The San Francisco call., 1899-09-24
kadpunan 5adge of Death to .4N Foreigners.

law in the Philippines for any one to
carry firearms without having obtained
special permission, every member of the
Katipunan provided himself, or was pro-
vided with bolo, or native dagger. an
ugly implement of heavy steel. not very
sharp except at the point. but very ef-
fective weapon when it comes to stab
bing and slashing at close quarters, as
both Spaniards and Americans have found
to their cost. Equipped with this death
dealing instrument the low-grade Fill
pino feels that he is a match for any
enemy who is brave enough to meet and
argue with him face to face, or whom he
is fortunate enough to come upon sud
denly and in the darkness.
A special feature of the limitations was
the ceremony of adopting the new mem
Der into Blood Brotherhood" A knife
of peculiar shape with many cabalastic
figures carved on the handle, was used in
the simple surgical operation which left
the mark of the order on some portion
of the newcomers body at the same time
that it made possible the blood transfu-
sion, or rather commingling, which made
the brotherhood" something never after
to be disputed or denied. The signing of
the membership roll with mark made by
his own blood and the receiving of the
sacred and secret word which always
thereafter gave authenticity to any or
der received, completed the rite of ad-
mittance to the first degree and made the
candidate a full-fedged member of the K.
X K. at the same time that it, figurative-
ly speaking, burned all his bridges behind
him. Il must be all advance and no re-
treat with him thereafter, for the signing
of the roster was the signing of his own
death warrant should the fact of his men,
bersnip become known to the Spanish Of
ficials who spared no effort to extermi-
nate all connected with this hated So
ciety.
So complete was the necessary system
of secrecy pursued by the K. K. X that
the members of one band did not know
the whereabouts of another. Even the
names of the heads of the order were un-
known to those beneath them. The meet
ings were changed from place to place,
and orders came in secret from unknown
sources and were carried out blindly and
to the letter. even though obedience
meant death to him who received the
mysterious and ineXplicable command.
The growth of the organization was
absolutely phenomenal. for, in spite of
the unceasing vigilance of the Spanish au-
thorities over $4,000 men joined it during
the first two years of its existence, and in
1896 its membership had increased to
nearly $4,000.
Attempts were made by means of spies
to keep the Government posted in regard
to the affairs of the Katipunan, but all
such efforts failed most disappointingly
to achieve anything of real Importance.
The natives became aware that they were
under the ininical espionage of pretended
friends and gave them and their employ
ers a few bloody but salutary proofs of
their disinclination to submit quietly to
treachery in any form.
1t behooved every man who was in
cluded in their BLOOD Brotherhood not
only to be scrupulously loyal to his breth-
rem in deed and word and life, but to
avoid even the faintest appearance Of
evil'' lest q shadow of suspicion should
fall upon him and deepen into the dark
ness of death before he realized his
danger.
The principal government spy was
man named Aguede del Rosario He had
been very actively instrumental in the ar
rest of a number of the .Katipunan mem
bers, although his part of the work had
been done so secretly that 1t was some lit
tie time before his identity became