The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-21
CELLS OPENED AT MANILA.
HUNDREDS OF VICTIMS OF SPANISH
INJUSTICE FREED.
In Dungeons for Years without
Trial-WOmen and Babes Among

Those Incarcerated.
Manila Letter in St. Louis Globe-Demo-
crat.
The wrost arraignment and condemna-
ton of Spain's miserable colonial system
is TO be found In the prisons and peniten-
tiaries of Manila. The invading Ameri-
can army found the dungeons filled with
hundreds of prisoners who had been
thrust into confinement without charge,
without trial and without prospect of ever
again gaining freedom. on the mere com
mand of some petty military or civil Of
fetal. Under the inquitous system which
has long prevailed here there has been an
absolute suspension of all of the ordinary
inalienable rights that advancement and
civilization have given to mankind and
every human decency outraged. Most of
the victims of misrule found behind the
bars were being punished for indulging
in the simple luxury of thinking, or of
being suspected of thought In many in
stances the Spaniards did not give their
victims the privilege of knowing for what
they were being punished, but simply
seized and confined them. Nor has this
indecent system been the product of the
recent instruction, for there are politl-
cal offenders who have spent ten and
twelve years behind the gloomy prison
walls. Natives who bore the arms of
Spain and were suspected of a desire to
rebel and members of the Catapuna APP
pear to have been special victims of
Spain's cruelty.
The Catapuna is a sort of Masonic or
do. hot
membership 1t is a secret organization,
and while ii bears a general resemblance
to Masonry possesses none of the land
marks of that organization, and it is not
| in any way allied with it, 1t has been
opposed by church and state, and its aims
| and objects are as stoutly attacked al
| they are spiritedly defended 1t does not
| appear to have played any part in the in
surrection, but to have confined itself to
| the ordinary functions of such a society.
| 1t has, however, won the hatred of this
viceregal government, and the treatment
| of its members whenever they have been
caught has been inhuman.
In dealing with prisoners of all sorts
| Spain has not recognized a single civil
| lized method. The victims of intrigue and
| disfavor have been dragged from their
| homes and cast into prison, tried before
incompetent tribunals. denied the right of
| a hearing before their peers, and con-
| demned by improper testimony. There
| has been but one avenue to freedom, and
| that the bride 1t is an open and noto-
rious fact beyond the pale of dispute and
| past the contradiction of any testimony
| that might be offered that the local courts
| and the men charged with the administra-
ton of justice-save the name-have for
years past been open to the bribe-giver.
They have gone on for years selling the
| gifts of the blind justice. and many of
| them have unblushingly boosted of their
| conduct. Their victims may be numbered
| by the hundreds, and the story of their
| misdeeds forms the worst chapter of this
| Infamous government. Their machina-
| tons have not been confined to man. for
| twenty-eight women, nearly all accused
| Of political crimes, were found In the local
| penitentiaries. AS quickly as individual
| cases of this infamous injustice can be
| investigated the United States military
| authorities have been opening the prison
| gates and freeing the victims.
Never were the beneficiaries of justice
and enlightenment more thankful, and
| never was better lesson in the mission
| of the American people read than the adj
| dress made TO each man as he walks from
| the prison He is told that the United
| States has no political offenses. That in
| America men are permitted to think and
| talk as they will as long as peace Is pre-
served, and that open opposition to any
| policy of government is not crime. They
are told that every American is part of
| the government; that no man can be con-
| fined without being charged and tried by
his peers, and that the law presumes his
| innocence until the contrary is shown.
| The unfortunate fellows seem unable to
| grasp the force of what is told them, but
they have its confirmation in freedom.
| Capt w. P. Moffett of Company A of
the First North Dakota Regiment, is the
| new American governor of the local pris-
| ons and police stations, and in his line of
| duty he has been investigating the case
| of every individual prisoner under his
| charge He has been assisted by Sandico
| Aguinaldos personal representative in
| Manila and the latter, already familiar
with most of the political cases has been
| invalua BILE in determining the meritorious
| ones. When Moffett was made governor
| of the prisons he found that there were
| two large penitentiarieS, one known as
| the Preside and the other as Bilibid and
| a number of small stations. The Preside
| prison he found was used largely for the
| confinement of criminals and Bilibid
| largely for political offenders, and that
| they jointly contained about 1890 men,
| women and children. Under Spanish rule
they were in charge of governor, COM
| mandante captain and lieutenant. They
| were located east of Tondo, al the head
| of Gale Pedro but the office from which
| they administered was located in the
| quarters of the civil governor in the old
| city. Moffett's first act was to Demand
| llSt or roll OF the pllSOhSiN anu II was
| four days before the unwilling Spanish
officials complied with his request, and
then the information was not complete
| The list did contain the name, dates of
| incarceration. charges and the condemn
ing courts or processes, but not the SEN
| fences. The list showed that a majority
| of the prisoners had been tried by courts
martial or disposed of by the simple order
| of the captain general.
| Later Moffett succeeded in finding many
! commitment papers and the prison rec
| ords and these, as a rule showed the
courts accusations and sentences. He be-
gan first at Bilibid and for starter
took up the cases Of the twenty-eight wo-
men held there Something of the nature
| of his work on the first day may be
| gained from the fact that he released sew
| enteen of the women. The first woman
| whose case he examined belonged to one
| political group. They were arrested on
| the island of Negras on July II, 1889. for