The evening times., 1899-05-06
4 Calunlny.
A correspondent of the Chicago Trib-
une" SAYS:

A correspondent of the Chicago Trib-
une" says:
| II General Otis. ''the American weyler," has
! ordered the killing Of prisoners. as is proven by
letters of soldiers in the field. how We escape
| the righteous scorn and contempt of other ma.
| tions?
.If'' anything of the sort had been done.
we should certainly deserve the scorn and
contempt of other nations-even of Spain.
The massacre of helpless prisoners is
against all the rules of civilized warfare
as well as humanity. But there are occas-
ions when .'if' becomes the biggest word
in the language. and this is one of them.
There is no evidence that any official order
has been issued by General Otis tn this
effect.
THE letters of soldiers in the held' in
dicate. if they indicate anything at all. that
the insurgents are taking every opportu-
nifty to attack the American soldiers by
fair means and foul. by assassination in
the streets of Manila as well as by battle in
the open field. 1t might easily happen.
therefore. that alleged -combatants
among the Filipinos would be killed while
trying, by underhand methods. to attack
sentinels and guards. What would the
correspondent of the Tribune" have the
soldiers do in that ease? In a very bad war
drama presented in this city some time ago,
a desperate Spaniard was captured. and the
colonel Of the regiment discovering that
the man was about to attempt his assassi-
nation, magnanimously offered to settle
the question by duel with knives, in
which. it may be added, the Spaniard came
off triumphant If that is the principle ON
which the anti-expansionists think our
troops should act in the Philippines, all
that can be said Of it is that it may be
ent--foolishness-but it is not
war.
There are ins and outs about fighting In
the Orient which are not thoroughly un-
derstood in this country. There are some
Oriental tribes with whom the civilized
man cannot reason any more than ne
could with a pack of wolves. Under or
dinary circumstances, the surgeons and
nurses of civilized armies treat the wound
ed with impartial kindness. whether the
sufferer rs friend or foe. But when the
wounded man has a pistol or q knife ready
to use on the person who tries to assist him,
it would take more devotion and daring than
even the average army surgeon possesses
to undertake the task. The sagacious Null
vaney tells a story. which points this NOR
al: During one Of the Indian campaigns an
innocent little OFFICER bhoy' stopped over
a wounded Pathan to give him a drink.
The sufferer swiftly produced . pistol and
shaved half the hair OF the young on
GERS head. which would have been blown
to pieces but for a lightning-lfke dodge.
Said Nulvaney:
After that, whin he was ;wishful for to succor
a Paythan, he stud wild his pistol contagious to
the ear. Thin they dared mot do anything but
curse.
When one is dealing with that tort Of
foe. things are slightiy dimcult.
Moreover. 1t would be rather strange II
. few Of the letters sent homo By soldiers
were not more o. lses romances. Whils the
great majority Of American volunteers and
regulars are vefacious a. well - brave and |
patient. snlisting in the army does not
mako . man perfectly truthful II he has |