Outlaws In Ambush

An American's Fight For Life With Thirty Filipino Bandits

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Severely Wounded, He Slew Five of the Ruffians Single Handed--A Desperate Bttle.

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Lieutenant Harrison O. Fletcher of the Philippine constabulary has had his share of exciting adventures in the islands, the last of which, when he fought, single handed, a band of thirty native outlaws, killing five, is unparalleled in the annals of Uncle Sam's Asiatic isles. 

Lieutenant Fletcher's first notable exploit was when he went to the rescue of a Spanish ship lying in the harbor at Albay whose crew had mutinied and were carrying things with a high hand. He jumped into a boat with two of his assistants and pulled for the vessel. 

The mutinous crew had already murdered the chief engineer and the steward, had wounded the captain, the mate, the second engineer and one passenger, was in full control of the vessel and was running her out to sea when Inspector Fletcher arrived. He and his men, fighting their way, gained the deck fo the boat by climbing up the side, and, engaging the mutineers hand to hand, succeeded in killing three, wounding five and driving all the others either below or into the sea. Thirty-five of the mutineers were captured, and the only two who escaped are supposed to have been shot and drowned in the bay.

Recently the name of Lieutenant Harrison Fletcher has again come to this country in connection with another tale of unusual bravery. Alone he fought a band of thirty Filipino outlaws, killing five and wounding others. here is the story as told by himself:

At the time it happened I was on duty in the province of Albay, which is infested by some 500 or 600 native outlaws insurgents as they call themselves. My station was in Ligao.

I had just returned from a fifteen days' hike in the mountains and had received orders to proceed to the town of Tobaco to take station.

Not having the advantage of trolleys or trains, I accepted the best alternative-my bicycle-as I wanted to get to my station as soon as possible, and late in the afternoon I reached my first "stop off," the little town of Guinobatan, with my two hombres bringing up the rear with my baggage. 

I concluded to stay for supper and ride on down the main road by moonlight ot the next town. about three miles distant, where I could spend the night.

When I went to the mess I found it composed of four of my countrymen, two very charming schoolteachers, a telegraph operator and a fellow officer of the constabulary.

When a man is hungry and has not seen American faces not heard the familiar tongue for a long while the time is apt to slip along with remarkable rapidity when both desires are fulfilled at once.

While we were at supper a bull cart came along on its way to Albay, in which were riding the presidente of Ligao and several prominent natives with a guard of municipal police.

I asked the presidente to take my baggage down to Albay, as I had no transportation, and he readily consented, inviting me to accompany them instead of riding my wheel. But I preferred a few hours with my congenial countrymen and a lonely bicycle ride afterward to a perfectly safe and uneventful drive in a bull cart. So I replied that I would overtake him on my wheel before he got out of town. He left me with the parting advice not to try to come alone.

All this time some of the natives were idly listening to the brief and audible conversation and eyed me curiously as I returned to my interrupted supper. 

When they proposed that I prolong my stay and call on my two country-women I was easily persuaded. As a result it was 9:30 at night when I started on my lonely ride, with small hope of overtaking the presidente of Ligao and his escort, who had had several hours' start of me.

I rode hard to try to make up for lost time and derived some comfort from the fact that I had carried in my belt a fully loaded 38 caliber Colt's revolver and across my back my Krag carbine.

About half a mile from the town the road runs through a thick cocoanut grove, with small native houses on both sides. When I entered the grove the moonlight was shut out, but my acetylene lamp stood me in good stead. I had passed several houses and was spinning along the road at a splendid rate, with a prospect of reaching my destination in time.

Suddenly the broad beam of my lamp revealed to me the outlaws lying in the ditch on either side of the road. The lamp probably saved my life, for without it I would have been in their midst before seeing them.

Almost before I had time to stop and hop off my wheel they were on me, and before I could get my revolver in action I was cut in four places-on the left jaw, left forearm, shoulder and in the center of my breast-not so badly, however, that I could not defend myself, which I proceeded to do with a right good will. 
 

I shot the four men nearest me in the stomach and chest, and the others started to run. My revolver had been emptied, but in my excitement I incautiously snapped it twice. I had had no chance to unsling my carbine in the beginning of the fracas, so I was almost defenseless.

The leader of the band saw my plight and ordered his men to return. They, however, thought me a sort of "white devil," with unseen resources, for they hesitated, and I was saved. Before they had time to decide my carbine was unslung and barking furiously. Five more men went down before they had time to run, and more of them were wounded, but they got away.

All this time I was yelling and giving orders as though I had a whole regiment of soldiers behind me, telling them in Spanish to hurry up. The men were getting away as fast as they could when I heard a voice calling out in English to know what was the matter. I had been swearing like a trooper in my own tongue, and that and my voice revealed my nationality to the man who had answered me and whom I found to be an American negro in the Ninth cavalry. He lost no time in getting to my side, and just in time, for I was terribly weak from loss of blood. 

As we were leaving the scene of my brief and exciting fight I, half held and half carried by my companion, a man I had shot through the right lung came whimpering up to me, begging me not to kill him, as he was already dying. I took his bolo as a precaution and decided to take him along for the information I might glean from him concerning the band.

I left behind me five dead and several dying men as a warning to the rest of the insurgents. I learned from my captive all the information I sought and more. 

That night my wounds were dressed, and the next day, very weak and sore and with sufficient effort, I proceeded to Albay. On examining into the state of affairs as regarded my own condition I found that my carbine had saved my life in the fight. A treacherous blow from behind had almost severed its stock, but had not touched me.