Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-04-04
FUNSTON NOT AT
MAR|LAo; USED RAFT
Sergeant Robinson Clears UP
the River Swimming
Episode.

Yankton. S. D.. March 26.-"Whefp
General Funston crossed the Nari>uo
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, H., and General
Frederick Funston, as to which swan
the Marilao river in the face OF the
enemy's fire. General Funston's JAY
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
only to himself. If he swan it, he did
so while the South Dakotas were keep;
ing h whole and undivided attention
of the Filipiaos by firing volleys ut
them across the river.
Thinks Funston "Swam" on Rae.
Certain it is, that after some time
Colonel Funston brought his regiment,
up on the other side of the river, hav-
ing crossed 1t 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 1 saw the raft on Which they
crossed"
Sergeant Robinson speaks of the
MarilaO battle enthusiastically. He
says the regiment 'emerging through Il
light fringe of bamboo came onto an
open plain freed OF every vestige of
s~hrubbefy for 500 yards to the Marilao
river beyond which the Filipinos We're
strongly entrenched.
1T was an ambush, planned and car
ried out by the flower of A~guinaldo's
army numbering about 1000 men. They
had us at their mercy. 1t was here
Colonel Frost gained the admiration
and love 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 if the devil
were behind us instead OF in front. We
were In a storm OF bullets.
River but Slight Obstacle.
After seeing one of my best friends
AONeA = &OoA0 " sLliul
jump that river and lick a Of
Filfpinos single handed. That was the
feeling of every man in the regiment
and when we reached the river we went
through 1t so fast that we hardly got
wet. Up hi embankment we went on
the other side where the enemy met
us with bolo and Mauser. Here for a
rev minutes was a battle royal, hand
TO hand and sad to relate many of
the Filipinos buried in 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. 1 lay with the
rest of the boys firing IL few parting
shots at the fleeing Insurgents and then
took a look at the surroundings. The
first thing l noticed was Colonel Frost
hanging his pants in a tree to dry.
so he stood in his shirt tail to re-
ceiNe the congratulations of General
Hale. who just then rode up on his
pony
The First South Dakotas alone and
unaided put the Filipinos to rout at the
Marilao river