The age-herald., 1898-08-18
ANOTHER LOT 
 OF PRISONERS.
Seven Thousand Added to the
 List by ManiIa's Fall.
THE CITY IS NOW HELD
By Military Occupation and Not By Virtue of the Peace Protocol Had Not Been Notified
 of Its Existence.

Washington, Aug. 1.-The government re- ceived the first direct official information today of the surrender of. Manila, after a combined land and bombardment last Saturday. It came in dispatches from Ad- miral Dewey, brought from Manila to Hong Kong on the dispatch boat Zafiro The admiral sent two dispatches, the first one brefly reciting the essential facts. and given out earlier in the day.
 The second dispatch from the admiral had not been deciphered up to noon. They were received early in the morning, and after the first one had been translated Acting Secretary Allen carried it over to the white house and laid it before the presi- dent. While 1t bore out the news already brought up by press dispatches, yet it established the additional point that some 1000 prisoners of war were now held by the American commanders and that no casualties in the navy or damage to ships had occurred.
 Nov taat the surrender is officially re- ported, it can be stated that Manila is be- ing held by virtue of the military occupa- tion and surrender and not by virtue of the protocol. The difference is said to amount to little in practical results, yet such as 1t is, the officials agree that the occupation is the result of the combined military and naval operations.
 According to Admiral Deweys dispatch the surrender occurred about p. m last Saturday. The peace protocol was signed at 4:23 D. m. on Friday. It Is said that the difference in time between Manila and Washington is such that the surrender reckoned on Washington time would be about twelve hours ahead of the time at Manila, or about a m. Saturday morn ing In point of actual time, therefore, the signing of the peace protocol preceded the actual surrender of Manila by few hours. But 1t Is a we'll established rule of military law, accepted the world over, that a peace armistice or cessation of hostilities does not become binding upon commanding officers until served with actual notice of 1t. The following argument is used:
 Article 139-An armistice is binding upon the belligerents from the day of the agreed commencement, but the officers of the army are responsible from the day only when they received official notice of its existence
 Under this rule Admiral Dewey and Gen. eral Merritt would be bound by the armis- tice only from the time the notice of 1t reached them at Manila This could not have occurred on Saturday, prior to the bombardment, as the cable was not work ing and no dispatch boat could have got ten through with the notice before Monday or Tuesday. i.-,,.r
 In short, it is agreed in all official quar- -Aers that the forcible taking of Manila was entirely regular; that the city and bay 10 now held on the basis of this military law and enforced rather than on the basis of mutual understanding between the two countries. The question arises as to the future of the Philippines. for it is likely to proceed from the American standpQipt that Manila was taken by foSeses'J5f of Arms. and is so occupied.
 There has peat1 no time to consider what will be de5544Ie with the 1000 Spanish prison- pe1 l1fs taken, but the fact that an amicable un- derstanding had been reached with Spain as to the occupation of Manila will prob- ably operate to Tighten the condition of these prisoners.