The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-09
SECRET FILIPINO SOCIETY.
The Terrible Katipunan Is the Real
Power I'm tn. Islands.

rlple katlpunan OF tne t1llplno WaI-"nicll
is in Admiral Dewey's phrase. the brains
behind Aguinaldo:"
Il. will die slowly. by the most hideous
torture before / divulge anything that 1
know. learn or conjecture about this Very
Exalted and Honorable Union.
III / will execute at any cost TO mySelI
or others, Immediately. unquestioningly and
exactly, all orders accompanied by Ihe
Sacred and Secret Word
iii. 1 will cherish active and undying
hatred against Spaniards and other Tor
eigners.
nv When the order comes will person
ally assist in slaughter, at once and with
out mercy or distinction. all foreigners
within reach of my revenge. -
". will keep these oaths while my ille
lasts. and should i forget or disobey tne,n
/ will rightfully suffer the most horrible
death which my associates can infiict upon
me-"
The Katipunan, the correspondent says. is
an organization vaster than the Italian
Malta or Camorra. more cunning than tie
Hindoo thugs, more bold than the Russian
Nihilists. Organized under patriotic in
stinct it wells itself in mystery. puts the
punishment of death upon any member who
disobeys it's order reveals its secrets and
laughs at the ban of the church. The
Kataastaasan Kagalanggalang Katipunan.
whose banner bears the dreaded insignia
of *. X. X" mas been in existence only
five years.
There was a time when patriotic Fill
pinos, who had become educated and had
read of political changes in Europe and
America dreamed OF rescuing the Philip
pines from robbery and misruie by peace
full means. They soon found that open agi-
tation served only to cause the arrest and
execution of all who protested against Span
ish extortions and the coniscation Of their
RI
in every possible way; practically enslaved
them by forcing them to work without pay
on stolen estates, or kept them III Virtuai
bondage by prohibiting rentals.
In 1872 the native Filipino soldiers mu-
tined. 1t was their plan to rise in Manila
and butcher all the Spaniards. The plans
were not we'll matured, and only Cavite
was subjected to baptism of blood. 1t was
a horrible crime against humanity that
butchery. and it met with a horrible re-
prisal. The Spaniards showed themselves
far more energetic in war than in peace.
They harried thousands of honest farmers
on the plea that they were rebels; they put
to mediaeyal torture hundreds of natives
suspected of guilty knowledge of the mas
sacre The worst thing they did-the most
| foolish politically as well as most indefens-
| ible or moral grounds-was the killing or
| Padre Burgos, the dearly-beloved Filipino
priest, a man of the most sanity life and
| character When he lay bleeding in a low
| row of men who had been ranged along
! blank wall and killed by firing squad, the
'Liga Filipinos' was formed. DR.. Rial
was at its head. the most cultured and INTEL
| ligent, and probably the ablest man who
| has ever been connected with the Iagal up
| rising Again the same disheartening story
| of cross purposes and divided aims and then
| DR.. Rizal also was taken and shot. That
| day the islands lost their best leader.
| The native leaders had seen the blood OF
| their best and bravest too often fiow They
| resolved that what they should do In the
future should be in secret. So five years
| ago the Katipunsn was founded. Its object
was not league of leaders, but a league
| of an entire people. They included the rich
| and the poor. To make secret everything
| that was done they bound every member by
| the most terrible oaths If he revealed a
| secret of the order-death, If he disobeyed
| command OF the order-death, He was
| not to know his superiors; he was TO Kill
| Spaniards whenever hidden TO do so. and
not until then. Implicit obedience was, in
| word, the meaning of the oath.
To impress the imaginations of the ignor-
| ant there were horrid rites of initiation.
| There was the symbolism of the painted
| curtain, from behind which protruded two
| arms, one hand grasping a severed head and
/ one dripping dagger. No one need be able
/ TO read to see the meaning, to see that this
| meant the stab of an unknown assassin. In
| all the history Of secret society but one
| other symbol so striking was ever paint
| ed-the All-seeing Eye of the early Nor
-t<~ Al oil ~
the order with his blood; Its mark was cut
upon his body; he armed himself with tiny
dagger: then he went about his daily busi-
| ness. waiting orders
Andres Bonificio. who led in founding the
Katpunan. was a patriot of pure and lofty
| purposes, but a secret society whose heads
are unknown and whose members are sworn
to obedience tends to degenerate into an en-
| gine of private vengeance and a means OF
mere murder.
There was a government spy named
| Aguedo del Rosario. who informed upon
some of the members of the K. X. K. He
| simply disappeared. No one knows what
became of him. but 1t is likely that he died
horrible death by torture. A few In
stances of Katipunan vengeance made the
| oath of the order serious thing to take.
The Katipunan is behind the so-called
Filipino government. Dead Fiipinos beai
the X. K. X. mark. Katipunan flags are
often taken by the Americans. The very
| postage and revenue stamps of the natives
bear the TX. X. X" initials. and Katipunar
agents in ports near and far attend to the
purchase and the shipping of arms.
The comparatively good treatment oi
American prisoners by the insurgents is q
proof of the shrewdness of Katipunar
leadership. The "brains behind Aguinaldc'
are hedging the revolution market. They
do not mean TO be caught mapping IL ar
American success puts the chief plotters in
jeopardy. 1t is not a government but sc.
cret society that the brave American sol
diers in the Philippines fighting. And Il
is society as grisly as was ever read about
in a dime novel.
Hospital Ship SOlace Arrives.
SAN FRANCISCO. Oct. s.-The United
States hospital ship Solace arrived thirty
five days from Manila via Guam and Yoko
hama. She brought over 100 discharged
sailors from various vessels OF the Asiati,
squadron and the following officers, some O.
whom are on detached duty, and some o.
| whose terms are about to expire: Com
! manders Swineburne West and Belknap
| Lieutenant Commanders Perry and Morrell