The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-20
MANILA TURMOIL.
Fighting and Fiction Fill
the PHILIPPINES With
Panic.
DREAD OF AMERICANS
Natives Will Only Regard
Them as Oppressors
Advance Of Our
Troops,
TBy cable to The Associated press.1

MANILA, May 20, 1899, 7.5O A. M.-The
expedition up the Rio Grande River met
with no resistance except at the outskirts
of San Luis, where several hundred Fill
pinos were entrenched on the banks of
the stream. The rebels retreated beyond
Cadaba, and the gunboats steamed ahead,
all the way training their Gatling guns
upno the banks and dropping shells wher-
ever uniforms appeared on the Snore. The
gunboars dispersed the insurgents before
San Luis After they had passed snarp-
shooters from trees across the river
hundred yards distant harrassed the Sew
enteenth Infantry, which was marching
by fours along the narrow wooded road,
from which the troops were unable to
see the enemy. The members of one bat
TALON laid on their faces in the road for
quarter of an hour trying to locate the
rifiemen and return the fire. Two Amer
leans were wounded.
The road wound close to the stream and
was thickly settled. 1t was picturesque
march. Many groups Of hundreds of
natives were clustered under the trees
on the opposite bank. displaying white
shirts, towels, sheets or anything white
on poles. Some shouted welcomes to the
American soldiers, but most of them
maintained a sullen silence.
An old man in a carriage met the troops
two miles outside of the town. He said
Il have lived in England and | have
told the people that the Americans are
like the English and that they need not
be afraid.
Captain Grant, in command of the gum
boats, landed before the troops arrived
and met with Porto Rican welcome.
The natives, who had assembled on the
shore, crowded about the Americans with
fulsome expressions OF friendship, appar-
emily half afraid that they would be
massacred.
Captain Grant quickly distributed the
men from the gunboat Laguna de Bay to
guard the town, and the natives sent a
messenger to tell the people VINO had TAX
en- refuge in the swamps to return. Hum
dreds OF the natives thereupon returned
timidly, man with an improviSed nag
of truce flying from bamboo pole pre-
ceding each party.
A Capuchin priest, one of the few whom
the Filipinos had not imprisoned, was
found at Candaba. He said it was use
less to try to convince the natives that
the Americans had not come to oppress
them, as they believed their leaders, who
had strongly impressed this belief upon
them, and who have told stories of mas
sacres. rapes and Filipino victories The
walls of the town were placarded with re-
ports of the slaughter of Americans, hun
dreds of whom were said to have been
taken prisoners.
Luis the natives raided the insurgents
rice stores. All day a stream of half
naked people emerged from the store
their home with bags of rice on their
heads.
On Thursday night a body of rebels
returned to San Luis and burned part OF
the town. Lieutenant Cunningham, with
Signal Corps party, engaged In running
a telegraph line, was camped near the
place. Major Kobbo sent the Army gum
boat Cordovanga there and found the par
ty today in the town.
The Reio Grande, since Major KObbe
started, has been the highway for the ex-
odus of the natives and today there is
continuous procession of thatched cascoes
with white flags, drifting down the river
and containing whole families, of 20 to 80
persons, with their household goods and
animals OH board. Thousands OF these
The Nebraska Regiment marched from
San Bernardo to Calumpit today. for
about three hundred weather beaten vet
Grams. Two of the companies are mere
squads and their battered canteens and
shiny clothes show unmistakable marks
are happy. Several of them dropped by
the way from the heat. but when they
boarded the special train at :, ,Calumpit,
boys and the other troops. went to their
stations and cheered heartily.
General Gregorio del Pillar, commander
of the insurgent forces in front of Cen
eral Lawton's division; Lieutenant
Colonel Alberto Barretto, Judge Adyo-
cate; Major Zealcita, of Aguinaldo's staff
and Senior Graciognazaga a former mem
Der of the Filipino Cabinet. the Commis-
soners appointed to cooperate with
Seniors Florentino Torres. Pablo Campo
dllO. s16UQOTe L 1duCd, VI 4hdLiAd, LIZ eiiC
purpose of negotiating terms of peace
with the American Commissioners, ar
rived in Manila by special train from Ma
lolos at S.15 O'Clock this morning.
The party was met by Lieutenant Colo
mel Barry Adjutant General, and con-
Quoted from the train to the launch Cap,
itan and taken to the Palace at Gala
canaan, and after breakfast were driven
through the city to the Ayuntamiento.
The party was closeted with General
Otis for more than an hour, but the in
terview was decidedly unsatisfactory, the
Commission having nothing definite to
propose and being unempowered to ne
gotiate terms.
The Commissioners brought a .commu-
ncatlon direct from Aguinaldo asking for
an armistice pending the decision of the
Filipino Congress as to what policy should
he adopted.
As before General Otis refused to enter
tain the proposition
The Commissioners, after leaving the
City Hail. accepted an invitation to visit
the oregon and the other vessels of the
American fleet in the bay, and they were
also granted permission to see their fami-
lies before returning.