The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-29
INSURGENT FLAG
FLYING At ILOILO
,aptured the Town and HOiSted A6ui-
naldO'S COlOrS.
THEY WILL Be DISLODGED
Lay Become Necessary for Gen. Otis
to Use Pores.
GREAT ANXIETY IN WASHINGTON
Administration Dislikes to Order Troops
to Take Up Arms Against the
Nativ es, But 1t May Have
to Be Done.

Washington, December 28-There is a
good deal of anxiety in official circles here
over recent events at Iloilo. Two official
dispatches have been received by the state
and war departments, but it is impossible to
gather from them any accurate knowledge
as to the condition there. 1t is not even
possible to learn whether the insurgents or
the American forces have taken the place.
This morning United States Consul Pratt,
at Singapore, cabled TO the state depart
ment: "Iloilo taken 9th; Spanish fled to
Borneo."
This threw the officials into deeper doubt
than before. The American expedition
which left Manila to go to Iloilo, 1000 troops
and the warships Baltimore and Cailao,
would scarcely have had time, 1t is said,
to have reached Iloilo by the 9th. So the
inference is that the insurgents are in pos
session.
A Discrepancy
Color is lent to this belief by the fact re-
ported in one telegram that the Spanards
had retreated to a strongly fortified town
on the island of Mindanao. This does not
agree with Consul Pratt's statement that
they fed to Borneo, the north coast of
which is a British possession; but 1t is be-
lieved that the consul is in error on this
point, which might easily be the case in
view of the distance from his post to Iloilo.
The fact that the Spanards have retreat
ed at all is also construed an indication
that the town was abandoned to the insur-
gents, for it is believed that Colonel Rios,
the Spanish commander, would have cheer
fully surrendered to the American force
with view to securing the safety of his
men and the ultimate return to Spain by
the American government according to
the terms of the treaty.
The Dispatch a Secret
The officials at the war department still
decline to make public General Otis tele-
gram of yesterday, but there is no doubt
that he is meeting with great difficulty in
his effort to secure the release of the Span
ish prisoners held by the Fiipinos. 1t be-
gins to appear clearly that considerable
element among the Filipino leaders-prob-
ably majority-are disposed to these
unfortunate prisoners as a basis for nego-
tiations with the United States government,
making their release conditional upon GER
tain more or less important concessions de-
manded by them.
1t is not yet a foregone conclusion that
the terms cannot be arranged by private
conferences in Manila to secure the release
of these men, but the United States govern
ment, being now pledged by treaty to free
them, must use other means If peaceful
representations fail.
Otis Knew What to DO
General Otis has been instructed on this
point, and the war department has conf
dence in his experience and sound judg-
ment, and, believing that from his pres
ence on the scene he is better capable of
dealing with the situation than officials
here, has confined itself to a statement of
what must be done towards securing the
prisoners, leaving it to General Otis to de-
wise the ways and means and the carrying
out of the plans.
Just beore noon another dispatch came
, from General Otis that at once confirmed
the fears of the officials of the war depart
ment to what had taken place at Iloilo.
1t appears that the American forces had
arrived too late on the scene and that the
insurgents had added to the difficulty of
the problems already presented by hosting
their flag over the city, which they have
been beseiging for months. The news was
contained in the following message from
General Otis:
Cablegram from Otis
Manila, December 27.-Adjutant General,