LUKBAN
himself with a small advance guard of three men and a trusted guide nicknamed Jocko, an older man with a thorough knowledge of the area and an expert at detecting the deadly traps his men had encountered on more than one occasion.
Hearing the heavy fighting in front of him, Swisher urged his men forward, which they faithfully followed, but at what cost. Swisher, Corporal Gaughan and Pvts Joseph Weippert and Frank McAndrew were cut down and fell by the trail, dead of multiple bolo and dagger wounds. Others were hacked as they ran the gauntlet. Only three men- Pvts Benjamin Antry, Nathan Fisk and Edward Butler- arrived unscathed. A fourth man, Arthur Bonnicastle, an Osage Indian from the famous school at Carlisle, Pa., was slightly wounded. His cartridge belt absorbed the full force of a vicious bolo to his midsection, saving his life. With their magazines empty, they clubbed their way forward, cracking the skulls and limbs of the insurgents who swarmed about the survivors. It was now up to these four and Schoeffel to do the fighting as none of the others were sufficiently strong to carry a weapon. Here they prepared for a second assault they feared would soon come. They stood back-to-back and poured round after round into the grass to discourage their attackers.
Within five minutes the battle was over, their foes having slunk away in the tall grass, leaving their dead behind. Schoeffel was still conscious but was unable to stand and was sick to his stomach. He gave orders to retrieve the dead and wounded and bring them to the front where they could be treated. They were collected and placed within a tight circle. One man, Pvt Clark, was missing.
The natives at the rear of the column were now brought forward. Only Angel, their leader, and a handful of others had responded to Swisher’ s orders to come forward. Angel was dying and two others were wounded and out of action. When the others were asked why they did not rush forward, the natives replied that they had only bolos and feared they would be mistaken as enemies and shot down by the Americans. 17
The newpapers in the US would later report that“ a sergeant, a corporal and five privates were killed. Captain Schoeffel was wounded, but not dangerously. Five privates were dangerously and one slightly wounded. No property was lost. The enemy was finally repulsed with heavy loss’.” 18 Still Lukban eluded capture. The hunt would continue. He remained the only unsurrendered Filipino guerrilla leader, which became an embarrassment to the American public back home.
Captured
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