Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-08-26


out among the natives against the Amer
leans, and, ignorant of the character Of
the Filipinos, he trusted himself within
reach of their camp.
He was captured and thrown into an
impromptu Jail, where, in addition to
suffering the physical tortures of hunger
and bodily pain, he was made to undergo
the most exquisite agony. He was only
rescued from his precarious position,
says the Philadelphia Times, by the in
tervention of Filipino whose friendship
he had earned at Manila by some i'm
portant services.
The Spanish american war had ended
and the Americans were in possession of
the city of Manila when Peters was sent
out into the fields in the vicinity of the
Cavite waterworks to sketch. The Amer
can occupation of the town without the
cooperation of the Filipino forces had
given rise to hard feelings in the rank
and file of the natives against our men.
but as yet there was no open suggestion
of trouble between them. Accordingly
there seemed TO be no danger in the un-
dertaking on which Peters had embark
ed, and he took no precautions to guard
himself He was idly sitting near the
waterworks sketching it from the north
when he, was approached by party of
Filipinos
They made no hostile demonstration,
and he thought nothing of them until
they approached directly to where he sat.
He then glanced up inquiringly to find
them evidently interested in him. Even
then no suspicion entered his mind until
he found himself seized and hurried off
to the Filipino camp.
His vigorous protests received no other
notice than to earn him a sound cuff He
accordingly was soon silenced and watch
ed the consultation as to what would be
done with him. After awhile the Ques-
ton was decided. He was ordered to
mount horse. Guarded by dozen ma
tives, he rode off in the direction of San
Juan del Monti. where he was taken be-
fore General Montenegro.
He was charged with being spy in
the interests of the American govern
ment. A story was trumped up as to
how be had been caught within the Fill
pino lines trying to sneak away with i'm
portant papers and documents which he
had stolen. He was ordered to be killed
and was hurried away to prison near by
The next day, however. he was taken
away to Caloocan.
Here he remained in Jail for more than
four weeks, = Every day he expected or
ders to mareh out to his death. Almost
daily he was visited by a savage horde
and told how be should die. They thrust
him with the points of spears and struck
at him with machetes and battleaxes.
Evidently, though at the time he did
NOT EnnIy n Soma Sucninior, Of tba
had come to the general in command,
and he was unwilling to kill the man
without more warrant. Day by day the
mental torture continued, each thrust of
spear or machete seeming to bring the
long expected messenger of death TO him.
Matters remained thus until a Captain
Salceda of the Filipino cavalry happened
into the town. He heard Of the Ameri-
can prisoner and went to see him and
was astonished to find it was the Ameri-
can artist who had befriended him when
in trouble in Manila He inquired as to
the charges against him and, learning
them, successfully refuted Them explain
ing the true position of the man. Peters
was then released, but was not allowed
to go back to the American lines for
some time. Eventually he was sent back
" eAecute cOlulnlSSlon Tor the flll-
pinos.
Describing the tortures he experienced,
Artist Peters said of Irgorrotes, into
whose hands he fell:
score of these savages, fully armed
and with their naked bodies painted in
various csIA,rs, forced theirSWay into my
cell in the Caloocan prison and there for
several hours practiced on me the pre-
liminary motions of their favorite meth
ods of putting their enemies to death.
This was, of course, in the nature of
rehearsal, but there seemed ut the time
no sufficient reason for believing that
the performance would be long delayed.
The 20 howling savages danced about
for several hours. touching me with the
points of their spears, threatening to cut
me down with their machetes and swing
ing their battleaXes just so as to Craze
my neck. They followed this up with
an inimitable representation of thrusting
the long point of the az into my neck
and carrying off my head.
Il thought it was all up with me- but
a captain came in and subdued the saw
ages, promising that each should have
as many American heads as he wanted
inst as soon as the war between the Fill
pinos and AmaFicans was declared.
This continued every day or two dur
ing the entire time | was in captivity. Ii
was not until | was found by Captain
Salceda that l learned that there would