The record-union., 1898-05-03

:
ish fleet on Sunday. Blanco concen-
trated his forces in Manila that were
not shut up in smaller places by the
rebel investment The rebels made
many attacks on Manila at this time
/ but were repulsed, and on the Both Of
August in an engagement lost sixty
men killed. The rebels took care to in
jure no foreigners, but the Spaniards
were treated with great ferocity and
cruelty. The Spanish showed no
mercy on their side, and were guilty of
horrible atrocities, malignant and
shocking in the extreme. For instance
they shut up 169 prisoners of war in a
dungeon of Fort Sebastian, where the
rising tide closed the ventilators, and
seventy of the wretched men We're suf-
focated. Other prisoners We're packed
| in ships holds until many Of them were
smothered. The old tortures Of the
Inquisition were revived, such as tive
thumb screw, dropping water on the
head for long time, driving nails
/ through the hands and fingers to ex-
/ tort confessions, etc.
] On both sides cunning and horrible
brutalities were practiced For instance,
mutilation Of the body, disemboweling
alive, etc, We're common. In one case
the Spanish murdered a native band
that had surrendered. The rebels there
upon seized a Spanish Lieutenant, and,
pinning him to a tree, tortured him to
death and maltreated his wife and
daughter The friars, Of the same or
/ der as those spoken of in the dispatches
| in Mondays Record Union" were so
hated then that the rebels wreaked
special vengeance upon them whenever
taken. These friars are Franciscans
and Dominicans. Some of the latter,
in one case 100 of them in a group,
were dismembered slowly. On neither
side was quarter shown.
Meanwhile in Manila arrests contin-
ued and executions were. constant. In
one day Blanco ordered thirty prison
ers shot on the plaza to terrify the ma
tives The merchants largely fed to
Hongkong and Singapore. On septem-
Der 18th it is recorded that Blanco had
thirteen Government officials taken out
and shot, they being natives, rich pro-
prietors and professional men and mer-
chants
Blanco in this month received more
troops from Spain, but remained in
Manila with them, while the rebels con-
centrated about Cavite, receiving guns
and ammunition from Annoy Singapore
and Hongkong Thus they accumulated
some 5000 Mauser rifles and lot of
old guns In the dispatches of the
IRE xord- Union" it will be remembered
it was stated the other day that the
rebels had lately, on trumped-up
peace, surrendered a lot of old guns, but
kept the Mauser rifles. These were the
| guns they secured in 1896. In Septem-
Der there were %, 900 rebels in arms in
seven provinces. The fighting was con-
slant. and the successes and defeats
about the same on each side.
| In one case the rebels captured the
| Governor of a province; in another they
very nearly took a Spanish gunboat
| BIanco now issued a decree that the
property Of all people implicated in the
insurrection was forfeit to the Govern
ment. Following this, Spain sent him
| & 900 more troops. and he then set out
| from Manila for distant points to sup
press the rebellion, leaving 12,00O in
surrectionists before Manila at Cavite.
In the campaign that followed the en-
gagements were frequent, the losses on
both sides heavy, the rebels losing most
heavily, as the Spanish were best
armed.
Though the Spanish captured many
towns and killed some 1000 rebels, the
latter were not disheartened, and the in
surrection grew until not less than $1,000
Insurgents were gathered at Cavlte
and adjacent provinces alone. What
the rebels lacked most was competent
leaders: they do not appear to have de-
veloped, as most revolutions do, men
equal to the occasion.
In December BIanco advanced upon
Cavite with a column 5000 strong, but
was repulsed with heavy losses, but the
next day he drove the insurgents out
Of their intrenchments at one point, but
there the royal army came against an
| tmpregnable wall Of rebel soldiers, and
was forced to retire into Manila. The
campaign closed with the whole coun-
try full Of sedition. Rebellion grew IN
popularity. until one Spanish body Of
troops deserted and went over to the
enemy bodily.
Blanco was recalled. and General Po-
livieja was sent to take his place. He
is represented as a second Weyler, only
more cruel and remorseless. Spain sent
him 1900 troops, and with these he
has waged active warfare, executing
prisoners as fast as he takes them, and
enforcing cruel orders against suspects
of all classes. He has won many vic
tories.
Early in February, 1896, he reported
the country pacified At that very hour
his guards in various places were
butchering political prisoners. During
| 1897 the rebels have several times arfs-
en-. but have not been able to make
much headway; but they have kept the
Spanish very busy and have given the
army no rest whatever.
The Cuban insurrection gives the
Philippine insurgents encouragement,
/ and the approach Of the ships Of Dewey