They moved back into 418 Colorado, but were forced again to join the refugees at two houses adjoining the Japanese headquarters on the corner of Colorado and Oregon. A direct hit soon sent everyone out into the garden, where a little drama ensued when the Japanese encircled them. An officer with a drawn pistol inspected their faces, singled out Wanger (from Zuellig & Co.) and ordered a soldier to tie his hands and check his suitcase — by bayonet. Then he turned his attention to the crowd and picked out five Filipinos. The six were tied together, marched out and lashed to a tree.

In the midst of all the machine-gun fire and exploding shells, the officer gave an incomprehensible speech and had the crowd yell BANZAI for the finale. The men were then separated and ordered to kneel facing one wall as the Japanese rifled through their suitcases. When a machine-gun was placed on top of a wall behind them, Kessler thought: "Oh gosh, this is the end. Here we go." They waited ... but nothing happened — the machine-gun had disappeared.

The men were then taken to a house adjacent to the headquarters, and the women were taken to a separate house. The night wore on and all drank muddy water from a well. At 2230 a couple of shells resulted in shrapnel injuries and fire so out they all went again. The bewildered Japanese, realizing that their goose was cooked, set fire to their headquarters and left, forgetting about the six men strapped to the tree. The six lived though a harrowing experience — completely exposed to shells and shrapnel — until they were able to free themselves with nary a scratch.

Kessler's group returned to 418 Colorado for the third time. But fires all around forced them to move two blocks towards Taft Avenue, where they settled in a burned ruin and found a bayong of uncooked rice. A Japanese soldier appeared later and told them to get out. The group of 150, most still carrying one suitcase, moved to a house owned by one Zamora still on Padre Faura Street. The discovery of a large earthenware pot of good drinking water cheered everyone up. The women and children were an "awful bother — crying babies and shouting mothers," explained Kessler.

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