The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-06-25
CHAPTER XIV

thetIc American strangers nome,
which was on the outskirts on hill
overlooking Cebu City and harbor.
! went right to bed after supper, but
first / turned on the radio by my
bed. It said that Bataan had just
fallen. Maybe if they could have
been told that those seven fat inter-
island steamers were on their way
loaded with food and quinine, may
be those poor brave, starved, fever
ridden guys could have held the line
little longer. Well, we in the
torpedo boats had done what we
could. And I wished that Peggy
could know that, and that / could
thank her for those two codeine tab
lets, and tell her how they let Rey-
nolds sit out on the deck and really
enjoy his last cigarette.
1T was a hell of an explosion
which woke me up in the dark, and
for a minute I didn't know where I
was. Through my window which
overlooked the town and the harbor
beyond, could see a fire rising on
the outskirts. I looked at my wrist
watch. It was 4:25. They were all
awake in the house now. Then came
an even bigger explosion and flame
ten times as high. My American
host came back from the telephone
and said that one was the Philip
pine Refinery; the Japanese were
coming and the Americans were
blowing up the town. hustled into
my clothes to get back into the city.
! wanted to rejoin my three men.
but I was stopped on the road by
the army-no traffic, everybody must
get out. It was $50, and by now
one-third of the city was in flames.
"People were streaming out
some Americans, and a few of our
navy. From them during the morn
ing heard that the Japs had come
back and bombed what was left Of
our "a boat on the beach. Well,
that was over.
"Then l heard that Buckley
wasn't dead-his boat escaped and
was now in Mindanao. That Brant-
ingham had burned his IS boat sit
ting there on Dad Cleland's marine
railway-at least the Japs wouldn't
get it. That Ensign Richardson had
assembled what was left of our men,
and joined up with our naval forces
on Mactan Island, where they would
all try to escape to the island OF
Leyte. It was the last ever heard
of them.
''The Japs had already landed
twenty miles down the coast of Cebu
also at two other points.
Well, what can I do?' asked
the army.
Nothing they said. Maybe
you'd like to join the other evacuees
who are assembling at Camp X
an army stronghold inland which
was going to hold out all through the
war until help came from the States.
II couldn't make up my mind, so
I waited at this Americans house for
something better to turn up, and
meanwhile watched the Japs inva-
sion from the second-story windows.
'sThe invasion Of Cebu was on a
penny-ante scale-we could have
stopped them if we'd had anything
at ALL" said Lieutenant Kelly. "They
had destroyer, two transports, and
a couple Of interisland steamers not
a hundred feet long. This gang
lay off the channel entrance for
while, and presently they loaded
about thousand infantry into the
two steamers Give hundred in each),
which set out in column through
the channel. The leading boat had
little 3-inch gun on its bow, and
every now and then it would bang
away toward the city.
81 watched them tie up at about
ten o'clock in the morning at the
only remaining dock and disembark.
Meanwhile the three seaplanes Eyes,
the same ones) were flying over
the city, dropping leaflets in Eng
lish telling the Philippines to sur
render, We are your friend and
offering substantial reward for any
American, dead or alive, and a
handsome reward for any Ameri-
can Officer or his body. Nice guys.
Meanwhile two Zero fighters were
strafng the automobiles trying to
get out on the road.
Then we got reports on the prog
ress of the street fighting, which we
could also hear from the house. The
general had apparently pulled out
maybe to fortify Camp X-but
the colonel was staying behind with
his soldiers to hold out as long as he
could
Meanwhile I had been asking the
army what was so good about Camp
x. Well, it was way up in the hills,
they said. II would take days of
walking over footpaths, because all
the roads into it were blown up.
But won't the Japs come after
6 oh, <hey'd never do that--it's
Zoo hard to get to-
'Wbat about equipment and guns?
Wen. they had radio station. food