26th of September, Americans learned about the news of Pres. McKinley's assassination and Capt. Connell ordered a mass to be held at the church on Sunday. As the bells of the Balangiga church rang (as a signal to the guerrillas), hundreds of native women, were actually men dressed in women's clothes attended the mass bearing coffins which they claimed contained the bodies of children who died of cholera epidemic, which actually filled with bolos and the priest was in league with Gen. Lukban. About 500 men in seven attack units would take part, represented virtually all families of Balangiga and nearby villages then included the present towns of Lawaan, Giporlos & Quinapundan towns served by the priest in Balangiga.
Ang nahalal na maging "El Presidente" ay ang "absentia" na pinuno ng Magdalo, Emilio Aquinaldo na habang naghahalalan sa Tejeros ito ay kasalukuyan nakikipagdigmaan sa Pasong Santol sa araw din ng kaniyang ika-28 taong gulang na kapanganakan. Si Severino de las Alas naman ay muling nagmunkahi na, huwag ng magbotohan pa para sa Pangalawang Pangulo, gawin na lang ang Supremo sapagkat ito'y nakatangap ng pangalawang pinakamaraming balota sa katatapos na halalan para sa pagkapangulo.