LUKBAN
was in charge of the guard. But Scharer took no action. After midnight the natives were still inside the Church, and occasionally the sounds of praying could be heard faintly across the plaza. Otherwise all was quiet in the final hours before dawn. 15
At 6 AM on the morning of September 28, 1901, Musician George Meyers sounded reveille and the 71 men of Company C. assembled in the Town Plaza, their backs to the municipal hall, facing west, their Krag rifles in hand. To the soldier’ s right, at the northwest corner of the municipal hall, were the two conical Sibley tents containing 68 prisoners. Behind the municipal hall was the mess tent and kitchen. In front of them at the opposite end of the plaza, was the church and convento, where a guard was posted and the officers were sleeping.
At the conclusion of roll call Randles called out:“ Dismissed!” and the men went back to their barracks. Over 40 went to the municipal hall. Some went to the Betron Barracks at the Salazar home, on the northeast corner of the plaza. Others went to the Markley Barracks at the Belaez home a block west along the plaza’ s perimeter road. In all three locations the men stacked their guns and began to go about their business, the most pressing matter being breakfast and mail that Bumpus brought the day before.
Over the next fifteen minutes, virtually all the men made their way to the mess tent for breakfast. One of the first in line for breakfast was Private Adolf Gamlin was one of those who finished breakfast earlier as he had to relieve George Allen at Post 5 near the Sibley tents at 6:30 that morning. He approached Allen, relieved him, and began marching Post 2, an L shaped route that took him from the mess tent north on the perimeter to the Betron Barracks, then a left turn and an equal distance west along the perimeter road to the Markley Barracks— then back.
At that precise moment, a dozen men were at the Betron Barracks mess tent. A half dozen inside the Markley Barracks. Thirty were in the main mess behind the municipal hall. The officers were in their quarters at the convento. Sergeants Markley and Randles were en route from their respective barracks to the Municipal Hall. And seven were on guard duty.
At that moment too, Abanador was leaning casually against a post and chatting with Corporal Burke, assessing the given situation. Then he began walking casually toward the guard, Adolf Gamlin, who was walking Post 2 near the conical tents.
In the Congressional hearings held to investigate the circumstances of the attack, they would be able to determine the precise details from surviving witnesses.
Company Musician Meyers was eating at the table in front of the
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