The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-26
AN AMERICANS LIFE
In the Philippine Islands and the
Indignities he Suffered.
He is ROBBED AND IMPRISONED
BY the Authorities-He is Missing Now-Tba
State Department has the Case in
Hand at Present

Especial to THE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Dispatch
New YoRK, Sept. 25.-Thomas Il. Collins.
an American citizen, who, if report is true,
has been a prisoner in Manila, on the
Philippine islands for sixteen wears. in
missing aad his lawyer in this city believes
he has been murdered. Collins la fifty-five
years old. He was born in New York and.
went to Manila, on the Philippine islands
IN 1871. The story of his treatment, taken
from an affidavit which he forwarded to
the government authorities in 1850, is in
teresting. He testified that in 1874 he
started business in TIE port of Loog on
the island of Tablas, on a plant bought
from W. Morton Clark, of Philadelphia,
consisting of 25,0OO cubic feet of hard
timber cut and squared for the foreign
market with all the appliances for remoy-
ing 1t. In October of the same year he
went to Manila to charter vessel for al
cargo OF timber for Hong Kong. On hisl
return to Loog he found that during his
absence in Manila part of his timber had
been taken possession Of without his con-
sent and shipped on board the Spanish
bark Teresa by DR.. Joquin Barcelo, master
OF the bark, that her belongings were in
the possession of Barcelo's agents, and
that all the workmen in his employ had
lett him and vera working for Barcelo
who had apparently taken possession Of the
business.
There was a written order from the com
manGant of the district 10 the governor of
the LOWE OF Loog to take no notice of anv'
attempt which might De made by any per-
son to interrupt the work That had been
going On at the plant until Barcelo's return
IRON China Seeing that there was no
justice to be obtained at Loog he started
Tor Manila, to seek the aid of the authori-
ties. He took passage for Manila or the
Spanish brigantine Industrial, taking with
MIN all his private papers, accounts and
contracts. The industrial was wrecked on
the voyage and ne lost all his documents,
barely escaping with life. At Manila ne
began legal proceedings against Barcelo,
the priest Marine, and the commandment OF
the district as accompGceS in the
fraud ana robbery. The case dragged
along Tor over a year, and he
had nearly exhausted mis- means awhen
IN November, 1875, he succeeded in interest
Ing wealthy Spaniard who supplied him
with funds TO return 10 L0Og- Collins began
TO chop aud saw logs for the market and
after getting two carloads prepared, made
another trip to Manila with the purpose OF
going from there to Hong Kong TO find a
market. On his arrival at Manila, he found
Barcelo was in that city, but was on the
eve of sailing for Hong Kong. he applied
to the authorities to have Barcelo res trained
from leaving the country.
When Collins applied TO the alcalde for
passport for himself, ne was peremptorily
refused and was told he could not leave the
country while the suits he had instituted
against Barceio and others were pending.
Not being able to obtain passport he was
obliged TO ship his trunks to China through
other parties, who so miSmanaged the bust
ness that he met with serious losses.
Collins, finding himself unable TO leave
the island. applied to the American consul.
In 1887 Raymonds Lala, a son of a wealthy
hotel keeper in Manila, came to New York
and met Lawyer w. H. Leonard, to whom
he told the story of Collins misfortune,
and said De had been unable to secure re-
dress and was prisoner, unable to leave
the island because he could not get a pass
port. He asked the lawyer to interest him
self in the case. Leonard Immediately
wrote to Collins and received a reply CON
tanning many of the facts about the case,
and he at once began suit against the Span
ish government for 800 900 damages, at the
same time requesting the aid of the state
department at Washington. He received a
letter from Secretary Bayard saying that
| the department had been notified in 1880 Of
the outrage, and the American consul had
been instructed to investigate. Another
letter from the secretary of state was to
| the effect that the consul had been in
structed in 1881 to begin suit on behalf Of
Collins, and still a later letter said that
since 1881 nothing had been heard
of the suit by the government officials.
Since his (the lawyer's) suit had been
pressed Collins had been subjected to
great indignity and that last summer he
received letter from Collins saying that
his house had e en burned and his wife, a
native, and mis- children were without
shelter. He sent Collinstletter to Secre-
tary Blaine with a request that action be
taken and has not yet had reply from
Washington. One day Lala called at his
Office and told him he had Just got letter
from his father who said Collins had dis
appeared and had probably been murdered
in order to prevent him from testifying in
the suit