The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-12-28
IN HANDS OF
INSURGENTS.
IIOiIo Has Been Occupied by
the Forces Of AguinaIdo.
AMERICAN TROOPS TOO LATE.
Did Not Reach the Place Until Utter the
Insurgent Flag Was Run Up.
SpANIARDS WITHDREW ON path.
Conflicting Reports as 10 the Place Being Nov
Occupied by Them important Happenings
Looked For as a Result OF This More.

Washington. Dec. 2S.--There is q good
deal of anxiety in official circles here
over recent events at Iloilo. Two Off
cial dispatches have been received by
the state and war departments, but II
is impossible 20 gather from them an
accurate knowledge as 60 the conditions
there. III Is not even possible To learn
whether the insurgents or the Amerl-
can forces have taken the place. This
morning United States Consul Pratt at
Singapore cabled the state department:
"lioilo taken, cath; Spanish fled To
BorneO"
This threw the officials into deeper
doubt than before. The American ex-
pedition which left Manila TO go TO
lloilo, 1000 troops ana the Warships
Baltimore and Callao, would scarcely
have had time, it is said, to have reach
ed lloilo by the oath. So the inference
is that the insurgents are IN possession
Color is lent TO this belief by the fact
reported in one telegram that the Span
iards had retreated To- a strongly forti-
fied town on the island of Mindanao.
This does not agree with Consul Pratt's
statement that they had fled to Borneo,
the north coast of which is "a British
possession. but IL is believed that the
consul is i'm error on this point, which
might easily be the case. in view of the
distance from his post to lloilo. The
fact that the Spaniards have retreated
at all is also construed as an indica-
ton that the town was abandoned to
the insurgents. for IL is believed that
Coz. Rios, the Spanish commander
would have cheerfully surrendered TO
the American force with a view To Sc
curing the safety or his men and their
ultimate return to Spain by the Ameri-
can government, according to the terms
of the treaty.
Just before noon another dispatch
came from Gen. Otis that at once con-
firmed the fears OF the officials OF the
war department as to what had taken
place at Iloilo. IT appears that the
American forces had arrived too late
on the scene and that the insurgents
had added To the difficulty of the prob
lems already presented by hosting
thier flag over the city which they have
been beseiging for months. The news
was contained in the following message
from Gen. Otis:
Manila, Dec. 20.
Adjutant General. Washington.
Sent Col. Potter on fast vessel to IL
ilo on cath TO communicate with Span
ish general Rios; latter evacuated
evening of 24th and Potter 80 hours
late: insurgents took possession of city
on %, and Potter found Aguinaldo's
flag flying. Cannot now report probable
results; will not hear from there for
four days. as no cable communications.
Spanish forces have evacuated all sta
tions i'm southern islands except Zam-
boanga, Mindanao, by orders, as they
say, from Madrid. OTIS"
The evacuation of the Spaniards of
all the Philippine ports. as reported by
Gen. Otis. although doubtless inspired
by n desire To secure their safety by
concentration. undoubtedly has done
much To complcate the problem already
presented To the war department OF ex-
tending the military jurisdiction of the
United States over the Islands. IL VIII
now he necessary to expedite the exc
cution of the original plans and it may
be fully expected that within "A week
important events will have happened in
the Philippines. IL is Presumed that
Gen. Otis will demand the surrender OF
Iloilo into his hands and this demand
may at once raise the issue between
the insurgents and our own govern
mcnt of possession of the islands.