Omaha daily bee., 1919-10-02

additional men, |, with Captain Nor
row and Lieutenant Oracle, went
hurriedly out along the trail, meet
ing Lieutenant Pepper and his de-
tachment returning. l then ordered
the whole detachment forward,
Lieutenant Peppers party in the ad
vance, and as we debouched from
the heavy timber to an open hillside
in Macui we were fired upon. Lieu
tenant Pepper and the advance re-
turned the fire and the whole de-
tachment closed on the Moros, kill
ing II of them and capturing one
Tower rife.
Il decided to occupy Macui the
following day, September 80, and to
complete the trail as far as neces-
sary as we went along.
There was much difficulty in
passing over the trail, which became
very muddy with use and in places
swampy to such an extent that all
the battery mules and ammunition
mules had to be unpacked, some of
them several times, and their loads
carried by the men, often as far as
200 yards. 1t was noon before we
reached Macui ridge, where the
skirmish of the day before had oc-
Cured.
Silenced In 20 Minutes.
"In the meantime Lieutenant
Oracle with Company NJ had en-
counte-ed resistance, but had forced
the Moros to return to their cot
tas, two IN number, one being that
of the defiant Sutton GandauliJ
THESE two cottas were near the
west end of the ridge, which sloped
abruptly westward to the alluvial
fiat on which Macui proper is 10
Gated. McNair's four mountain guns
were sent into position at 800 yards.
The Moros were silenced within 20
minutes, and they deserted both
cottas and attempted to escape. The
two infantry companies, supported
by Company G, advanced hurriedly
past the cottas to the edge of the
ridge and poured volley after volley
into tn; retreating Moros. The
Moro force probably numbered $50
in all, many of whom were known
to be killed, and, as learned since,
great number wounded. Two
three-inch muzzle-loading cast-iron
cannon were captured and spiked.
Both cottas and the houses within
and their contents, household effects
and rice, were then DESTROYED.
Walls 20 Feet High.
"On the next morning, October |,
| moved out toward the supposed
location Of this Gotta, Company G
in the advance. When just west of
Gandauli's Gotta the advance was
fired upon and developed what
promised for time to be the en-
envy in force. The battery was
posted and the two leading infantry
companies were deployed exactly
the same as the day before, their
TANKS extending beyond the two
cottas in our front, which were
about $50 yards apart.
"All the troops being in position,
McNair's battery was ordered to
open fire. The Moros replied with
a vigorous fire from the lantacas
and small arms.
"At about 3 p. m, Lieutenant
Loring suggested that he take some
OF his men of Company G and burn
the buildings in the small Gotta or
the left, and he was directed to do
so, as all buildings in other adjacen:
cottas had been burned. Afterwards
Lieutenant Loring volunteered to
make an attempt to set fire to the
occupied Gotta and, if possible, to
locate the entrance. With 10 men
he succeeded in reaching the walls
of the Gotta, but the fire set in some
dead grass died out. One of his
men, Pvt. James Nolan, jr., Com
pany G, 9th infantry. was wounded
and had to be assisted to the rear.
Lieutenant Loring found the
walls to be at least 20 feet high
from the bottom of the ditch and
perpendicular, making it impracti-
cable without unnecessary loss Of
life to scale them.
Il ordered the lines drawn closer
after dark, so that the distance be-
tween the two extremites on the
lake shore was only about 100 yards,
and the outposts at these points
were in sight of each other. Sur
rounding the Gotta on all sides ex-
cept the immediate front and i'm
mediate right there was very rank
growth of grass (cogon) 10 to IS
feet high, with deep narrow bitches
running through it in all directions.
I directed that fires be lighted be-
tween our lines and the Gotta to