The times., 1899-07-20
PRISONERS OF AGUINALDO.
The Diary of an American Captive
Unenrthed mt san IsidrO.

lately used. There is a large convent
building here, much dilapidated, where un-
til recently 900 wounded Filipinos were
cared for, after a fashion. They lacked
proper medical attendance. nursing, and
hospital appliances generally and | was
assured by Spaniard who lives here that
| fully one-half OF them would die unless
they received better attention than IN the
past. The American advance has rendered
1t necessary to remove the wounded sew
eral times. and the mortality among them
has been largely increased in consequence.
This is also true of the Spanish and Amer
( lean prisoners. who have been gradually
moved back and have suffered severely in
consequence. both in comfort and in de-
privation OF food
While here the prisoners were confined
in an old brick structure which has evil
IDENTIFY served as state prison for great
many years. In one room, or cell, were
found the names OF fourteen American
prisoners written on the wall in char
coal; also under the hoCr was a portion
OF diary kept by one OF them. The first
and last parts are missing, so that the
circumstances under which the writer was
| captured are not known. However, he
mentions the name OF Brown as asso-
ciated with him, but the list contains no
| such name. leaving the inference that the
list OF prisoners is not complete, or that
name.
The dates of capture of the first five were
prior to the breaking out of hostilities,
| showing that Aguinaldo was capturing
Americans and holding them prisoners
even while pretending to be on the most
friendly terms with the Americans. The
| fact is. that a state of war actually existed
on Aguinaldo's part long before he at
tackled Manila, notwithstanding the repeat
| ed cables from General Otis to Washington
that Il have the situation well in hand;"
u do not anticipate any serious trouble"
etc. Americans were not permitted TO pass
the Filipinos' outposts. though we let
| them through ours at will, and all Ameri-
| cans found within their lines were arrest
ed Several confined in this way were re-
| leased upon application of the United
| States military authorities but the men
refer to were not so fortunate. They went
out prospecting without permission, except
the first, who was a civilian pro5pector.
The man from the Third Artillery was cap
tured on outpost, while the YoIktown's
| boat crew was captured while making a
| reconnaissance on the coast.
| The room in which the men were con-
| fined is 12x1S feet in size, with a badly
| dilapidated wooden floor. In it, as well as
| in all the other rooms, was found a set of
| stocks, the use of which seems to have
| been favorite punishment with the Span
| iards There is nothing to show that our
men were subjected to this indignity and
| torture. The mural roster and the frag-
ment OF manuscript diary are as follows:
Captured-January 81. 1899, ]. o'Brien, Prosp A
, Sonnichson, United States transport seryice H.
Huber, Hospital Corps. January 80, W. Bruce
| and T. HoDnymar, First Nevada Cavalry. April
y, a. Bishop, Battery II, Third Artillery.
L. S. S. YORKTOWN.
Captured-April u, 1850. Lieutenant Gilmore. L.
S. N. ". Walton, Chief Quartermaster; p Van
doit, 5. NJ. NJ; J. Ellsworth, coxswain; l.. p
| Edwards lantsman; 5. Brisoiese, ordinary sea
man; A. Peterson, apprentice; F. Anderson lands
| man.
Men, women, and children all fleeing
from the advancing Americans. couple
| OF hours march brought us into Kungiw
| tQuingan, town on the Minuyan River,
some eight miles from Malolos), where
| all the Spaniards and ourselves stopped for
rest in convent. AT four we were on
! the march again. Among the Spaniards
was a woman. wife of some Spanish Off
Ger, but she was allowed to ride on an OK
cart. About four hours march brought US
| to the bank of a large stream CMinuyan
| Riyer), and here we were ferried across
| by a large canoe. On the other side lay
Balinag. our resting place for the night
| CThis place was captured by Lawton's col
umn May % We were taken into a con-
vent and put into room about six by ten,
with nothing TO sleep on but the floor and
q litter covered with blood. The sergeant
| of the guard was a young Spaniard and
he tried to mako 1t as easy as possible
for us, bringing US some rice and fish
TO eat. We saw many wounded here from
| the front.
Next morning we were woke up by the
natives throwing stones through the win
dow at us to see US move. Hundreds came
to gaze at US through the door. including
priests. At about-9 o'clock We were started
| on the march again without breakfast.
Many of the Spaniards were so sick that
they could hardly walk but the native
guards struck them with their guns to
make them move faster, shouting ''sigee''
as the time. That word l shall never for
| get for it runs continually in my brain,
'sigee sigee sigee Gthis is 'sige, mean
ing go on'l, like a man driving cattle.
! We were in better condition than the
Spaniards, so they put us ahead, but every
once In a while We had to stop and wait
for the Cazadores. IA certain class of
Spanish soldiers.l Eleven months of hun
ger and hard treatment had left them in
| poor condition to march in n dusty road in
a broiling hot sun. A three hours march
brought us to San Rafael lcaptured by
Lawton's column April IS and again on
May | !, right in the foothills. They fed us
here on dry rice. without salt or anything
else. At this place Brown and l had our
coats stolen but a Spaniard found mine
hidden away in a caromato, and recovered
it for me, but everything was stolen from
the pockets Brown never found his again.
AT we resumed the march again, and
the woman had to tramp the same as the
men. We took a road to the northwest
now parallel to the mountains, and now
came into a rather rough country without
a house in sight At about that evening
we arrived at a small village, Boolack
| [Bulocl, and here all the Spaniards and
ourselves were crowded into a cellar about
20x20 This makes it evident that tais
was not the main body OF Spanish
| prisonersI In the morning we tried TO
persuade them to give us something to
eat, but even the officers told us that wind
and patience was all that we could get. At
about eleven we resumed the march again
for San Miguel. On the way it was found
necessary to procure more carabaos, and
two soldiers went into somebody's field
and took them without saying word. The
| whole family came out crying for their
carabaos, but it was no use. The OK was
impressed into service At about three in
the afternoon we reached San Miguel leap
tured by Lawton's command May 13l. quit
a large town.
I'VE were halted on the plaza, while the
people thronged around to see us. nearly
smothering US Insults OF all kinds were
heaped upon us, the more so as being des-
perate with hunger. we returned some of
them. One kind-hearted native at length
gave us a turnip apiece. We were taken
up into a convent at last and lay down on
the floor trying to rest, but hunger kept
us awake. At last another kind hearte:
Il 4