Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1899-05-11
A FRESH TASK AWAITS
Bacoler. Held BY the Natives,
Will Be Attacked Next.
TOWN IS STRONGLY ENTRENCnED.
The Rebel Garrison Has Yet to Learn How
the Americans Fight-Mascardo's Men
Boast of Prowess-The Women and
Chinese Dig bitches While Native Rifle
men Talk.

MANILA, May S.-To clear the Fill
ipinos out of Bacolor, about five miles
southwest of San Fernando, will be
the next task of the Americans. The
rebel general, Mascardo, has a force
of 5000 men there, well armed and
possessed of plenty of ammunition.
His troops have never met American
reports received at San Fernando, that
they can whip the whole lot.
Bacolor is we'll entrenched and thou
sands of natives are working live bea-
vers, digging trenches and carving
the dirt in baskets. The enemy uses
his riflemen for fighting only, but com
pels the Bolomen and Chinese and
even the women to labor necessarily.
The troops have an outpost about
mile beyond San Fernando, with a
trench that holds between 200 and
800 men. From that point several vol
leys were fired last night upon the
camp of the Twentieth, Kansas regi-
ment. Neither Major General Mac
Arthur nor Major General LaWton
moved today. although each recon-
noitered the country in his vicinity
for some miles from headquarters, de-
veloping the presence of small forces
of the enemy.
In the vicinity of Laguna de Bay
the rebels are very active, but the lines
of General Ovenshine and Colonel
Wholly, who is commanding General
Kings brigade during the latter's i'll
ness, have been materially strength
ened, and there is no danger in that
direction.
The armed steamers, Laguna de
Bay and Cavadonga, under Captain
Grant, have gone to Guagua, about five
miles southeast of Bacalor, presumably
to establish a base of supplies for the
troops engaged on the northern cam
paign.
1t is rumored that Mabini, president
of the cabinet and minister of foreign
affairs in the so-called Filipino gov
eminent, who is a radical, is to DE
succeeded by Patreno, the Trainer or
the Spanish treaty of 1896. Thls
change is regarded as significant at the
present juncture.
The entrance OF the Americans into
San Fernando was virtually unoppos-
ed. The Filipinos, who expected the
invaders to approach from the sea,
had that side of the town strongly
guarded, but there was only one line
of trenches beyond San Tomas. Two
battalions of the Fifty-firSt Iowa reg
iment which swan the river north
of the city, were smartly peppered
while in the water, but the rebels dis
appeared as soon as the Americans
reached the shore. In the meantime
the hospital squad had got across the
bridge into the city, supposing the
Americans were there. They encoun-
tered more natives.
The few Spaniards and Fflipinos
who were left welcomed the Amerl-
cans, and opened their houses to them.
General Macarthur accepted entertain
ment at the hands of Senior HlZOn, a
sugar magnate.
If the inhabitants of the San Fer
nando region are to be believed there
Is little sympathy with the insurrec-
ton in that quarter. Before evacuat-
ing the city the rebels burned the
church and the public buildings and
looted the Chinese quarter. They drove
many rich Filipinos with their faml-
lies out of the city before them as well
as hundreds of Chinese, to prevent
them helping the Americans. They
cut the threats of some. Many Chinese
hid on roof tops or in cellars, and
some escaped by cutting off their cues.
There are fifty fresh graves in the
church yard.
The country beyond Calumpit is full
of all sorts of ingenious trenches and
pitfalls in the roads, with sharpened
bamboo Fortunately the Americans
escaped the latter.
In the swamps near San Tomas.
where General Wheaton's troops did
their hardest fighting-the men sink
ing in their waists in mud-are many
bodies of Filipinos. smelling horribly.
The army is really enjoying life at
San Fernando which is the most
picturesque and wealthy town the
Americans have entered since the oc-
cupation of Manila. 1t is largely built
of stone. the riven is close at hand and
high hills almost surround it. Many
sugar factories indicate thriving in
dustry in that respect and there are
numerous fine residences. General
MacArthur's permanent headquarters
is established in the best house in
town.
The troops are encamped around in
the suburbs and are beginning to think
they may be quartered there during the