Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-12-13
GUERRLLAS Captured.
A NEW AND DECIDEDLY DIS
AGREEABLE FEATURE OF THE
PHILIPPINE WAR
Coming to View-As the Filipino
Army Disintegrates, the Soldiers
Become Bandits, Numbering Ia
Natives and Spreading Terror
Throughout the Country-ThOse
Captured to be Shot or Hanged.
Narrow Escape of Gen. Wheeler's
Secretary.

MANILA, December 12.-7:50 p. NJ
Col. Smith, with a detachment of the
Seventeenth infantry, surrounded and
captured in a village nea Malasqui a
party of guerillas who had made their
headquarters there. The party in
cluded the band which assassinated
seven officials at Malasqui for friend
illness to the Americans.
All the insurgents who became ban
dts when the d~isintegration of the
Filipino army began. They kept the
country around Malasqui in a state OF
terror for several weeks and COM
mitted twenty-five murders in less
than that number of days. When they
were caught they were promptly sent
to Gen. MacArthur's headquarters at
Bayambang by train. 1t is expected
that they will be speedily tried and
either shot or hung as an example, if
convicted.
The whole country north of San Fer
nando and between San Fernando and
Manila, except within the permanent
line of troops around the city and the
closely %patrolled stretches of railroad,
swarms with similar bands. Probably
they will be increased by men from
Pillars army, many of whom are max
ing their way out to join the insur-
gent force in Cavite province.
These people for the most part sue
ceeded in lodging Gen. Grant. Col.
Bell and Col. Hoods troops, who are
securing the country for them. They
devote their energies to ambushing
commissary wagons and to picking up
soldiers who leave their commands.
Every day some wagon train is fired
upon or some soldier disappears.
Gen. Wheeler's secretary, Mr.. Gar
rett, was disarmed and slashed by a
boloman within sight of headquarters,
his assailant pursuing him nearly into
the headquarters building. The policy
of those ruffians is to make the coun-
try u~ninhabitable for Americans and
to brighten natives into refraining from
giving assistance to the Americans, as
well as to compel the inhabitants to
support toe instruction.
Frequently they raid and loot towns.
The brother of the president OF linus
went outside the town the other day to
harvest some rice. He was captured
by his eompatriots, accused of being
a spy and executed. Only a small pro-
portion Of the insurgent arms have
been surrendered and the problem OF
suppressing this guerrilla warfare is
anything but easy of solution. Some
of the American officers think it worse
than fighting Indians owing to the diff
flculties of the country and the trouble
In locating the enemy who resort, when
hard pressed, to the Amiga dodge and
hide their guns.
Some of the Americans favor the
issuance of a proclamation declaring
all natives found with arms to be ban
dts, punishable as criminals instead of
being treated as prisoners Of war.
Information has been received at
headquarters that 500 Spanish prisoners
have been shipped from Vigan, includ
ing Gen. Pena. Probably these are
~Spaniards released by Gen. Young's
troops in the Benguet district where
they were concentrated by the insur-
gents.