The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-12-12
THE CHASE FOR AGUINALDO
GENERAL lOUNG,S TROOPS HAVING
 1 HARD TIME.
Force Reduced Ono-ihird by Sickness Infantry and Horses Both Sboelcss After a Rough March of 100 MtIes-All Living on the COuntry-News of Agutnn1dO and American Prisoners.

Manila, Dec. 11--12:45 D. m.-Dis- patches dated Conception, December 9, | from correspondent of the Associated
 Press with the detachment pursuing
 Aguinaldo, have just reached Manila by messenger. According to these ad-
 vices, General Young was at Condon
 November 29, having three troops of
 the Third cavalry, Cunningham scouts
 and Major March's battalion of the | Thirty-third infantry The nominal
 strength of his command had been re- duced one-third by sickness. The horses
 were worn out and handicapped by lack
 of shoes. The infantry after a march
 of one hundred miles from San Jacinto
 were shoeless and all were living on the country. The troops had no ammuni tion except what they carried in their belts.
 General Young, having then been without communication with General
 LaWton for ten days and not knowing
 the disposition of the other troops or
 whether support was being sent for
 ward, resolved to keep moving. Having
 received information that the insurgent
 general Tino, with one thousand men,
 was somewhere to the north, and that
 Aguinaldo, with General Pillar, five wo-
 men and four hundred soldiers of his
 faithful Bulacan battalion, was in the
 mountains to the east, General Young
 decided on November 30 to divide his force He proceeded himself toward
 Vigan, hoping to attack General Tino, with his handful of men, and to prevent his joining Aguinaldo. Major March, with his battalion and Cunninghams scouts, started over the mountains to- ward Cervantes, after Aguinaldo, who was reported to have been there on Mo- vember 29. This column marched for thirteen hours without food.
 The Associated Press correspondent goes on to say: "The Americans found that the insurgents had impressed the Igorrotes, compelling them to dig trenches and to construct pitfalls along the trails, which were fearful travelling at the best. One stream had to be forded twelve times in the course of mile Those inoffensive, stupid ereat- ures, usually pictured as bloodthirsty savages, cheerfully turned to undo their own work and actually went foraging for the Americans. The Ilocos region is the richest the Americans have en- tered in the northern campaign. The | people are prosperous, intelligent and | more than half civilized. They have excellent houses and carry on flourish ing industries. Many of them are evil dently rich. Several towns received the | troops with bands and the ringing of | church bells. Cattle were killed and | houses were opened to the troops.
 How much of this display was sin cere and how much due to a desire to propitiate the conquerors it would be hard to say There were evidences that | similar hospitality had been extended to Aguinaldo The people described him as cheerful, hugging the hope of through American politics, and everywhere trying to retain sup port by proclaiming, with seeming sin cerity, that the United States congress would certainly recognize the independ- ence of the Filipino republic in Decem- Der.
 Many of the natives exhibited notes from Lieutenant Gilmore and other American prisoners, in which the re- cipients were commended to the Amer jeans on the score of kindness shown to the writers. There are twenty-seven Americans with Lieutenant Gilmore. Another party of fourteen were taken through Ilocos week ahead of Gen. aral Young. They were ragged and 1irty, and. the natives say, some of hem were urged forward al, the point )f the bayonet."