Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-03-14

The story OF the Montana feglment2
arrival in the Philippines. the weird
and novel existence at the old Spanish
fort Of Cavite. the later transfer Of
mentous hours during the evening and
during the long hours Of the night Of
Feb. 4. 1899, the fateful day following
upon which William Meyersick, the
first member of Montana regiment to
lose his life in action, received the
wound from which he died. and the
death of Fred Hall. another member
of company l at the battle Of Caloocan
on Feb. 10, follows as written by an
eyewitness after the Americans re-
turned home.
Sailing from San Francisco on July
10, touching at Honolulu July % and
resuming the voyage from that de-
lightful port on Aug. 3, the Pennsyl-
vania dropped anchor in Manila bay
off Cavite. the old Spanish naval sta
ton, on the morning of Aug. "a. Ow-
ing to delay incident to arrangement
of quarters, 1t was well after dark that
troops embarked from the ship into
lighters and landed at the Anticipated
and ill-smelling fertilization. Almost
impenetrable darkness prevailed, as the
troops silently tramped through gloomy
and decayed passages, emerging &C.
a
lit southern skies furnished the only
evidence of the gay and joyous civili-
cation left so far behind.
Flash of Lantern
Through the gloom, came the flash
of the welcome lantern, the white
stripe on the officers trousers betok-
ing an effort to find the way through
the intricate labyrinth of dark passages,
and foul dungeons of stygian black
ness. At last, after what seemed to
have been hours of chilling horrors,
the troops emerged into an open area,
surrounded as the morning light later
displayed, by moSS-grown masonry
walls, where opportunity was afforded
for the first time in more than a
month to unfold our blankets and
make down our bed on terra firma.
Life at Cavite was an unfolding Of
series of mysteries after mysteries;
the native marauders of the Spanish
wrecks in the harbor, the native vii
lage close by, their peculiar and
strange modes of living, monkeys,
lizards, centipedes and tarantulas, the
unknown fruits and wares of the ma
tive peddlers, frequent attacks by the
native troops against the garrison, all
combined to fill the first few weeks
with much of interest and variety.
Attitude of Aguinaldo
"Aguinaldo's attitude, since the cap
ture OF Manila by the American forces,
had been one Of increasing aggrava-
ton, and his unreasonable demands
to enter and pillage the city we're met
by prompt and well supported denial.
This condition was continually aggra-
waited, and during the latter part Of
October, the Montana contingent was
transferred from Cavite to Manila to
assist in its protection. From that time
until the outbreak in early February,
the American troops stoically with
STOOD the taunts, native soldiers ap-
peared before an outpost of the First
Nebraska, at the Santa Mesa bridge, on
the extreme right of General Mac
Arthur,s line. A native officer, one of
AguInaldo's trusted lieutenants, boldly
attempted to pass the outpost. Private
Grayson of D company, after chal-
longing the intruder several times, shot
the lieutenant, and the balance of the
party made hasty retreat. This event
opened the long looked for incident
forced with the fact that the first
shot was fired by the Americans. Al
most Immediately, the line around the
city was solid mass of splitting rifle
fire and the fight was merrily on.
During the night the American de-
tenders of the city remained for the
most part in well entrenched positions
and at no place were the insurgents
able TO effect an entrance. The attack
from without the lines was timed to
exactness, by a cowardly and vicious
assault by soldiers and civilians on the
Americans within the city. For months
before the outbreak, arms and am
munition had been smuggled in, and
many of Aguinaldo's chief aides with
hundreds of his men were all ready
for internal attack. Within a compare
lively short time after the Nebraska
private opened the engagement, Manila
became seething inferno of exploding
bombs, rifle fire, assaults. arson, snip
ing and treachery. and soon its streets
were cluttered with its dead and dying
disturbers.
Cruisers Shell Positions
Everywhere the city in darkness,
mingled with the sounds of incessant
strife with the natives, the reassuring
tread of determined men assigned to
places of action, the sharp staccato of
the machine guns, flashes of fire from
rifles here. there and everywhere, snip
ers from the housetops and berricaded
windows firing upon the moving troops
below. while surrounding the city in a
vast seml-circle, gorgeous but terrible