Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-11-18

WEYLER's STEAL.
Details Of the Looting Of the Philippine
Treasury Unearthed by Captain
Moffet Of Company A.
Direct evidence connecting Gen. Wey-
Ter, Of Cuban fame and memory, with
the wholesale looting Of the Philippine
treasury, has been unearthed in the Bill.
ibid prison and books Of the treasury,
and Maximiano Rosales and Julian
Reyes, sent to prison as scapegoats for
vice regal thieves, have been liberated.
Deliverance came too late for a third
prisoner, convicted on perjured testi-
mony of the same crime, for he died in
Bilibid eight days before the American
army entered the city.
When Capt, Moffet, superintendent Of
the prisons, began his investigation of
the cases of the prisoners confined in
Bilibid, Rosales and Reyes declared that
they were unjustly suffering for the
crimes Of others, and begged that their
cases be reopened. They ayerred that
Weyler and his associates had looted the
treasury Of about 81, 100000 in Mexican
silver, and that they had been accused
of the crime and sent to Jail.
Moffet made a report Of the startling
claim to Gen. Macarthur, and an exami-
nation Of the books at the treasury was
ordered. The latter showed that during
the Weyler regime several immense
sums of money had been withdrawn, and
there was an unsatisfactory showing as
to the disposition of it. No attempt had
been made apparently to cover up the
entire amount, and the deficit was OK
planned by the arrest Of Rosales and his
two companions and their conviction of
a charge of theft.
Rosales was submitted to a series of
careful examinations, and there was an
examination of every circumstance pos
sible to establish or disprove his story.
The officers who handled the cas- are not
sure that Rosales, and possibly Reyes,
did not receive a liberal cash reward for
taking the blame and facing the dis.
grace of felony. Rosales has ample
means, and his cell in Bilibid was made
comfortable during his stay in it. The
officers were convinced, however, that
there had been a grand conspiracy to
rob the colonial safe, and that Weyler
and other high officials got the bulk OF
the money.
RosALEs' STORY.
Rosales was ono of the cashiers at the
treasury, and he goes so far as to declare
Weyler himself came to the treasury to
aid in the crime. H asserts that he was
forced to stand at attention while the i'm.
perial robber helped himself to the cash.
At the time of the robbery there was an
ugly scandal, and Rosales asserts that
but for the necessity of %appeasing the
Disguised people, he would not have
been arrested and sent to Jail. He as
serted further that the facts were quite
generally known, and offered to rest hit
case on the testimony of some of his fol.
low clerks and others who were familiar
with the facts. Rosales was not given a
particularly good character by the test
mony, which was secretly taken, but
that tended to confirm his story.
It wa decided, in addition to freeing
Rosales and Reyes, to make a full invest.
igation Of the case, with a view to estab.
fishing the facts. The two prisoners
have just been turned loose on the fol
lowing special order:
Office Of the Military Governor III til,
Philippine Islands, Manila, P. l., Sept.
81, 1898.-Special Order No. 1: "Aftel
an investigation of the cases of Maxi
miano Rosales and Julian Reyes, prison
ers in confinement in ono of the prison.
OF this city, convicted and sentenced b.
the Spanish authorities in 1894 to a tern
of penal servitude of four years and tw.
months, on charges of ~malfeasance il
office and purloining public funds, ant
upon the Recommendation of the proves
marshal general Of the city, who ha.
most carefully considered these cases OF
their merits, in connection with thei
long confinement and physical condition
that clemency he shown, a full pardon
to the prisoners herein named is hereb.
granted, and it is ordered that they b.
released from confinement immediatel,
and restored to liberty.
By command of Maj. Gen. Otis.
THOMAS H.. BARRY,
Assistant Adjutant General.
Official: HENRY G. CABELL,
Assistant Adjutant General.
Weyler has long been credited witt
stealing a fortune there during his ad
ministration, but was always believed t
have possessed more finesse ms a robbie
than as a highwayman.
Moffet continues to unearth shocking
cases of injustice in the local prisons
I~ 10 Lf-. 5000 ~l~~