Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1899-08-02
False News From LuzoH.

raise NEWS I'll ON LUkOH-
\ striking instance OF how truth
may be Systematically outraged has
iuSt been confessed in Il letter troln
Manila. The reports involved are
net those sent by Gen. Otis, bat
appeared in 4 paper bitterly op-
posed to t2e annexation OF the
Philippines and in favor Of tuning
over the government to A"uinaido.
For many months the New York
Evening Post has been printing eX
tracts from soldiers letters, stating
that our forces in Luzon were gull
tv OF killing prisoners, lootlng
houses, burning property and
treating helpless natives hrtitaily.
i few days ago the Post received
from It's regular Manila corrcSpon
dent a tCul column letter, carefully
going over the whole ground and
rcfujing the charges. The Posi-
admits that the letter is conclusive.
and adds what j practically 4 re
traction and apology. That it
should have alop;cd the policy Of
hunting up such matter and max
inc long continued feature Of il,
putting the volunteers Of the init
en- States in an extremely bad
light, is an otien5e not easily over
looked, but confession is some
atOucmcnt for its error. Stories
that Americans Kill wounded rriS-
oners coulG lind no credit except
among those whose judgement has
warped until their opposition to
the army has become rabid-
Letters containing such SlantcTs
are written by shirks, and not by
men on the firing line. The Post ;
correspondent who dcmoIishes the
yarns SAYS he has lived with the
soldiers of the 5th Army Corps for
nearly a year, and knows that prls-
oncrs are we'll treated and that rig
| III orders are enforced for the pro-
| lection Of non -Combatants and OF
property. \ few cases occurred
! in which, wounded Tagals shot at
or stabbed our soldiers who were
ready to offer them assistance, and
some OF these lssaiiants were bay
onctcd during the excitement OF
battle. Though the Taeal uniform
is Of blue hcGtlckin9r the men car
" Il white suit. and quickly trans
form themselves into amigos. Even
when scouting they dress in whit1
and hide their guns at some point
conveniently near. Treachery of al
kinds is a Tagal characteristic, and
the Americans must constantly be
on guard against it. In spite c1
this the cncmy's wounded when
they fall into our hands are hui
namely cared for in the hospitals.
| Native Villages are left untouched
and huts are net destroyed unless
they harbor sharpsInooters. y sol
tlier iniuring harmless non-com
Blatant is sternly punished.
With this array of evidence from
its own representatives at Nanil;
| the Post feels compelled to say il
behalf of all concerned: If vt
| placed to much faith in the yerac
| ity and importance Of some Of tn,
letters at the time Of their publica
ton and thereby did injustice Il
the humanity and character of oul
soldiers, we regret it sincerely, fo1
we should much prefer to believe
tha, IN occasional American sol
? der is Il liar than to believe tila
the American Army Is compose
Of harbarians 1t Is Il pity tina
: any newspaper Of standing and in
teIli@cncc should have long bee,
: the champion Of the wrong liypoth
osiss, and one that Is simply mon
| strous when reduced to The propo
: >ition that American soldiers ar
, or could be barbalians under anr
. circumstances. y dispatch from
: Terre IIaute published ycsterla,
t contained the confession of a sol
| der If he II Artillery 10 tac cf
/ feet tnat, three days after his AZ
I rival in Manila. he had writtr'