Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-05

would be good, because they had something
that other governments would wan.
AGuinnido's Power Limited.
KNOW Mabini personally and was in
conversation with him November 1. 1898. I
was endeavoring to secure the freedom Of
kev' Father Garcia, a Dominican monk. who
mad been Imprisoned because he belonged t1
the Dominican order and who was a per-
sonal friend of the Rev. Father Hornsby, the
only American Jesuit in China Aguinaldo
had promised me Father Garcias freedom.
Ihinking that he had made the promise in
good taith, called at Maocs to see the gov
ernor. so-called, and remind him OF his
promise that as soon as Manila should fall
ne would grant the release of the imprisoned
monk | had letters from all the prominent
Filipincs begging Agulnaldo to grant this
boon. But | was denied an audience by the
secretaries and especially by Seniors Pardo
de TTavera and Mabini. When / insisted
that Aguinaldo had promised to release the
monk as soon as Manila had fallen, both of
these secretaries said that Aguinaldo had no
power to release the prisoner. / was greatly
surprised at this information and asked what
was his power II he could not grant such a
favor. They reiterated their assertion that
ne rad not the power. l then told them
that any governor of any OF our forty-five
states in this country could pardon a pris-
oner, and that President Lincoln had par
doned JEFFERSON Davis, yet they insisted that
Aguinaldo had not that power. | asked them
who had, and they said 1t was vested in eight
persons who composed the so o-called cabinet
OF Agulnaldo. The latter had one vote, Mabini
one. Pardo de Travera one. Ligordi one,
and four other persons whom they named
had one each; Aguinaldo was ready to vote
for pardon, Mabini said he was also as
did Pardo de Travera, and l had a letter
from Secretary of State Ligordi favoring the
monks release, but for some reason he was
never released and is prisoner as far as
know to this day.
This experience demonstrated to me that
Aguinaldo is merely fgurehead. He is not
man Of intellect, being dull student. His
old professor told me that it took Aguinado
six years to make a course that the average
Filipino youth mastered in three years
When he left school he became a teacher in
his own province, and being very desperate
fighter he rose to prominence among his
own people
Some of His Alleged COmpntriots.
"Pardo de Travera is a mestizo with
Spanish predominance more pronounced in
his blood. He is a practicing physician in
sity but like a chameleon, he is able to
adapt himself to any surroundings Before
the fall of Manila he had been in command
of volunteer company and opposed the
taking of the city by the Americans. After
Its fall he joined the insurgents. and at
length, seeing that they must get the worst
OF 1t in the end, he abandoned them, went
over to the Americans, and played the white
| mouth, or sneak.
II notice by the papers that Buencamno
and Palermo, noted leaders of the insurrec-
ton and members of Aguinaldo's cabinet,
have gone over to the Americans. Buen-
camino got his education gratis. Being an
orphan, he was brought up by the Domni-
cans in an orphan asylum to the university.
He is considered social leader amongst the
natives, the Ward McAllister, as it were, Of
the Philippines. He is accused of having
msappropriated moneys belonging to
widows and orphans while serving as execu-
tor of estates. He has ready pen and in
gratated himself into the confidence of the
insurgents through a low-down trick he
perpetrated upon the Spanish. Having been
outlawed by them, he raised volunteer
regiment of natives and offered its serv-
ices to the Spanish against the Americans
in the defense of Manila in June or July OF
1898. The Spaniards received him with open
arms in spite of his very unsavory reputa-
tion, and he Immediately asked them to
give him money with which to mt cut MS
regiment. Having obtained 1t, he visited
a Spanish club and gambled away every cent
| of it, after which he ordered his Indian
regiment to make it's escape to the insur-
gent lines.
Patriot PaternO and His Men.
1.-The most prominent litterateur OF the
Philippine islands is Palermo, the other
leader, who has just come over to the
| Americans. He served seven years at
Salamanca university, Spain, during which
time he developed talent for philosophy,
theology and literature. He was honored
| by Spain in the enjoyment OF high posi-
tion and handsome salary but eventually
| he lost his place and returned to the Phil-
| ippines, where he made his position as ad-
visor to the malcontents more or less of a
| menace to the Spanish authorities. Spain
| at length placated him and once more he
threw his influence in favor of the Spaniards
and endeavored by every means in his power
to get the Filipinos to form an alliance
with their outraged mother country, Spain.
| So successful was he that he attained the
| position of president of the insurgent con-
gress and proceeded to beg the Filipinos to
| turn all the Philippines into one vast grave,
| he craving the boon and declaring that 1t
would be his honor to be buried in the
deepest pit, that his country, for which his
forefathers suffered, might be free and in
dependent, yet a beautiful, grateful ally OF
| the revered and saddened mother country,
| Spain. This man Palermo, alleged patriot,
when the crash came in February, took
refuge with his sister and aged father
within the insurgent lines. Today his sis
ter is marked for life, having been most
cruelty cut across the face by bolo or knife
in the hands of a Tagal robber. The old
mans hand was almost cut off by the same
robber band and they were despoiled of all
| their considerable treasures and valuables.
"These sketches and incidents will ind-
cate to you something of the entire alb
scence of order that prevails among these
people, and you may imagine that when the
family OF the president of the Filipino con-
gress Is subjected to such indgnites by
Tagalogs, there is little safety for others,
"The secretary of the treasury is a
Chinese mestizo named Chugian, who in
| herited millions from his father, but who
| is today very much hampered by debts.
SandicO Braves Assassination.
ITO my mind the brainiest most clever,
deepest and best educated man amongst the
i no. ,1n...