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VOL. XIX.
PORTLAND. OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, APRIL 29, 1900.
NO. IT.
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PART THREE
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'1 1" 1 A I-11 il
PAGES 25 TO 32
Three men won distinction In connection
'With the work done by Lawton's
scouts, when that lamented General
pushed his column Into the Interior of
Luzon, a year ago, and captured San
Isidro, the capital of the Filipino republic
Two lost their lives while fighting des
perately against great odds, and the third
has returned home and Is living so quietly
and modestly that few even know of the
laurels he won for himself and the State
of Oregon. The first was W. H. Young, a
civilian, organizer and first leader of the
scouts, who was killed at the capture of
San Miguel. The second was James liar,
rington, private, of Company G, Seco.-.d
Oregon, the most daring and successful of
the scouts, who was killed In the gallant
charge at Tarbon Bridge. The third Is
Second Lieutenant J. E. Thornton. Com
pany B, Second Oregon, chief of scouts
after the death of Young, and leader In
he brilliant capture of the burning bridge
at Tarbon.
Until General Lawton arrived on the
scene, there was little that could be
called scouting on the part of the Ameri
cans. "When they were ready to advance,
they pushed ahead and b'.undercd up
against the Filipino Intrenchments, much
as the English have been doing In South
Africa, and only the fact that the Ma'ay
Is no such fighter as the Boer prevented
the Americans meeting the fate of their
English cousins. When a line started. It
knew not what it was to stop until every
obstacle had been overcome.
The Filipinos knew this, and were ready
to run as soon as the dreaded Americans
came within good shooting distance, mean
while shooting wildly and recklessly In the
direction of the advancing line, generally
without taking aim, and with the head
well down under cover. Not one of them
possessed the nerve to withstand a chars
to the point of personal contact. The
Filipino does not live who can stand up
before an angry American and look him
In the eye. This was why mere 'bulldog
courage prevailed In the Philippines while
It fails. In Africa. It was General Law
ton who Infused common sense Into the
American tactics and proved that the best
way to fight guerrillas was to adopt guer
rilla methods.
Story of the Scout.
"When Lawton's column started north,
parallel with the railroad, in April, 1SS9,
the advance being under the command of
General O. Summer, with the Second Ore
gon and Thirteenth Minnesota, the re.
mainder of the column being composed of
the First North Dakota and the Third and
Twenty-second regulars, two troops of the
Fourth Cavalry and four guns of the Sixth
Artillery, he organized a body of volun
teers to scout the country In advance ot
the troops. An experienced hunter and
Indian fighter. W. Hr-Young, who had
come over as a civilian with the North
Dakotas, was made chief of scouts, and
he selected about 30 men to do the work.
Nominally, the command ot the scouts was
given to Captain TV. E. Blrcheimer, Third
Artillery, on the staff of General Lawton.
Easily the most experienced and best of
the scouts was Harrington, but he did not
possess the qualifications of a leader, pre
ferring to operate alone, and It was for
this reason he was not given command
after the death of Young. He was a
man of little more than medium height,
strong, self-reliant and fearless. He had
scouted on the plains and In the moun
tains of America, and had led a life of ad
venture In many lands. He made fre
quent, excursions Into the enemy's coun
try alone, trusting to his own Judgment,
courage and skill with his rifle. He made
his reports directly to the General, who
often spoke of the value of his services.
One of his favorite achievements was
to work his way into a town which was
being attacked and ring the bell In the
church tower, and, as these towers were
always used by Filipino sharpshooters, ho
occasionally had to fight for their pos
session. There was always a smiling and
a nodding of heads along the firing lino
outside the town when the bell began to
ring with the sharp strokes of a fire alarm,
and every thirsty, perspiring soldier out
in the rice fields knew that the scouts
were In the town, and the fight was
practically over. .
Scouting in the .P.hlllpptaes was per
formed under peculiar conditions. Every
minute spent outside the American lines
was a .minute of danger. There was no
possibility of disguise, so radically differ
ent in appearance were the Americans and
Filipinos. TVIth a country so densely pop
ulated and every resident an informer, It
was Impossible for a scouting party to get
a mile away from camp without knowl
edge of the fact being conveyed at once
to the enemy. Occasional glimpses ot
white figures among the bamboo clumps
on the edge of the distant forest were
had, denoting that the scouting party was
under constant surveillance. Frequently
a single shot, or a whole volley, would
be fired from a distant ambush, but sel
dom was an armed enemy seen.
Contrary to Orders.
To shoot at the white-robed observers
was strictly contrary to orders, for posi
tive Instructions had been Issued from
headquarters not to molest In any way
noncombatants, and an unarmed man in
citizen's clothing must certainly be so
classed. Thcso "amlgos" professed the
greatest of friendship whenever encoun
tered. It was no unusual thing for the
ladles of a household to give water to
scouts with courteous hospitality, while
th men of the family were scurrying
through the brush to give warning of the
presence of Americans, or lying in ambush
waiting to take a shot.
All scouting that was really effective
had to be done at night, and by the most
s.calthy of Indian methods in the day
time. This was the kind of work In
v.hlch Harrington excelled, and by which
he procured valuable Information.
At one time, while out alone near Norza
garay, he captured a buffato cart, loaded
with cupp'.ics for the Filipinos, and com
piled Its drivers to proceed In the direc
tion of the town, but in a few minutes
he discovered himself In the midst cf a
crmp of Filipino soldiers. Giving th m a
fe..- hots to unsettle their nerves, he o ik
to his hwla, and mad:- goad '.lis "fc p
gc nfi bak Into camp bou m'd l-h .
it"r b'Ing Crcd upon by an Ame kan
s i .r.t-l
As to. the I"' .plnos. their s-outlr.g was
easy. Prc-sid in whl'e clo h.ng, and with
SCOCTIM
out arms, they could go anywhere without
molestation, even into the Amer.cm
camps, ur.der the guise of amlgos or refu-
gees. There was no one to gl"e warn-
Ing, no one to ambush them, no one .to
spy uijon .them. They came and went
freely, and the Information they gained by
friendly visits at American camps In the
day time was used In annoying night at
tacks, for which annoyance they often
came into camp again the next day and
offered profound sympathy.
"Touch of High Life."
.Half an hour before reveille on the
morning of May 12 the officer of the guard
at Maaslm passed the scouts through the
lines at the outpost on the road leading
to San Ildefonso, three miles distant,
where some 1500 Filipinos were Intrenched,
and with a parting Injunction to "give
them a touch of high life." saw them dis
appear in the darkness.
Soon reveille was sounded. The camp
had been astir but a few minutes when
a. dozen shots were heard In the direction
of the enemy, some of the men remark
ing that the "goo-goos" were a trifle nerv
ous that morning.
TVhen Young left camp he proceeded a
short distance and then halted. Taking
a few men with him, he cautiously ad
vanced upon the Filipino outpost and sud
denly attacked it. This was the shooting
first heard In camp. Then, assembling his
men again, he moved off to the right
across the summit of the hill, deployed
at long Intervals, and advanced cautious
ly against the trenches on th eleft of town,
which were now filled with excited Fili
pinos, warned by those who had escaped
from the outpost attacked that the Amer
icans were advancing.
The scouts kept carefully concealed,
and wormed their way to the fiont until
within good shooting distance, their Im
mediate presence being unknown to the
enemy. They were all armed with Mau
sers, a much longer-range gun than the
Springfield, and used smokeless powder.
The Mauser also deceives the enemy with
its report, which Is different from that of
the Springfield or Krag. For this reason,
when Young opened the fight by shooting
a Filipino In one of the trenches, only the
few who saw him fall had any Idea that
the gun was fired by an enemy. Even
after the other scouts began firing, it was
several minutes before the situation was
realized, and with realization came al
most a panic
After firing a few times in this way.
Young withdrew his men over toward the
Filipino right and repeated his tactics. In
a few minutes the Filipinos opened up
along their entire line, firing to the front
at random, while the scouts lay low and
Indulged In sharpshootlng. For several
hours this peculiar battle was main
tained, the two supporting companies
watching- It from the summit of the di
vide, and the entire brigade at Maaslm
enjoying it .as a huge Joke.
At last the Filipinos could stand tha
strain no longer. They withdrew from
their defenses, abandoned San Ildefonso
and retreated to San Miguel, five miles to
the north. Young's men entered the town,
and in a few minutes that fact was pro
claimed to the entire brigade by the clang
ing of the church bell.
At San Mlffnel.
The next day the scouts repeated the
work of the day before. TVhen Young ap
proached San Miguel, he found the enemy
posted in a strong position on the edge of
town: his flanks were covered, fully C00
men being In line Not waiting for help.
and the supporting battalion of the two
companies remaining strictly In support.
Young advanced, with only 15 men. In the
same'Indlan style as before, and soon 'the
Filipinos retreated into the town. The
scouts followed, gradually working their
way Into the town along bamboo and
hedge fences and up he brush-grown
sides of a deep ravine, down which a
stream flowed through the heart ot town.
At U( Y,,n- r,ohi .h- t,H,i, r...
ing the stream, which was covered by the head . signal for those In the rear to nls orders- to dcp,r and odvanc. wIll trenches from the road. The panic of tho
flro of the Filipinos on the other side, espe- na,t. Thornton paused and looked to see hImscIf as S"" ,n & ccnt-r. sudden onslaught was transformed Into
daily from the tower of the church, two the source from which the volley came. A fcw minutes later there was heard absolute terror by this flank attack, some
blocks away, and here he was severely Ho Quickly descried a wooden bridge, the whip-like crack of a Mauser, and a thing Filipino troops have never be;n
wounded In the knee. Crawling back to about- half a mile to his front, from which FllIP,ro standing on the crest of a trench, able to stand against. Instead of rushing
the shelter of a bamboo fence, he contln-
tiA tho flrh On. nf t.. .
wormed his way up from the river to
Young's position, and when he learned
that his chief was wounded, wanted to
bandage the Injured knee, but the bravt
leader ordered him back to his former
position and continued to shoot, he fear
Ing that the enemy would make a rush
across the bridge If the fire slackened.
Thus the fight continued for a time, but
finally several more of the scouts reached
the bridge, and then a charge was made
across the structure and the enemy put
to flight. In this charge was Harrington,
who rushed to the church, drove the
sharpshooters from the tower, and a mln-
ute later announced with the bell the cap-
ture of the town to the supports waiting
in the suburbs, as well as to the brigade
farther back.
Soon as an ambulance could be brought
up Young, his leg temporarily dressed by
the surgeon, was sent to the railroad at
Malolos, 30 miles away, where o special
train was waiting to take him to .Manila.
He reached the hospital befcre daylight,
but the loss of blood and the shock had
been too much for him, and he died the
next day.
After the death of Young, General Sum
mers was requested by General Lawton
to recommend an officer to command the
scouts, and he selected Lieutenant Thorn
ton, under whose leadership the brave
band of volunteers performed much dan
gerous and Important service during tho
remainder of the campaign, the moot con
spicuous and gallant feat being the cap
ture of the burning bridge at Tarbon.
Aroused by the Corporal ot the Guard
before reveille, Lawton's scouts had mado
a hasty brrakfast and were already pass
ing the farthest outpost when the bugles
aroused the Army to another day of ac
tion. Lieutenant Thornton, In command
that day, possessed special qualifications
for the dangerous and delicate work. Bold
and resolute, and prompt in deciding upon
his course in an emergency, he was also
cautious and watchful, and seldom made
a mistake In Judgment. There was In his
dress little to distinguish him from the
men he led. simply a gilt cagic on the col
lar of his bluo flannel shirt, to Indicate
FILIPINO
that he was an oftccr. Like the others, ho
carried a Mauser rifle, and, like them,
wore brown canvas" trousers, leggings,
blue flannel shirt and campaign hat, the
rough-and-ready uniform of the volun
teers in the Philippines.
Pushing out with two men In advance
along the road to form a "point." and
sending two each to the right and le'ft as
". e maae nis way cautiously
. the mainder of his command fol-
'owing In the road some 200 yards to the
rear. Caution was necessary In a coun
try where the enemy fights only from con
cealment, and whose presence is generally
first announced by a volley of Mauser bul-
lets.
A volley of Mausers whistled over
the heads of the scouts, as the point
rounded the base ot a hill and came out
upon a low flat. Hastily throwlni- hl
arm to Its full lerurth vertically nbov h!,
curled a little column of smoke. He saw
that the brldrn nu on flro- hnt th- rf..
bank on the opposite side of the stream
was lined with earthworks, both- above
and below the bridge, and that the
trenches were filled with Filipino sol
diers, numbering not less than 200. They
all wore uniforms, and were therefore
not the white-robed militia that constitute
ed the bulk of the Filipino Army, but
General Gregorio del Pllar's Manila bat-
tallon. trained native soldiers of the for-
mer Spanish Army.
The river curved at the bridge, giving
all of the trenches complete command of
tha structure, and h road unnmarhintr
it, and the flat to be croseed had tall
swamp grass growing on the rice ridges
GENERAL UUEUOUIO UKL I'lLAH
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PRISONERS CAPTURED BY LAWTON'S SCOUTS.
to the height of nearly six feet, offering
splendid concealment for an advancing
line of sharpshooters, using smokeless
powder, although, of course, affording no
protection against bullets. To send back
to the advancing column, two miles In
the rear, for help would cause a delay
ttit waim tu ! n tiiA khiIk. omi
destruction of the bridge would delay the
Armj. EeVeral days.
Thornton dcteTmln to attack. e
Maoa .h,.,,. ,niw , k.
hind the breastworks, with an unfordable
river In Its front, and only a burning
brld b3" whh:h to crcB t0 the attack,
He must do this with his 30 men, and
at oncc- He extended his right arm above
n,s nead and move(1 "l rapidly In a clr-
cIe Fcveral " times, 'to which signal tho
scouts not with the point responded by
coming up on tho run. Quickly he gave
iookibr io see n ne coma aweover wnai
had become of the "malo Americanos,
fell back among hht comrades, dead.
Crack, crack, went other Mausers, and
In an Instant there was a panic In the
trenches. Down went 'every Filipino out
of sight, and there they remained during
tho rest of the fight. But If they hid
they did not fall to shoot, for they thrust
the muzzles of their guns over the top of
the trenches and pulled the triggers as
fast as they could work the magazines.
Most of then- bullets went far above the
heads of their assailants, who steadily
crawled forward through the grass until
they reached good protection within U
yards of tho river.
Having gained thU position, the Lleu-
AND MANILA BATTALION, DEFEATED 11 Y LAWTON'M SCOWS.
tenant blew his whistle to attract atten.
tion and then summoned the four msn
nearest htm to his side. Shouting to the
others to lire rapidly and cover his squad
while they made a dash acrosa the bridge.
he called to the four men to follow him.
sprang to his feet and made a rush for
th. hnmini tTniftur nn. nf thi mpn
was Harrington, and before the brldgo
was reached, he fell, with a bullet through
his throat,
nr. , ,h othor sllnoed" from the
wooden stringers of the bridge, for the
flooring of the structure had been burned
away, and fell into tho river below, los-
rng his gun. He Kept nis neau aoovo
water by clinging to a foundation post
with his left hand, while he continued
the fight with his revolver. The other
three men crossed In safety and lmme-
dlately began firing Into the flanks of tho
upon tneso tnree caring men. anu itr
whelming them, the entire battalion do
eerted the trenches nnd fled Into the tall
grass toward San Isidro, followed by the
shots of the scouts as long as any of
them remained In sight.
Pursuit was impossible, for the bridge
had yet to be saved. Hastily assembling.
the scouts procured earthen Jars from a -
few nlpa huts by tho roadside, and with
them they brought water up the steep
bank, and with their campaign hats for
buckets succeeded In extinguishing tho
Are. The tired men then sat down to
await the coming of the brigade, the first
indication of which was a mounted order
ly, who approached along the road nt the
top, of his pony's speed. The officer noted
-mr:ijjmmmF3
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DeoiK of H Q r rintjfo
the absence of Harrington,
and asked
where he was.
"He's right over there, asleep,
ans
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wered one of the men.
"Asleep?" replied the officer. In a que
- tionmg tone, as he rose from the ground.
"Where V
"Bight over here, sir," and the man
led the way to where Harrington lay
upon his back, his hat over his face, to
protect It from the sun. and his gun and
unbuckled belt by his side.
"Wake up. Dad!" the scout said, kicking'
the prostrate man on the foot. "Tha
Lieutenant wants to see you."
There was no response. The Lieuten
ant stooped over and lifted the hat from
tho silent scout's face. It took but a
glance to see that ho was dead. Tho
body was tenderly lifted up, and borna
Into a nlpa hut, and when the regiment
arrived a little later, it was covered with
a flag.
That afternoon a new floor was lmpro
vised for the bridge, and. In tho mornlraj.
the command crossed over and attacked
and captured tho rebel capital. The next
day Harrington was given a military fu
neral In San Isidro. his grave betas- left
unmarked because of fear that It might
be disturbed
Chaplain Gilbert, of the Oregons, how
evcr, tnc only Chaplain with the column,
most of them finding It pieasanter to re
main hi Manila than to go with their
regiments Into the field, carefully regis
tered tho exact location of the grave.
From this description, the authorities
found It a few weeks ago and took the,
body up for transmission to the United
States. Hero It was turned over to hla
old comrades of the Second Oregon, who
will today lay It finally to rest In th
beautiful burial plot of the Spanish War
Volunteers, in RIverview Cemetery.
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