The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-07-13
STORY OF ENCOUNTER WITH
JlklR, TOLD IN OFFICERS
LETTERS.
BRAVE STAND OF WOMEN
Chieftain and Followers Take Refuge
in Cave Inside of Volcano Crater
and Are SheIled by the Soldiers
Outlaw Tries to Mutiiate Lieuten-
ent ant! Is Shot.

Manila, July While detailed ac-
counts of the last fight Of Jikiri, the
famous Moro outlaw chieftain who
I was killed and his band exteruiinated
| in pitched battle near Patan on the
island Of Jolo, July ., have not been
received, several brief dispatches and
letter or two from American officers
I who fought against tho outlaw give d
I fairly complete story OF the hg...
Hunted from place to place BY the
regulars and constabulars who had
been in close pursuit for days, Jiliri
with seven followers. two women ana
one child. took refuge in cave that
pierced the side of the crater of an
! extinct volcano. The narrow hole had
two entrances, the principal one open
ing on ledge of rock high up on the
steep slope. Here the outlaws gath
/ cred for their last stand.
4 The troops worked their way around
( the place until it was entirely sur
rounded and there was no chance Of
4 escape, Captain George l.. Byram. Of
I the sixth cavalry, who commanded
1 the attacking force though his inter-
prefer, called upon Jikiri to surrender
/ l'he outlaw refused and declined also
! TO accept safe conduct for the WON'T
/ Ell OF his party, who remained with
4 the band and bore their share of the
/ fighting. Captain Byram ordered up
the guns and IA terrific shell fire was
I opened on the cave. The missiles
| broke above and around the opening,
but the ledge protected those inside
and little damage was inflicted.
\ Storn1ng Parties.
Storming parties then worked their
way up the steep slope and, gaining
/ footing on the ledge, attempted to
rush the larger entrance to the cave
The fighting for d few minutes was
| desperate, but the outlaws drove their
assailants back by a savage spear
I charge. The soldiers were not com
pletely routed and taking ap their
4 posts at the ends of the ledge, poured
terrible rifle fire into the mouth OF
the cave, the bullets glancing from the
rock walls and throwing showers Of
sharp splinters of rock among the be-
sieged.
Accounts of the final encounter diff
fer. One dispatch says that the rifle
fire forced the outlaws out of the cave
that the band rushed from the en-
| trance to assault the besiegers. and
that all perished on the narrow ledge
! lighting with barongs and krises
against the bayonets and dubbed rifles
OF the soldiers. The other version OF
the struggle describes the natives as
coming from the cave, one by one to
race the bullets of the soldiers Both
accounts agree, however, that they
died fighting to the last
Jikiri, himself, singled out I.ieuten-
ant Arthur II. Wilson of the SIXTH
cavalry, who commanded one section
of the attacking party. Dashing from
the cave, the outlaw flung himself
upon the American before Wilson
could raise his pistol With one hand
gripping the officers hair, the bandit
slashed at his neck with the heavy
native knife he carried, endeavoriug
to behad him. Lieut.. j. A. Baer of
the Sixth cavalry, saw his comrades
peril and dashed to his aid AS JilSiri
swung back the knife 10 strike again,
Baer shot him dead and Wilson drop
ped to the ground, covered with blood
flowing from the gashes in his throat,
1t is feared that Wilson viii be in
capacitated for further service in the
army, as the muscles and cords of his
neck We're seVerad by the bandits
knife.
Separate Encounter
Writing of the fight, American off,
GERS say that in the desperate hand
to-hand encounter on the narrow ledge
some of the ASSISTANTS may have been
wounded by their own fire. In their
anxiety TO save each other, they were
forced to shoot quickly and high pow
er rifles at close range are doubiy
dangerous as the bullets will ptnw
through several men. Hundreds or
friendly Moros watched the fight at
close range. Many of them believed
that Jikiri bore charmed skin inn
perVious to knife and bullet They
would not be convinced that ha was
dead until thew saw and felt his FGIV