Omaha daily bee., 1899-04-11
FILlPINOS' SIDE OF THE CASE
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Continued from First pageD
by the Americans at the taking Of Cavite.
Agulnaldo raised an army and promised
Admiral Dewey that the warfare should be
conducted upon the recognized methods OF
modern warfare; that there should be no
cruelty, murder nor pillage. Notwith-
standing reports that may have been cablcd
and written to the United States to the
contrary, the Filipinos have openly chal-
lenged anyone to prove one single in
stance where this promise has been vio-
lated They fought the Spanlards every
inch OF the way from Cavite right into the
walled city OF Manila They captured town
after town with thousands OF prisoners and
today hold a considerable number Of tesu-
monlals from Spanish officers and priests
setting forth their gratitude for the kind
manner in which they had been treated.
when Aguinado and his followers left on
the McCulloch, in their enthusiasm three
Filipnos in Hong Kong rakcd together by
subscription 100000, which they put into the
hands Of Consul General Wildman for the
purpose of buying arms and ammunition and
sending an expedition over to fight
the common enemy. They afterwards
put into the hands OF Wildman,
on the 9Th day Of June, 1895 $4,000 more
ton, and he has also received various other
sums of money for which they have never
received any return whatever, and today
there Is a suit pending in the Hong Kong
courts asking MIR. Wildman to account to
them for $4,000.
Merritt Changes the Tactics.
up to the time of the arrival of General
Merritt there was complete harmony and II
thorough understanding and cooperation be,
tween tho Americans and the Filipinos. The
general arrived here, so 1t is claimed, with
orders that he must avoid compromising his
government by any act of recognition OF the
Fiipinos. Instead of temporizing and eX-
planning the position to the Filipnos or CIV
ing them assurances that their past services
would be recognized in some shape or form,
he apparently thought that his proper course
of action was to ignore them entirely, re,
fuse all overtures from them and, in fact, as
later events will show, humiliate and abuse
them.
"Ono of the conditions of the treaty OF the
surrender of Manila, as signed between
American and Spanish officials. was that in
the event of the withdrawal of the Americas
and Spanish forces from the Philippines the
arma and ammunition surrendered by the
spaniards would be returned to them. /
nected with Aguinaldo and the Filipinos
that General Aguinaldo repeatedly advised
the Americans that the reason that the Fill
pinos still remained under arms was because
of their fear that the Americans would
withdraw and return the arms and ammu-
nition to the Spanish soldiers, from whom
they could expect no mercy. They also
promised that if the United States officials
would assure them that the islands would not
be returned to Spain they would lay down
their arms at once and go back to then
homes and occupations. In fact the Fiji
ipinos were not in a financial position to
support the army that they were keeping
I'D and to continue to feed Spanish prisoners.
None We're so anxious as they to lay down
their arms, but to all their overtures no
answer would be given and, in fact their
emissaries were treated with the greatest
contempt and ridicule, very often being de-
MED an audience even with the under off,
cials. l have the following facts from a
gentleman residing in Manila at the time
and whose statements feel safe in guaran-
teeing to be true.
Repent of Their Promises.
at was common talk in the cafes that
the Americans, repenting OF their promises
and assurances made to Aguinaldo, were
seeking a pretext to justify reputation
of them, and that the best possible course
to this end would be to bring about a con-
flict trick that was practiced in the
second week of September is still fresh in
the minds of both American and Filipino
officers and civilians in Manila. Word was
sent in from one Of the American cutpcsts
that a Filipino soldier had notified the sem
try that If the American force was no.
withdrawn from that particular outpost
within thirty minutes they would be fired
upon. The threat was Immediately sent to
headquarters and general alarm prevailed.
Troops were hurried to the front, and the
whole city of Manila was in a state OF
excitement; as the rumor was carried from
mouth to mouth it was considerably added
to and intensified, until the report was
current that general attack had been made
by the insurgents, and that fighting was
going on at the front. a friend of the Fill
pinos Immediately rode to their headquar-
ters in the suburbs, which were in charge
of Mr. Sandico; there everything was found
to be quiet, and everyone in complete ig-
norance of the alarm existing in the city.
Upon being informed of the state or affairs
Sandico Immediately sought out prominent
American officer, and with him rode to the
outpost in question, where 1t was found
that they, too, like Sandico, were in com
pete ignora Ace OF any proposed attack, and
although inquiry was made OF all the out
posts no one could be found that knew
anything of the rumor.
Next day an order was Issued by Gen
eral Otis, commanding the Filipinos, to
evacuate the quarters they then occupied
within the lines of the American soldiers
within three days. This order was no douo;
a wise one, but IL the American commanc
ers had notified Aguinaldo that owing to
the increasing rumors and alarm it was
deemed advisable that the Filipinos should
be withdrawn and a neutral zone estab-
lished between the two forces, thereby re-
ducing the possibility of a conflict the re-
quired object would have been attained and
a better feeling existed. Instead OF this
the orders was harsh and peremptory; they
were given three days to move out. To
those unacquainted with the state Of af-
fairs the hardshirs resulting from this or
der may not be generally understood the
officers and soldiers Of the Filipnos were
quartered in houses, and to move from these
quarters into an open country with no tents
or camp equipage in a season OF the year
when tropical showers were Of daily
currence, meant prvation and hardship.
Notwithstanding this, and although they
were given three days to move out, on the
second day they marched out with flags
waving, and actually giving cheers for their
American friends