The Portland daily press., 1899-04-03
RESTING At NALOLOS.
Gen. MaeArthur's Troops Still in
Insurgent Capital.
RUMOR THAT GEN. PIO DEL Pillar
WILL DESERT AGUINALDO.

He IL Considered Best Fighter I'm lnsur-
gent Army-An Sorts OF Rumors
Reach the Amertcans--spaniar
skepticaI About War Being Over.
Manila, April 2. 30 p pm.-The Ameri-
can troops under Gen. Macarthur are still
resting Mt Mslolos where everything has
been quiet today. Hostilities elsewhere
so far as officially reported, have been
limited during the last "a Lours to an oc-
casional exchange OF shots between the
insurgents and the troops forming the
lines OF General Lawton and Hall extsn-
ding from the watsrworks to Lalonia.
But this shooting has been Just active
enough to make the lives Of the soldiers
burden and to compel the officers to sleep
In trenches. clothed and in readiness to
repel possible attacks.
Most of the Americans are becoming
convinced that the backbone Of the insur-
gents opposition Is broken. Tnere ars
numerous rumors pointing to an early
collapse of the insurrection. One Of these
Is that General Pho Del Pillar. the best
tighter among the Filipinos' on,osrs
will desert Aguinaldo and give his sup
port to the Americans.
The Spaniards reasoning from their expe-
rience with the natives refuse to believe
that the rebellion is anywhere near put
down. They declare that the filtpinoe
will not take their defeat at MAlolOs with
the luss OF the CITY. and the removal OF
their So called government. seriously to
heart. On the contrary the Spaniards
predict that the insurgents will hover
near the American lines, bothering them
a Q much as possible and when attacked
In force, dissolve, only to re-appear at
other points. This sort Of tactics-the
Spaniards say-will be followed until the
wet season compels the Americans to be
housed in barracks and then the Flip
mos will retarn aud re- occupy such towns
as the United States troops do not garxt-
son. With the next dry season o repetltion
Of the present operations " Ill begin.
Time alone will show how much there Is
in this theory; but, as against 1t. 1t must
be borne in mind that the SpaniaIds In
all their domination of the Philippines
never gave the inhabitants demonstra-
tion of power comparable In effectiveness
to that given them by the United States.
A priest and two mem bers of the SO.
called Filipino congress. who hid them
selves In the woods during the fighting
which preceded the capture of Malolos re-
turned there this morning and declared
that 1000 of the Filipino soldiers were an
xious to give up fighting and wonld do so
but for their officers who keep them under
arms.
The whole country between Malolos and
Caloocan Is now full of friendlies. mostly
children and old peopls, W no ar
to their homes, carrying white
fags. The Americans are trying to gain
the confidence of the Inhabitants BY prov
ing to them that IL they VIII return and
attend to their ordinary work peacefully,
no harm will befail them. Two hundred
and Fifty civilians came back to their
homes in Malolos last evening. Two
women and children, with n
sprinkling of unarmed men, supposed to
be warriors, came to the outskirts of Ma.
Iolos on the sea side of the city and after
wards sneaked away, carrying all the
goods they could.
There has been no little good natured
rivalry as to which regiment-the First
NJ Montana or the twentieth kansas-ts en-
titled to the honor of having raised its
dag first in Malolos. Col. funston and
twenty men of Co. Il, Kansas Volunte ers,
lain the distinction, on the ground, AS
already cabled, of having entered the town
At double quick and raised the company's
lag, but the first flag to be recognized
was that of Co. u, of the Mon.
tana infantry.