Washington sentinel., 1899-06-03
A True Account OF AguinsIao.

Howard w. Bray, in the Singapore Fys
Press, Of April S, will be appreciates
I'm the edition of the Peview o.
ReViea0S for February of this year, yol
reproduce a character sketch Of Genera
Emilio Aguinaldo, President OF the
Philippine Republic. taken from your
American contemporary. II is difficult
to know whether to qualify the sketch
as grotesque romance born of the high
pressure emanating from the exalted
emotions that develop only across the
Atlantic, or a reckless piece of calumuy,
and yellow journalism" which thejngo
party finds so fascinating, who appar
emily stick at nothing, even STOPPING to
beSmirching the national honor in order
to inveigle their countrymen into a
veritable quaRm re OF vampire imperial
ism.
Before reiuting the false and outra.
geous descriptions which you and,
note, the Grabhic FEB. 14) have, as
must assume, innocently and in ignor,
snce been duped into publishing, some
personal explanation will not be out Of
place. Up to the time Of the outbreak
OF the Hispano Anne rican war, was the
only Englishman, or 1t may be said,
foreigner, who could claim friendship,
or even acquaintance, with AguInaldo.
l enjoYed the hospitality OF his fatEer's
house in Cavite Vieio as Tar back as the
year 1888. when the subject OF your
sketch was boy Of I3 I am certainly
the only foreigner who has enjoyed the
confidence of the Filipino leaders be tn
before and during the rebellion against
Spain, and above all I was the medium
through which Aguinaldo was brought
into relations with the American Gov
ernment in Singapore last April. | was
residing Temporarily in Singapore owing
to the disturbed state of the Philippines,
esp scially in the province where my
estate is situated, when Gen. Aguinaldo
came down irom Hong Kong to consult
with me on the situation. The A merican
Consul General there, Mr.. Spencer
Pratt, at once requested me to arrange
an interview, which d, at the same
time acting as interpreter, when the
conditions of Agunaldo's cooperation
with Admiral Dewey were settled,
which President Mckinley with his
characteristic cant and hypocrisy
has since repudiated, under the
pretext that the Consul General was not
to act on behalf Of the Gov
ernment, one OF the most shameless
subteriuges Of the many which the
American Government has been guilty
OF, since the change Of policy brought
about by the jingoes to covet the flesh
pots of the Phllippines-or as Mckinley
in his Boston speech described them,
the Gems of the OrieBt-was adopted.
Although making no pretence OF being
a politician or bioggapher, am better
informed on questions connected with
Aguinaldo than any other person, and
| have been lnvoluntarily
dragged into the labyrinth OF heated
controversy, leel it my duty to dispel
and refute the mischievous and utterly |
false stories so assiduouslV circulated to |
the detriment of my illustrious friend.
Emilio Aguinaldo was born on the |
22nd Of March, 1870, in the town Of
Cavite Vieja, not only of pure Filipino.
but also of pure Cavite bic cd blood
that has always distinguished itself for
valor and independence Of character.
Although the province of Cavlte has
furnished the Spanish Coloaial Navy
with most Of its best men, the Cayitenos
have Invariably taken the most promi-
nent lead in all attempts to shake off the
hated Spanish yoke. They are amongst
the best agrlculturists in the Island of
Luzon, IN spite of being handicapped by
having their best lands in the possession
of the late Monastic Orders, yet
Notwithstanding this they have hitherto
succeeded by their industry and sell
reliance, in keeping out any other
Spanish exploiters of their soil. He is
neither the Offspring OF a Spanish
General" nor "dIssolute Jesuit" but
born in lawful wedlock OF an old patriar-
chal family who have resided there for
generations. His parents we're in
comfortable circumstances and owned
considerable landed property. His
father was imprisoned for supposed
complication in the reb lion of 1879.
but was afterwards liberated because
proved to be innocent. He was the
youngest Of three children, and was
educated first at the school in his native
town, afterwards at the College of San
Juan de Letran, in Manila, under charge
of the Dominican Friars. There are no
Jesuit priests in Cavite, CO sequently he
could never have been 'house boy"
with one, and his father was sufficiently
well of to educate his son himself,
without such extraneous aid as your
report suggests. He neither studied
medicine nor theology, but left the
college OF San Juan in the fourth year
OF his studies owing to the death Of his
father, in order to help his mother in the
management OF the family property.
His father was supposed to have been
poisoned through some monkish IN.
tngue. Aguiualdo himself soon became
an object OF priestly hatred, because it
was asserted he was a Freemason--and
anyone who has lived in the Philippines
knows full we'll with what demoniacal
tenacity the monks prosecuted snY
unfortunate subject suspected of Masonic
tendencies. In course Of time he becs me
"gobernadorciIlo" or Mayor OF Cavite
Vieio, and was acting as such when the