LUKBAN
expected to help them, had become“ mutinous.” They repeatedly disobeyed orders, refused to scout the trail or gather firewood. When they found edible wild food, they hid it from the Marines. Late in the ordeal, when Williams ordered three of them to search for firewood, one jumped him, stabbed him with a bolo, and bit him in the hand while the rest looked on.“ Although the attack occurred but a few yards from camp, it was at least two minutes before the men came to my assistance, and then the first to come, Sgt McCaffery, was too weak to work the bolt of his rifle.” Pursuit was out of the question. Williams had to let go of the three natives as they escaped into the bush.
Much as he wanted to execute the other natives in his party, it was impossible for Williams and his men in their condition to carry it out. He was afraid that the natives would kill them instead.
Finally, at noontime of 18 January, the Army relief party came upon Williams and the other survivors who literally crawled towards the Army troopers. They reached Lanang by nightfall, and on the 20 th, all of them were in the hospital in Tacloban. He was able to telephone Waller at Basey and told him of their ordeal. The 11 remaining porters were at once arrested and brought to Basey. After their brief interrogation, Waller ordered their execution, which was carried out in the afternoon of the 20 th. The next day, he told Gen. Smith that he had“ expended” 11 natives. 22
Clouded judgement, needless executions
Ironically, the press and military mythology lionized the affair into an epic tale of courage and glory. So the ensuing historical record of the patrol is not one of botched leadership but of epic perseverance and survival under unimaginable hardship. On closer look, however, it was Waller’ s poorly planned and executed march across the southern end of the island that led to the loss of 11 Marines to starvation, exhaustion and exposure, not the mutiny or disservice of the native couriers. When the Army patrol came upon them, the survivors emerged from the jungle“ starving, barefoot, covered with leeches and water sores, and clothed in rags.” It was, in fact the Filipino porters, using native ingenuity to forage for roots and fruit, that probably saved the remainder of the Marines from perishing. Except for three who deserted on the fateful journey, the couriers ultimately earned even the soldiers’ weapons and ammunition because the Marines emerged from the march literally helpless and halfcrazed with fever.
Thus, Waller’ s decision to execute the 10 porters only made matters worse for him and the Marine survivors, who were convinced that
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