The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-28

III His Army Is Destroyed He Thinks
He Can Equip Another.


III His Army Is Destroyed He Thinks
He Can Equip Another.
Washington Special to St Louis Clobe-Dem-
ocrat.
The American Soldier is the name of a
weekly paper published at Manila by the
Eighth Army Corps. 1t is of eight pages,
five columns to the page, and the copy which
has just reached Washington contains some
very entertaining reading. One of the re-
porters of the American Soldier gives this
account of an interview with Aguinaldo at
Malolos:
My mind was somewhat confused when
/ entered the presence of Agunaldo. / had
expected to find an arrogant, egotstical
man, dressed in the height of military gor-
geoUsness. Instead, / found slightly pale
and somewhat intellectual parsonage,
dressed with a plainness that approached
severity, sitting at a cane table. which was
Altered with writing material. My entrance
was scarcely noticed. Only Don Felipe, the
minister Of war. favored me with bow and
smile of recognition. For a half hour
stood, hat in hand. before the insurgent
chief awaiting his pleasure. The silence
about the chamber was intense, and was
only broken by the annoying scratching of
the Presidents pen and the creaking of the
NeAAS hpOi do SOlHC ullCdSg VI lllG
retinue shifted his position.
AT last with due elaboration, Aguinado
laid aside his manuscript, and, glancing up
to me- said 10 Don Felipe: Who is this man,
and what is his businessY
The minister explained the purpose of my
visit, and it seemed to amuse the insurgent
chief greatly.
This is the first time 1 have ever been
intervied, ne said. and hardly know how to
act You wish to publish in your paper what
l have to say. Am l not right?'
''Then replying to my question, Aguinaldo
said: My troops are in the very best of
condition; we'll clothed, well fed. well paid.
Most of them have been supplied with new
Mauser rifles. which 1 purchased from the
representative of London house in Hong
Kong. The new recruits from the interior
are learning to be good soldiers, and are
gradually discarding the machete as their
chief weapon, finding the rifle far more eff
fective With view to disaster, / have
caused TO be concealed among the noun
tains of the interior munitions of war;
enough to equip an army of 5O,OO0 men,
Should my army be destroyed, l could re-
tire to these mountains safe from pursuit,
and recruit new army from the friendly
tribes, which, in one years time, would be
ready to assume the offensive in the field.
. i wish the Spanish press would cease
to clamor about the cruelty Of my soldiers
and the danger to Spanish property and life
should they occupy Manila. We have 10000
Spanish prisoners about MaloloS who are
being treated with great consideration. This
one fact should make the Spanish news
papers ashamed of the position they have
taken
blew and the interview was cut Off.
An account of Filipino funeral is given
the body was removed from the box and
placed I'm the open grave scarcely two feet
deep. and as the grave was not large
enough the dead man was taken out and
the hole enlarged. A second attempt was
made to bury the remains, but again the
body did not fit the grave and again it was
removed, while the hole was made larger.
Still third attempt was made before the
future abiding place was fitted to the body.
Even when this was cone the fit was not
a good one and the undertaken, who had
lost all patience with the obstinate corpse,
grasped a shovel and beat the remains into
the grave, his method of burial apparently
being approved by the funeral party.
This issue of the American Soldier tells of
the completion of an examination OF the
the result being the discovery that under the
Spanish regime more than $5O.O00O00 has been
accounted for in the past ten years. The re-
port says that the examination and disclos-
ures involve many high Spanish officials,
some of whom are now Under arrest at Ma
Mia One of the most interesting OF these
prisoners is an ariStocratic Spaniard who has
q beautiful home on the outskirts of Ma
Mia. where he lived with his two daughters.
This former official is under arrest upon
suspicion of having appropriated public
moneys to his own uses, although 1t Is be-
ueyed tnat the eVlueIce against MN Is not
sufficient to hold him on that charge. In
his bedroom was found. after his arrest, a
chest containing $4,000 in Spanish coin.
The biggest type in the office of the Amer
lean Soldier is employed to announce pay
day after this fashion:
Let the eagle scream. Let the cords be
pulled and the jolly good drinks flow freely.
Enjoy yourselves while you live; you will
be long time dead. Pay day has come in
all it's glory. No one enlisted in the Eighth
Army Corps for the love Of saving $l5 a
month, besides who would think or packing
around $500 copper coins for a couple of
vears2f