The San Francisco call., 1899-10-13
CAPTURED
TOWNS ARE
ABANDONED
General Schwan's Expedition
Marching Back to
Manila.
HAS MANY PRISONERS
Filipinos Reoccupy Trenches as
Soon as the American Troops
Withdraw.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


MANILA, Oct 12.-General Schwans
expedition having accomplished its OBJ
ject, the troops are all returning to their
former positions, abandoning the towns
taken. General Schwan is en- route from
Perez de Marinas to linus, with the in
fantry while the artillery and cavalry
and all mule teams are retracing their
route from Malabon to Bacoor, with the
signal corps removing the wires. General
Trias, with the organized bodies of insur-
gents, retreated to Slang and 1ndang, at
the base of the mountain.
The movement of United States troops
was q fine display of American general
ship and energy, while the Filipinos made
what General Alexandra terms our pc
culiar method of warfare"
The whole country is an immense
swamp, and the F1lipinos never expected
that the Americans could or would at
tempt TO invade it during the wet season
Moreover, the line of march furnlsheq
succession of surprises, the advancing
troops being generally attacked from the
unexpected points.
In Cavite province, the scene of the hot
over the Spaniards, the Filipinos might
have been expected to make resolute
stand, if anywhere, but after their whip
pings at Cavite, Viejo and Noveleta their
tactics consisted chiefly in continuous
exhibition of their agility and their trans
formation from warriors to amigos.
The marines, While recOnnOlterlnS ABOUT
the scene Of Sundays encounter, find
that the trenches have been already re-
occupied, although the enemy manifested
more than their usual willingness to re
treat before the Americans. Bands have
appeared along the shore road between
Bacoor and Rosario and the troops re-
turning by that route expect another
fight at Rosario. At Malabon the Ameri-
cans corralled two or three hundred ma
tives supposed to be fighting men. A few
of them were caught with arms in their
do 1gr pNa1 hare n
hiding, dressed in khaki like the Amert-
can uniforms. A majority of them were
in the garb of amigos. but they are sus-
pected of shooting at the troops from
houses, a growing habit, which tlourished
throughout the advance whenever small
parties of Americans strayed from the
main body.
The prisoners are white elephant on
the hands of the Americans. The Mala-
bon contingent spent an unhappy night
incarcerated in a church. A native priest
and an uncle of General TriaS were dis
covered in the Filipino arsenal outside
the town. They are credited with being
two of the pillars of the insurrectton, but
they vigorously proclaim their innocence.
The leading citizens of Rosario are tenn
porarily engaged in towing fleet of
cascoes laden with the American army's
impedimenta at Bacoor.
The prisoners, with the exception of
those caught red-handed will be released,
as owing to the fact that the insurgents
have so many more men than guns the
keeping of prisoners is a useless expense
unless the policy Of reconcentration which
General Weyler pursued is to be adopted.
In conversation with an Associated Press
representative a leading merchant OF
Rosario remarked:
'They will all be engaged in their old
business as soon as released"
When asked where the army had gone,
the merchant replied:
THE majority of them are here. They
simply hide their guns when they see
superior force approaching"
The fighting falls the hardest on the
women and children, Hundreds of them
spent the night before the Americans
rea ched Rosario in boats, the bay for
miles being crowded with small craft
containing non-combatants, few of whom
remained in the town.
The work of cOmrlissary and quarter
masters departments, directed by Cap
tains Biddle and Horton, was remarkable
throughout. The transportation of sup
plies from Rosario to Malabon seemed TO
be impossible. The wagons had to be re-
peatedly unloaded and reloaded while be-
ing dragged through the mire.
General Schwan is marching back with
out the teams, all the loads of baggage
being shipped from Bacoor by cascoes and
the wagons going empty.
A telegraph squad under Lieutenant
Clark kept the wire abreast Of the line to
Malabon, but in order to do this the teams
had to be abandoned and the wire carried
by coolies.