The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-03-28
FUNSTON NOT Al
MAR|LAo; USED RAFT
Sergeant Robinson Clears Up
the River Swimming
Episode.

Yankton, S. D., March 26.-"When
General Funston crossed the Marilao
river with the Twentieth Kansas, he
did so at his leisure and in no danger"
This is the unequivocal statement OF
O.. r. Robinson, formerly a sergeant OF
Company c, First South Dakota VOL
unteers, in a lengthy discussion, in a
local paper, of the conflicting claims OF
Colonel A. S. Frost, now candidate for
mayor of Evanston, Ill, and General
Frederick Funston, as to which swan
the Marilao river in the face OF the
enemy's fire. General Funston's jay
hawkers were not even at the famous
battle in which the First South Da-
kota volunteers lost thirty-tWo men.
including Adjutant Jonas Lien and
Lieutenants Adams and Morrison, says
the former sergeant.
But 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 it or not is known
only to himself If he swan it, he did
so while the South DakotaS were keep
ing the whole and undivided attention
Of the Filipinos by firing volleys at
them across the river.
Thinks Funston "Swam" on Raft.
Certain it is, that after some time
Colonel Funston brought his regiment
up on the other side of the river, hav-
ing crossed it somewhere below. 1t
has always been my private opinion
that Colonel Funston crossed the river
on a raft, the same as the rest Of his
men and l saw h raft on which they
crossed"
Sergeant Robinson speaks of the
Marilao battle enthusiastically. He
says h regiment emerging through a
light fringe of ba1nbo came onto an
open plain freed of every vestige of
~shrubbery for 500 yards to the Marilao
river beyond which the Filipinos were
strongly e~ntrenched.
1T was an ambush, planned and car
ried out by the flower of Ag%uinaldo's
army numbering o 1000 men. They
had us at their mercy. 1t was here
Colonel Frost gained the admiration
and love Of his men by s%pringing to
the front and asking his men to follow
him, and we did. We were soon tear
ing across that field as If the devil
We're behind us instead of in front. We
were In a storm of bullets.
River but Slight Obstacle.
After seeing one of my best friends
killed I felt as though I could run and
jump h q river and lick a company of
Filipinos single handed. That was the
feeling of every man in the regiment
and when we reached the river we went
Through it so fast that we hardly got
wet. Up he embarkment we went on
the other side where the enemy met
US with bolo and Mauser. Here for a
few minute was a battle royal, hand
to hand and sad to relate many Of
the Filipinos buried in the trench or
the north side of the Marilao river have
broken skulls from contact with the
butts of American rifles.
1T was soon ali over. I lay with the
rest of the boys firing a few parting
shots at the fleeing insurgents n then
took a look at the surroundings. The
first thing I noticed was Colonel Frost
hanging his pants in a tree to dry,
n so he stood in his shirt tail to re
ceive the congratulations of General
Hale, who just then rode up on his
pony.
The First South Dakotas alone and
unafded put the Filipinos to rout al the
MarilaO river"