Evening star., 1898-08-19

slaught of the rebels I do not blame your
excellency nor your officers. 1 think you
all would do your duty till you died at
your posts, but / put my faith in the logic
OF hard facts. and see, to my sorrow. that
Aguinaido Is bound to win sooner or later,
and that nothing better is In store for your
excellency than a glorious death though a
sad and deplorable sort of glory. since II
involves the death of thousands of human
beings.
No Hope of Escape.
Manila is surrounded ashore and block
AIDED by sea, without hope of help from
anywhere, and Aguinaldo is ready 20 make
Use of the (AmericanD squadron to bonn
bard you If yo1 stubbornly continue to re-
sist Frankly. 1 know no other possibility
than death. But you are aware that the
entry of 100000 Indians, infuriated with
fierce fighting, intoxicated with victory, in
famed with bloodshed. means a massacre
In which none would be spared. not women
nor children nor Spanish priests especfaIIy
Irlars. think the laws of humanity should
lead your excelleucy to avert this by timely
surrender Glory and military duty are as
Gear as life Itself, or dearer but here they
mouit a. mean a sacrifice of the rights of hu-
nldnity, which ought to come before all
other considerations and all other duties.
Tour sxceilency must know, and grieve
10 say, that in view of the impotence dem
onstratcd before my eyes by the Spanish
army and its inability to uphold the soyer
eighty of Spain in these islands I have this
day decided to join the rebels and I firmly
oeieVe that in the eyes of God and of ali
rlght-th1nking men / am released from NV
oath of fealty to Spain the moment Snan-
iaLds themselves show that they cannot or
VIII not defend her with their lives Your
exceiiency must know that here in Cavite
are over one hundred volunteers killed or
wounded, while Spaniards remain safe and
Sound, saying openly that they do not care
TO night for the cursed cause of the friars.
with which, here and in Madrid is unfortu-
ha'eiy linked the cause of Spain.
AuEusti's Ideas.
FINALLY, beg your exce1lency to excuse
TINS long and painful letter. the fruit of my
earnest desire to avoid further bloodshed
ana trust you will come through this
crisis as well as may be-a crisis due to cir
cumstances utterly foreign to your own
ideas. for even in this camp of the enemy If
Is recognized that your ideas are broad, lib
erai and sound; but unhappily your excel
iency arrived in the Philippines just too late
TO Illustrate the revolutionary plans which
wSre then already far advanced having
been provoked by your predecessors breach
or fatth. 1t is now impossible to undo the
glorious and swift triumphs of the rebel
fosts against the Spanish army. Nav God
enlighten your excellency to the acceptance
or my advice to capitulate instead of fight
ing to the death, inasmuch as it is empha-
siZed by the said reality, which your ex-
cellency undoubtedly sses and feels already
l repeat, God guide your excelIency's
thoughts and keep you and your family In
health. and in case of the family becoming
prisoners, assuredly Aguinaldo will give in
structions for the b,st treatment
Such are the wishes of your former
subordinate and present intending rebel,
S. S. q. S: m. b..
FELIPE BUENCAMINO.'
Seized the Friars
To this letter Buencamino added a post
script on June u. bringing up to date the
tale of insurgent victories and mentioning
the declaration of independence. In Batan-
zas the friars collected all the money and
valuables they could get from the converts
and churches and fed to an island: Agutn-
also sent force after them and seized ali.
The rebels are willing to accord honorable
terms of caDitulation, a free passage to
Spain for all Spaniards who wish, and lib
erty and protection to all who will remain
under the new regime.
After. reproducing in full the letter TO
General Augustin, Buencamino resumes his
address to his brother Filipinos, in these
terms:
Having relied on the valor and worth
of the SDaniands and on their history and
vaunted superiority OF race, ] offered my
life and the lives of a thousand other Fill
pinos as volunteers to defend Spain against
her foes, but, in view of their miserable
exhibition of cowardce and stupidity end
ing in their capture by the rebels without
resisting they ought, and always making
my volunteers take the brunt of the fight
ing, l am convinced that the Spaniards are
not brave. are not our superiors, and are
altogether incapable Of upholding their
sovereignty in the Philippines. From the
moment this was clear, they have forfeited
the right to rule u.s. and my duty of loyalty
to them ceases at the same time.
He Joined the Rebels.
81. therefore, join the rebels and work
energetically for cur Independence, which
/ perceive to be clearly sanctioned by God,
the eternal Judge of all great disputes be-
tween human nations. In fact, God in His
inscrutable wisdom. derreed that in the
sixteenth century fifty Spanish soldiers
and one friar should conquer these is
lands, and today. after more than $50
years of. domira ation.. God DEGREES that
humble individual, almost unknown, named
Don Emilio Aguinaido7 is to carry out the
mightiest rebellion ever known. in the far
east.
Il recognize the force of solid facts, and
1 bow my head before the great events /
see, in SO few days.. achieved by special
sanction Of heaven. In my opinion that is
the only explanation of the long list of
victories won by Aguinald6 in less than
twenty days since he returned from Hong
Kong.
reasons for my conversion reasons which,
in the eyes of God and of all right-thinking
men, relieve me OF my former obligations
to Spain. l speak without restraint, be-
cause from this day we have on the side
of our independence the only severe and
impartial judge Of the conduct of your
brothers (sic). whether they fight in the
camp of the Spaniards or follow the impet-
uous course of the triumphal march of the
revolution. +r-s
with affectionate salutations and pray
ers for your hearth and brotherhood from
your humble brother.
..FFTdPE RITENC AMINO,