The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-04-12
FROM THE FRONT.
The Situation OF affairs in The
Philippine Islands.
A SCENE CT. sCLAT!CN.
What a Newspaper CorTsspon-
- - dent Saw While Under a
l. Flag OF Truce in the
Enemy's Lire.


in recent letter says: An hour ago !
returned from parley with one OF th'
insurgent commanders, Sinforoso de Il
Cruz. in front Of our blistering trenches
and l am writing this dispatch in {
shell shattered church, where holy IN
ages lie shattered ou all sides and {
military telegraph Instrument IS click
ing on.thA side altar.
1t IS a scene of appalling desolation
Tired soldiers, covered with the dust OF
the treDcheS. are stretched out asleel
within the chancel railing on the step
of the high altar \ yellow spear Of
sunlight comes though gap in the
roof made by one Of Deweys shells anc
lights up the fallen broken figure OF
Christ. in tawdry crimson and gilt
Close by sits Colonel Funston Of the
Twentieth Kansas Infantry, debating :
dispatch to General Macarthur, who Is
in Manila. The sound Of firing can b.
heard in ali directions, and insurgenI
bullets come singing in at the opel.
doors, for our friug line is not more
than four hundred yards away.
We are right in front Of Aguinaldo' ;
main army. The trenches are so close
that an American shooting can be
heard by the Filipinos. There are o,OOV
of the enemy before us-at least tina,
is the number given to me by the rebel
commander when talked with him an
hour ago.
II is a strange situation. From the
outlying parts Of Luzon. from the IS
lands Of Cebu, Panay, Mindano, Min
dora and other parts or empire il the
Pacific comes word that the common
people of the sol, together with the
principal property owners, deplore the
war against the United States, and hall
the American flag as asymbol Of the
dawn of liberty and justice after centu-
ries of oppression.
It's the Taggalos, the fierce, the vain,
strutting Tagalos, that We are fighting,
Let no one in the United States imag-
inc that the 10000 900 people Of this
vast archipelago are resisting the Am
erican arms unitedly The Tagalos
alone. assisted and encouraged by the
rich half breeds Of Mauils, are Faglog
war upon our army.
Aguinaldo and his cabinet have sent
armed bands OF 'ragalos iute every part
Of the island Of Lnzon aud into Pansy
Mindano and several other Of the larg
er islands, to force the PEOPLE 10 fight,
under threats u instant death. Many
Of the prisoners We have taken have
told pitiful stories of Aguinaldo's cruel
oppression. TIE island Of Negros
alone has defed kim, and there the
American Rag flies, and within a few
days there vii! hca regiment Of natives
in American uniforms to defend it.
T,It is not more than az hour since l
walked from our trenches with Frank
lin Brooks, Of the Associated Press,
within easy talking distance Of the
main insurgent trench beyond the
church in which am writing. We car
ried flag Of truce to protect ourselves
from the FIRE Of hundreds Ct swarthy
Filipinos swarming behing the rough
earthwolks under the tall bamboo
trees. We went out across the blister
ing hot fields to answer to Signals from
the enemy, many Of whom seemed tc
want to surrender. The Insurgents
made US walk tbree-quarters of q mile
between the lines, fearing to come clos,
er, to the deadly Kansas rifles glisten
ing over the edges of our trenches.
Private Winterburn OF the Twentieth
Kansas, was one of the party. The
insurgents refused to come half way
to meet US and franticaliy waved u
on toward their crowded trenches. We
held our hands up to show that We
were unarned ard the enemy did like
wise. The Filipinos forced US TO Ct
three Quarters of the way between the
lines to meet them, whiie both armies
eagerly watched the proceedings, tn
Kansas sharpshooters occaslonaii'
shooting, warning them against treach
ery. 1t turned out 10 be merely a pa'-
lev for true Of fev hears, the ir'-
surgerts having heard that Agrinald'
had sent some sort Of proposal L
General Otis. Colonel Funston joined
US and promptly agreed not to attack Il
the insurgents ceased firing and kept I
their trenches.
Almost the first question asked D.
the Filipino commander revealed the
deadly work done by the agitators fm
Philippine independence in Washing :
ton.
s.Have the American commissioners
reached Manila YETI" asked the insur
gent colonela a bullet-headed tawny lit
tie Tagalo, in a smart new uniform.
Not yet, I said.
They're coming to treat with US,
he remarked.
you have been deceived, l said,
:'The only commission yoH can deal
with consists of General Otis and his
army.
The little colonel looked at me sus.
piciously out Of the tail Of his eyes and
puckered up his lips.
"We have many friends in Washing g.
ton, he said. We have heard that
the commissioners would come to treat
with US.
How many men have yop in front
Of US here?" asked.
Eight thousand.
''Itis useless to continue struggle
against overwhelming force, | sugges-
ted. 'We have many thousands ofvet-
eran troops on their way from Wash,
ington. 1t means utter defeat for you
ipa few weeks. Why not lay down
YOUR arms and come into our lines,
where you can have food, protection
and peace?
Blew His Brains Out.
A special from Brunswick, ga, says