The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1907-03-28
FUNSTON NOT AT
MARILAO; USED RAFT
Sergeant Robinson Clears Up
the River Swimming
Episode.

Yankton. s. ID. March 26.-"Whcn,
General Funston crossed the Marilao
river with the Twentieth Kansas. no
did 80 az hts leisure and In no danger.
This IN the uncquivocal statement OF
o. h Robinson. formerly a sergeant or
Company {. First South Dakota VOL
untcerg. In a lengthy discussion, In a
local paper. OF the conflicting claims Of
Colonel A. =. Frost. now candidate for
mayor OF Evanston, H., and General
Frederick Funston, rs TO which swan
the Marilao river In the face Of the
encmy's FIRE. General Funston's jay
hawkcrE were not even Mt the amous
battle I'm which the First South Dn-
kota volunteers lost thlrty-two men.
including Adjutant Jonas Lien and
LIeutcnants Adams and Morrison. says
the former sergeant.
"Rut give everyone his dues says
Sergeant Robinson, the river which
General Funston has been accredited
with swimming was the Rio Grande on
the north side OF Calumpit, although
whether he swan IL or not In known
only To himself. IL he swan IL. he did
so while the South Dakotas were Keep
ing the whole and undivided attention
OF the Filipinos by firing Sollcys at
them across the river.
Thinks Funston Swan" on Raft.
Certain IL is. that after some time
Colonel Funston brought his regiment
up on the other side OF the river. hav-
ing crossed II somewhere below. IL
has always been my private opinion
that Colonel Funston crossed b river
on n raft. h same Ms the rest OF his
men m / saw the raft ON which they
crossed"
Sergeant Robinson speaks OF the
Marilao battle enthusiastically. He
saws the regiment emerging through n
light fringe OF bamboo came onto an
open plain freed OF every vestige or
s~hrubbery for 500 yards % the Marilao
river beyond which the Ftlipinos were
strongly c~Etrenched.
1t was an ambush, planned and car
ried out by the flower OF Aguinaldo's
army numbering O 1000 men. They
had us ut their mercy. IL was here
Colonel Frost gained the admiration
and o. OF his men by ~springing TO
the front and asking his men to follow
him. and We did. We were soon tear
Ing across that field as II the devil
were behind us instead OF I'm front. We
were Ia "A storm OF bullets. 4
River but Slight Obstacle.
After seeing one OF my best friends
killed l felt ns though I could run and
jump that river and lick n company OF
Filipinos single handed hat was the
feeling Of every man In the regiment
and when we reached the river we went
through II 10 fast that We hardly got,
wet. Up the embankment We went on
the other side where the enemy met
w with olo and Mauser. Here for a
Few minutes was a battle royal, hand
TO and and va to relate many OF
the F1lipinos buried I'm the trench on
the north side OF the Marilao river have
broken skulls from contact with the
butts Of American rifles.
1T was soon all over. ! lay with the,
rest OF the boys firing n few parting
shots ut the fleeing insurgents and then
took a look ut the surroundings. The
first thing l noticed was Colonel Frost
hanging his pants In n tree To dry.
and so he stood In his shirt all TO re-
ceive the congratulations OF General
Hale, who just then q up on his
pony.
The First South Dakotas alone and
unaided put the Filipinos To rout at the
Marilao river"