The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-09-08
SAID TO Be TRUE
Army Pigs Are Carried Off by
big Lizards.
A REMARKABLE TALE

United States coast AfClueTy, NJ"
on Duty at Corregidor Island, Not
Farm From Manila.
There comes from tine Philippines
a thrilling story of the army of liz
ards that ate up the pigs Of the Coast
Artillery Corps guarding Manila
Bay. 1t is given over the signature
of Captain Charles b. Kilbourne,
commanding the Thirty-sixth Com
pany, and Is about the best nature
that has yer gone into the records
Of the War Department. Captain
Kilbourne has just been promoted to
be a major In the Philippine con-
| stabulary. He was sent to the Phil
ippines with his company from Fort
Monroe, Va.
The Thirty-hfth Company was sent
out as the first company OF coast
artillery to man guns outside Of the
geographical limit Of the United
| States. It was the advance guard
of the big garrison - be stationed
at Corregidor Island, which Is des-
tined to be the keep Of the Philip
pine Islands and one Of the strong
est Notifications in the world.
In order to fill out the straight"
rations allowed by the Government,
the company not only planted its own
little vegetable garden, left found
a chance on Corregidor Island for
pig raising on a large scale. They
laid in a stock, which included twelve
sows. Each produced a litter OF pigs,
and the company had enough pigs
and sows for each soldier Of the
company to have a whole pig for
himself. Nothing gave the company
more pleasure after q hard days
work than to 90 down to tho end
Of the company garden. look over
the stock Of pigs and think OF the
fine pork chops, sausages and chit
lings 1t was to have the coming win
ter.
Their pleasure, however, was
shortlived, for 1t was 5000 noticed
that the pigs were beginning to dis
appear. The men got together logs
and stakes from the adjacent tropi.
cal forest and built a stockade suf-
ficient In size and strength to keep
in the pigs and to keep out anything
which, according to the American
standards, could possibly carry a
pig away. +
Still the pigs continued to disap-
pear, and no explanation could be
found. Finally volunteers were call
ed for to stand guard over the pigs
and a sentry walked a beaten path
aroundt the stockade. Just about
daylight one morning the sentry saw
a sight which he knew no one would
believe who had not seen 1t with his
own eyes. So he rushed to the bar
racks and called out the company.
When the men got to the stockade
they found that a herd Of lizards
had come out of the forest and had
succeeded in getting into the stock
ade.
Lizards in the Philippines grow
be six feet long and stand up like
a b%enchlegged bulldog, and they can
run like a deer. The report states
that the lizards had the sows at
bay In one corner Of the stockade,
where they were. biting the hogs and
whipping them with their tails, while
other lizards, each with a pig In its
mouth, were climbing over the stock
ade and making of for the forest.
Only one pig was left for the
company, and this one, Lizzie" was
taken up to the barracks and has
been made a pet. The Thirty-fifth
Company will come home from the
Philippines next Spring, and 1t hopes
that 1t will get some pleasant East
ern station, where Lizzie" can spend
the rest of her days In peace and
happiness.