The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-08
AGtINALDO REPLIES.
Ills Discussion of Mrs. Diggs' Little
Brown Brothers."

to Mrs. Annie t. Digs, acknowledging
receipt Of her lat est pom, Little Brown
Brothers" The etter follows;
Togalog Headquarters Island Of Luzoa,
Aug. %. 1S99.-Nly Dear Sister Digs: Your
letter containing a copy Of your beautiful.
poem, Little Brown Brothers" has just
reached me by q > oecial messenger The
letter came to MAJ la more than a month
ago bul a ihat time [ was busy loping
across The country gettin' Gun of the way
| OF that conf01 nde6. Kansas regiment. That
regiment a q eat deal Of trouble has given
me. Ny language confused becomes when
] think Of IL.
Your poem is all right, Annie. l read
il to my staff; Translated Il INTO the Tag
clog language Two or three of the staff
! were so much feoned that they came up
| and wiped their eyes ,on my shirt They
We're not wearing shirts that day but
I uc1rN Always wear shirt as a badge
Of authority.
The two verses that am especially
stuck on are he first, which runs this
way:
Little brown br y hers across the sea
Running your race for liberty,
We've aeen there ourselves
Here's 10 you,
And this one:
Little brown brother across the blue sea.
Are your bare, brown feet al. bleeding ana
tOrn2
So were ours
! Valley Forge. Bran6yWine,
Where's Lafayeue%'
In regard 20 that first verse. the senti-
ment IS all right bu3 you are probably not
entirely onto the sir alton You talk about
runnin and say you have been there
yourself. OF course. / don know what
runs YOU have made In your time, Sister
Digs, but l viii bet a thousand dollars
of this new Filipino money that 1 am hav-
iag issued, against a chew of Battle AK to-
bacco that you newer had to hike out the
way We did when the Kansas regiment and
the balance of the regiments that We're
out on the firing iine commenced to get
action on us, IL you will excuse some
slang that picked up over a Hong Kong,
I may say, Sister Digs. that there was
some ruunin' Tor your whiskers. You ask
in that second verse &c my feet are all
bleeding and Torn? Not on your life they
amt. sister. WheR l sold out to Spain
something over year ago for $4,000 /
laid in stock Of p atent leather shoes and
other foot wear. you think for a min
ute that l am running around here bare
foot you are off tou speak of your own
feet being bleeding and torn. l am sorry
about that. If that amt well by The time
and Aliens foot ease; they will help you.
Things haven't gone as Well as / expect
ed, ana about all the nope | have now Is
that folks that believe as you do will get
control of the government of the UNI ed
States and take the soldiers and ships
away from here. 1 Thought sure that l
had the thing fixed so that my Tagals
would capture the city of Manila last Feb
ruary and murder all the whites and loot
the town, but sorae way the plan didn't
work. l feel awfully bad about il.
would have wept, but have been so
blamed busy running thar / haven't had a
real good chance 10 sit down and cry,
1t does me good 10 know that l have
your sympathy and that you would have
been glad 10 see my Tagals clean out Ma
Mia, murder the whites and burn the town,
but then, Sister Dig g, YOU must know
that your sympathy doesn't make up for
my disappointment la not being able TO
/ make that massacre.
You may have noticed thas we have kill
ed and mutilated a few wounded soldiers
! who fell into our hands We haven't done
as much OF this as we would like, because
4 We haven't been able 10 get ho.I OF many
I wounded prisoners Is l could have got
4 hold Of some wounded Kansans before they
! lett here l would have backed them up ia
a way that would have tickled you to
! death
You ask in your poem: where's Lafay-
/ ettcP' Blamed if | know Sister Diggs,
4 where he is. l have asked my staff and
/ also some scouts who l keep around here
! to let me know when any United States
soldiers are heading my way, so that |
can set my capitol on a water huffaEo cart
+ and snake Il oul into The country a piece
/ ana they al tell me that they never heard
/ Of the gentleman N their lives. II should
run ONO man by tnat name in my uav-
! els. il / have slime TO stop, / viii tell him
/ thai you inquired for him.
The RI nv seas ON now and I ba va
lttle chance 10 rest and get my breath.
+ II is hot weather now, which accounts for
the fact chat the picture 1 send you shows
me without many clothes on.
Usual / wear more c.o.hss than You
| sec in this picture.
Say. Sister Disgs, | am almighty glad
/ that ccnfQunded regiment has been sent
/ home II was awfui che way they used 10
! make us light out across the bikes and rice
I sWa3-us.
! by HE way. that money / got when |
soll out 20 Spain is running a little low and
/ would like to work up cal with The
I United States. | have limited round several
I times hut il doesn't appear to work. The
/ peace commissioners that came over here
4 talked considerable abo L what the govern
ment would do for the people of the is
/ land, hut they didn't get down 10 business
| aud indicate that here was anything much
in Ii for me IL they think that l am in
| lhis thing simply for my health they are
! mistaken. You VIII notice in my picture
! that l am winking my other eve. / do this
| when / issue one OF my proclama TONS
| about the Filipino republic.
| Whenever you write any more poetry.
| Sister Annie, ,nd il 90 me; | can't tel
! where I wlli be but il the letter gets in
| the hands of a good runner he may catch
me- When ! get chance 10 mutilate any
| more prisoners / will let YOU know 1t may
inspire you 10 write another poem. From
| your brown relative. Aguinaldo.
| 4. S-Htre is verse or two that |
dashed off.the O her day while / was wait
| ing for the team 10 come up with my cap
itol. / thought they might interest you and
send them along:
Lt,te white sister across the sea,
don't believe you're on 20 me;
| | "saVey" you,
I've been beaten myself,
| Little white sister across the blue sea
,-.,t,,. l,,a nh a. ros4 Al ,.,,..., ~.