF JoLO.
NATIVE FORCE OF 600
MEN is DIFFERENTIATED
Force Under Gen. Wood Lift Thar
Cannon 500 Feet, Scale Volcano
and Destroy Strong Fort in Crater
Fight Lasts Two Days.


Fifteen en!is,ed men were killed, four
naval con,insent operating with the
military sustained 80 casualties. The
Moros .ost 600 men killed
Gen. Wood Reports Battle.
Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood, command
er of the division of the Philippines.
reports as follows from Jolo, capital
OF the Sulu islands:
"A severe action between troops, a
naval detachment and constabulary
and hostile Moros has taken place at
Mount Dajo, near Jolo. The engage
ment opened during the afternoon of
March and ended in the morning OF
March 8. The army casualties were
sioner officers and 80 enlisted men
wounded. The naval casualties num-
bered 50. Ensign H. d. Cooke, Jr.,
commanding the United States steam
er Pampanga, was severely wounded,
and Coxswain Gilmore was severely
wounded in the elbow.
Many Killed and Wounded.
THE constabulary casualties were
Capt John r. White, wounded in the
thigh, severely; three enlisted mel
killed and 13 wounded. Capt. Tyree
Rivers sustained slight flesh wound
in the thigh; Lieut.. Gordon was slight
ly wounded in the right hand; Lieut..
Wylie I. Conway, OF the Sixth in
fantry, was slightly wounded in the
left eye. All the wounded are doing
we'll. Col. Joseph w. Duncan, of the
Sixth infantry, directed the operations.
All the defenders of the Moro strong
hold were killed. Six hundred bodies
suited in tho extinction of band of
outlaws, who, recognizing no chief, had
been raiding friendly Moros, and ow-
ing to their defiance of the American
authorities had stirred up danger
Gus condition OF affairs"
Artillery Lifted 800 Feet.
1.-The artillery was lifted by block
and tackle a distance OF 800 feet into
position on the lip of the crater. Brig.
Gen. Bliss and myself were present
throughout the action. The attacking
columns were commanded by Maj.
Omar Bundy, Capt. K. p Lawton, Capt.
Rivers. Capt. l.. M. Koehler, Capt. Nc
Glachlin and Lieut. Johnson. The Off
GERS and men engaged highly commend
the Moro constabulary, who did excel
lent work, their casualties numbering
~ out OF the force of "A engaged. 1t
is impossible to conceive stronger
natural position than that attacked"
Another Account.
Another account of the fight near
Jolo states that 600 outlaw Moros
were killed in the crater of the pre-
cipitous volcano five miles from Jolo.
The American lost Is killed and Sc
men wounded, including Capt. Rivers.
OF the Fourth cavalry; Lieut.. Agnews,
of the Sixth Infantry; Lieut. Gormon
johnson, of the signal corps; Ensign
Cooke, commanding the Pampanga.
and Capt. White, Of the constabulary.
The attack was under the immediate
command of Col. Duncan, of the Sixth
infantry. The fighting lasted two days
among the lava ridges which has been
strongly fortified by the Moros. Ar
tillery had to be hoisted by means OF
ropes up the last 500 feet nj an angle
OF so degrees Gen. Wood highly com
mends the work of the troops.
Believes Slain Moros Were Robbers.
Washington, March l0.--Ap official
account of the fight on Jolo island was
received by the war department in a
cablesram from Gen. Andrews, tenn
porary commander at Manila.
Lieut. Gen. Bates, chief of staff, who
had extensive service in the southern
islands of the Philippine archipelago,
and is as well acquainted with the
Jolo country, probably, as any officer
here, has no fear that this last trou-
BILE will extend throughout the group.
In the first place he says there is no
homogeneity among these island
troops; strong jealousies exist and it
has been impossible for them to cohere
in opposition to the whites.
1t is believed, from the official dis
patch, that the Moros attacked were
really a set of robbers and that the ac-
ton was undoubtedly precipitated by
Gen. Woods determination to exter-
inmate them at any cost If they could
mot be otherwise subdued.
Two Actions Probable.
The officers of the general staff fully
acquainted with the habits of the
Moros say they have not the slightest
fear that the Moros will try to retail
fate for the crushing defeat admins
tered to them. These officers judge
from the dispatch from Manila that
there were really two actions, the firs
probably a surprise and serving mere
]y to locate the position and establist
the strength of the Moro defenders
seems 10 have been occupied in hoist
ing the artillery and ammunition sup
plies to positions from which to oper
ate upon the Moro fortress in thu
crater, and the second action, Tough
under the conditions described, on til,
slope Of the moi atain at an angle o!
30 degrees undoubtedly broke The
Moro strength in that locality for an
indefinite time.
Some OF the army officers here who
have served In the Jolo group say thai
Mount Dajo, the scene Of the action
is located about Ia miles from Jolo
the capital Of the Island. Moro Cote
Is on the very top of the mountain
Once before the garrison of natives
was induced to yacate the place by the
exercise of diplomacy, but heretofore