The Rickards: Reached Santa Mesa early this afternoon less one 18 year-old son — a blond blue-eyed youth in the prime of life. Hit in the arm and unable to stop the bleeding of a severed artery, he begged his family to leave him behind and save themselves before it was too late. He suffered greatly and died a hero. Up to the time he was fatally hit, his every thought and action was for his family. The Rickards escaped after being caught for two days in a terrific crossfire and being burned out. They ran and dived to escape bullets so often their legs are all badly bruised. The two girls arrived on bare feet, went to the Sotelo porch and wept — copiously.

Armand Hirtz: Was with my cousin Gabby, who has yet to be heard from. His story, or rather his wife's because he is dead: They were in an air-raid shelter when a maniacal Japanese tossed a grenade in. The grenade inflicted a serious wound on one side of their child's face. After an interval, he carried his child to the bathroom of his house to clean the wound, whereupon he was shot in the back and killed by a Japanese soldier from a distance of one meter. His cousin, Elias Lazard, (all are French) saw it and barely dodged a bullet to his face from the same soldier. Fortunately the soldier ran away. The wife is at the Gabermans' today, and Dr. Alberto Jr. has just treated the child.

The Martinez story: Some Japanese invited themselves for supper despite the growing intensity of the battle. After supper, it became obvious they had intentions on the girls who were now locked "safely" in one room and refusing to come out. So grenades were thrown at the door to blast them out! Fortunately, amidst the terrible confusion, one level headed Japanese Lieutenant told the girls to escape, which they did.

The Descals (pro-Japanese, some say): Husband, wife and child spent the night running directly through a crossfire, hiding in any available shelter, getting burned out and chased by bullets. Finally, told of an estero where the Americans were busy throwing a bridge across, they made it there and eventually crossed to the other side.

. . . .

John Leonard, a Boston American of Reuters and former UP correspondent, was at the Menzis' this afternoon. He's an army captain and lieutenant commander of the navy, but otherwise a hard working correspondent interested mostly in scoops (I know the style from Leyte broadcasts). Over rum and beer, which I rejected, he expounded on his favorite topics. Among the things he said was that three were killed in Santo Tomas by yesterday's shelling. Then he told a fantastic tale about a Japanese artillery piece hidden in a house just eight blocks from Santo Tomas, eluding an observation post barely 75 feet away! It was discovered by the arrest of five Makapili caught signaling from the top of a Santo Tomas building. They had gotten inside by feigning aid to American internees. The truth was sweated out of them by beatings on the soles of their feet.

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