The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-04
A LITTLE UNWRIT1EN HISTORY
DEWEY AGREED TO AUGUSTUS DE-
PAR'TuRE FROM MANILA.
Spaninrds Gave "A ParoIc-story of
German 0Ticer Who Ia Familiar
with All the Facts.

| Chicago, January 3,--Major A. Won Son
nenburg, German military attachs to Til,
emperor of Japan. the man who carried tn.
message between Admiral Won Dieirichs
and Admiral Dewey by which permission
| was given for the Transportation of Cap
| tain General Augustl from Manila to Hong
Kong on a German war vessel. is in Chi
cago. Major Won SopnenburG is typical
German army officer He IL a broad
shouldered young man with an erect car
riage. He was seen by y reporter at the
Auditorium and related certain hitherto
unwritten bits OF tho history of the Ameri-
can operations in the Philippines.
II am student of military affairs" said
the major. Perhaps might be callei a
theoretica1 warrior"
Inasmuch as he has the iron cross for
battles of the Franco Prussian war, he is
certainly a practical fighter as we'll,
After the Greek Turkish war i went ON
into tke Orient" he continued. II was
with Prince Henry and at the outbreak
Of the Spanish American war | accompanied
Admiral Won Dicfrichs TO Manila.
II did not witness the destruction OF
Mcntejo's fleet by your Admiral Dswey,
but | saw much of the subsequent events.
Because Of what l saw | want TO correct
a1 least one false impression that thera
was any fll-feelipg between the co nmanders
OF the American and tina German fleets,
There was a disagreement | admit, over
the right of the Americans TO search Ger
man ships, but that was soon sehtlei. Then
DIS TO the August incident. There was
nothing secret about that transaction.
myself was the messenger between the
two admirals In the discussion over the
disposition OF August. Admiral Ven Died
rchs asked whether or not Admiray Dewey
would object 10 Captain General Augusta
taking passage on one OF the German s.
patch boats running TO Hong Kong. Ad-
miral Dewey said that he would not II the
former captain general would make some
kind OF q parole by which he wodld M
longer bear arms against the United STATS.
This was given ami the incident was closed.
as tho GipsDInats would say.
"As TO tho Americans. both ashore and
aboard ship, 1 may say that l nevsr met a
finer body OF men. admire your yolun-
tees. To my mind they furnish magnifi-
cent material fer so.d err. but am afraid
that they have a hard task before them In
the Philippines. ] should not want the task
OF controlling those islands unless ! had
fully so 900 men behind me. Those natives
are going to be hard problems to solve.
''Slncs The finishing OF the Philippine
question | have been connected with the
imperial army OF Japan as a student OF its
methods OF military discipline. To speak
very conservatively ! believe that next to
ghc German army there Is not finer boiy
OF fighting men In the world than that
same little Jaranese collection OF tr;ops
Th:ir discipline Is perfect and any ma
tlon that picks quarrel with ihe Jnpansse
Is going 10 have no easy time OF II. II
consider them oae 81 the most important
fn:isors in future Oriental combinations"
But when Major Won sonnenb'Tg was
questioned in rs gard to these same Oriental
problems he was silent He said that he
was still oenDecred with the Japanese gci-
crnnent ami with that Of Germany As well
and could say nothing.
Turning 10 more personal matters. he sal !
that be. was on his way to Washington
with letters to Sscre.a'y Alger ana Gel
eral Miles. He would spand fen days
about the department In Washington AMI
then would 20 on to Berlin to reIior' 10 his
own division.