Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-05-08

MANIA. May S.-The next task of
the Americans will probably be to clear
The Fihpnos out of Bacolor about five
miles southwest of San Fernando. The
rebel General Mascardo mas force of
6,G00 men there. well armed and pos
sesScd OF plenty of Ammunition. Hls
troops have never met American sol
dieis, and they think, according TO re-
ports carried 10 San Fernando, that they
can whip the whole lot.
Bacolor is well enuenched, and thou
sands OF natives are working like
beavers digging trenches and carrying
the dirt in baskets. The enemy uses
his riflemeu ion lighting only, but COM
pels the bolomen and Chinese, and even
the women, to labor necessarily.
The rebels have an outpost about j
mile beyond San Fernando, with Il
trench that holds between POO end 300
lnen From that point several volleys
were fired last night upon the camp of
the Twentieth Kansas regiment.
Neither General Mac Arthur or Gen
er;d L&Iwton moved Sunday. although
each reconnoitercd the country i'll his
own vicinity for some miles from head
quarters. developing the presence of
small forces OF the enemy.
In the vicinity of Laguna de Bay the
rebels are extremely active, but the lines
of General Ovenshine and Colonel
Wholley, who is commanding General
Kings brigade during the latter's i'll
ness, have been materially strength
ened. and there is no danger i'll that di-
rection.
The armed steamers Laguna de Bay
and CavadOnga, under Captain Grant,
have gone to Guagua. about five miles
southwest of Bacolor, presumably to es-
tahlish Il base of supplies for the troops
engaged i'll the northern campaign.
Lit is rumored that Mabini, president
of the cabinet, and minister of foreign
affairs in the sc-called Filipino govern
ment, who is radical, is to be sue
ceeded by Pieterno, the Trainer of the
Spanish treaty of 1896. This change is
regarded as significant at the present
juncture.
The entrance of the Americans into
San Fernando was virtually unopposed.
The .FGlipinos, who expected the in-
vaders to approach from the sea, had
that side of the town strongly guarded,
but there was only one line of trenches
beyond San Tomas. Two battalion of
the Fifty-frst Iowa regiment, which
swan the river north of the city, We're
smartly Deppered while in the water,
but the rebels disappeared as soon as
the Americans reached the shore. In
the meantime the hospital squad had
walked across the bridge into the city,
supposing the Americans were there.
They encountered no natives.
The few Spaniards and Filipinos who
We're left welcomed the Americans and
opened their houses to them, General
Macarthur accepting entertainment at
the hands of Senor Hizon, a sugar
magnate.
If the inhabitants of the San Fer
nando region are to be believed, there
was little sympathy with the insurTec-
ton in that quarter. Before eyacuating
the city the rebels burned the church
and the public buildings and looted the
Chinese quarter They drove many rich
Filipinos. with their families, out of the
city before them. as well as hundreds Of
Chinese, to prevent them helping the
Americans They cut the throats of
some Many Chinese hid OH roof tops
or i'll cellars, and some escaped by cut
ting off their queues. There were 30
fresh graves i'll the churchyard.
The country beyond Cllumpit was
full of all Sorts of ingenius trenches and
pitfalls in che roads, with sharpened
bamboo, Fortunately the Americans
escaped the latter.
In the swamIjs near San Tomas,
where General Wheaton's troops did
their hardest fighting-the men sinking
TO their waists i'll mud-were many
bodies of Filipinos, smelling horribly.
The army is really enjoying life at
San Fernando, which is the most pic
turesques and wealthy town the Ameri-
cans have entered since the occupation
of Manila.
The troops are cncitmped around i'll
the subupbs and arc beginning to think
they may be quartered there during the
wet season.
After BacoIor has been cleared water
communication with Manila may be
established.
The American troops were much eX-
liausted by the campaign, except the
Iowa troops, which were comparatively
fresh. The regiments of the division
average less than 30 men to IL company,
and all have IL weatherworn appear
ilncc.
Senator Albert Beveridge of Indiana
WAS here studying the Philippine ques-
ton.
Brigadlcr General Charles King sailed
for the United States on board the
transport Pueblo.