The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-19
FELIPE BUENCAMIN.I.
An Interesting Chapter of the War in
 the Philippines.

[Copyright. 1898, The Associated Press,l
 Manila, June 24.-Felipe Buencamlno is a Filipino who was friendly to Spain and joined in the compromise agree ment whereby the Spaniards hoped to conciliate the rebel leaders without sacrificing too much. The Assembled Filipino" was a native assembly insti- tuted with great flourish of trumpets, as sort of home rule parliament. The insurgents say 1t is mefely a ruse, coun- tenanced only by hirelings, who are unpatriotic and unrepresentative. The principal man associated with it is Pedro Paterno who was chiefly instru- mental in mediating between the au- thorites and the insurgent leaders last December, when Aguinaldo was induc- ed to lay down his sword and go away from the Philippines. This man Pa terno had at one time great influence with the natives, and espoused the cause of reform only for the purpose of selling the cause to the Spaniards for money, say his enemies. At any rate he is now the advocate of the Spanish authorities and issues piteous appeals to the victorious insurgents to abandon their evil ways and join hands with the Spaniards against the common foe, the American heretic, lest all alike perish not only in this world but also in the hereafter The insurgents, on their side, swear to tear Paterno limb from limb as a renegade Filipino, foreworn and faithless, prostituting his race for dirty dollars, a hireling scoundrel fit perhaps to be a Spaniard but not a Filipino.
 These predatory remarks are neces- sary to explain the following procla- nation:
 Manifesto.
 Dear Brother Filipinos:
 With the intention of fulfilling duty of brotherhood which I have to dis charge before the eyes of all honorable men, I bring to your notice the facts connected with my mission from Lieu tenant Colonel Anda-y- y-Zalazar, com manding the Third section, Spanish army; and with my presnt position here in the rebel camp as simple servant Stt the dictator himself down to the lowest soldier.
 As the facts in question are set forth in letter of this date from myself to the captain general, Don Basilio Au- gustin, I quote it in full and thereby, in my opinion, best attain the above object.
 'Cavite, June g. 1898.
 ITO His EXcellency Don Basilio Augus- tin:
 My Respected General:
 Il write to you on this, the 17th day of my confinement in this city of Ca- vite as prisoner, and write with the Dictator Aguinaldos permission, to tell all that has occurred before my eyes since I came with your authority to negotiate with the said Aguinaldo, with the object of securing his adher- ence to the Spanish cause.
 First, I have to report that I was re- l ceived with the reverse of a welcome. l doubtless on account of Senor Aguin- l aldo having on q previous occasion been | ignominiously fooled by your excellen- l cy's predecessor, General Primo de Ri- | vera and by Don Pedro A. Paterno; for 1 these gentlemen most shamefully broke | the conditions of the agreement made | at Biak-na- -bato. I, therefore, on my | present mission was taken for another
 Paterno and your excellency was re- l garded as another Rivera Under these unfavorable conditions I was ordered
 to be detained and subjected to an in- | terrogation, in which the first and in | fact the only question was, Have you come with the document which Don Pa
 terno presented to us in Biak-na-ba "I said that 1 had not, but had come | on my own initiative with your excel 1 lency's authority, to state that, in view l of the American invasion the country was in arms, and that Aguinaldos ac- tion in starting fresh insurrection in favor of the Americans had led to a | civil war, which could have no other result but the ruin of the country, with | out doing the least good, to the one | side or the other, and he would be very l stupid to contemplate giving the Amer | jeans everything they could wish for l and causing all of us to be destroyed | According to my way of thinking, | said it would be a great mistake. With | this the conference closed and I was
 notified that l was under arrest, be. | cause I had no satisfactory credentials | to support my claim to be a bona l fide envoy There were some who urg. | ed that I should be shot as a spy, but | the humanity of the dictator prevented | that.
 | (Note of translator (As to these sus 1 picions of Bueneamino's bona fides, i
 was commonly rumored in Manila tha
 several natives were trying to win tho
 $25, 900 offered by the Manila authori
 ties for Aguinaldos head Any sucf | person. failing to get near Aguinaldo il
 any other way might well try as an en | voy, and it is strange that BuencaminC
 had no credentials. A suspect unde
 arrest would write any sort of letter t
 his principal, with the hope of concili
 ating his captors. On the day of hi arrest (May 24) Aguinaldo promptly is
 sued an order that, in view of the pric
 put on his (Aguinaldo's) head, h
 would in future shoot anybody comin: as an envoy without proper creden
 tials.)
 | Returning to my prison, which is tn house of Ozorlo, the Chinaman, I wa
 completely cut off from all communica
 tion for several days. during which
 saw through the window a constan
 stream of carts laden with rifles. can | non and ammunition, going to tn