Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-12
LETTERS IN SOAP.
Attempt to SmagEIe Communications
to AguinaldO Through Our Lines.


From the New York Sum-
In dealing with the Fihpinos as enemies
the United States soldiers have found that
they are not doing business with a race of
billiards. On the contrary, it takes a wide
awake sentinel to avoid being fleeced by the
astute followers of Aguinaldo. With great
city full of plotting natives and the lines
outside swarning with insurgents anxious
to get in, the soldiers have had their hands
full.
Arms have been found in every conceiva-
BILE place by the provost police, and nave
even been Intercepted while being struggled
into the city in eoffns; Ihere are certa sI,
roads leading out of the city into the in
surgent lines over which the authorities
deem 1t safe to allow little traff1c between
city and country. For instance, snoulueF
cargoes of cigarettes for the interior inhab-
itafts are allowed to pass, but a nag OF
salt is considered contraband of war In
view of discoveries that have been maoe, IL
is now the duty of sentries to squeeze every
bundle that goes past them whether IL
looks suspicious not -Four copies OF
telegram to Aguinaldo We're recently dls-
the Colorado volunteers hidden away nicely
in cakes of soap.
For some reason or other sentry, past
whom aged old man tried to hobble with
two baskets full of produce, Jailed to see
why the insurgents should be allowed 10
use soap. He went through the Old man
load and unearthed several long bars OF
cheap-looking yellow I've soap. rms ne
threw by the roadside and then allowed the
carrier to pass on. The fellow gathered up
his burden and took the highway with sur
prising alacrity: The swittness OF ms move
ments was explained several days lader by
George Settle, Harry Culver ana Ora Fer
rill, all bandsmen, when they became pos
SCISSORS of the soap. The bars mad lam I'm
der a tree unmoleSted for some time. Set
tie wanted to wash his clothes and consid-
cred that he had made valuable find when
he came upon the soap. Culver and Ferr1li
DISPUTED his assertion that il was good
soap, and during the argument, one cake
was broken in two, and out popped paper
nicely rolled in the form of a small GYM
der.
1t proved to be one full sheet of foolscap
paper written closely in Spanish and giving
d report to Aguinaldo of the actions OF his
soldiers who had been in the city when hos
tiIities began and were never able to get
out again. The particular event referred to
in the letter was the instruction OF the
night Of February -, when Ffhpinos set
fire to the Tondo district, Manila, and fired
on the provost police from the windows OF
houses 1t seems that Lemone Lenas, col
onel of the Blancas Armas regiment of the
Philippine army and the writer of the let
ter, gathered twenty men about him that
night 20 destroy Manila
We set fire TO the buildings around the
Quartet de Meisic, the letter read, ''and
advanced to slaughter the American SOL
dierS as they ran out. They came in such
profusion, however, that We realized that
instant death awaited us and We scat
tered
In another place the colonel said that the
fires We're raging so fiercely that there was
danger of their losing their lives by roast
ing, and they preferred to die fighting. In
deliberate lie at the close of the letter
the insurgent colonel reports that his TWEEN
~ men had succeeded in killing eight
Americans and had three of their own
number wounded. The fact is that only one
or two Americans were injured on that
memorable night.
The band men of the Colorado regiment
immeditely made further investigation of
their laundry finds and unearthed three
other letters, exact copies of the first each
in a separate bar OF soap. 1t had evidently
been the intention of the sender to smuggle
the four copies through the lines with the
hope that at least one of them would reach
Aguinaldo at Malolos