Omaha daily bee., 1899-02-07
SITUATION NOT QUITE CLEAR
Z sssf ~ = frse- n lsss
Some Confusion as to Attack Upon
Manila Referred to In
Dewey's Dispatch.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6.-The receipt of
Admiral Dewey's dispatch this morning ad-
vsing that the insurgents had attacked
Manila caused commotion at the War de-
partment, as the text of the dispatch was
translated there by the Navy department.
The first conclusion reached was that an
other battle and that the insurgents
| were not combining their attacks to the
American lines, but were directing them at
the city, of Manila itself. But upon con-
sideration the officials reached the conclu-
sion that they were mistaken in this con-
clusion and that by some of those mishaps
that frequently occur this was simply de-
layed dispatch from Dewey.
Lieutenant Corbin pointed out in support
of this idea that the postscript of General
Otis dispatch last night describing the bat
tie of Saturday night and Sunday morning
was received at the War department at II
O'Clock last night, more than four hours
IN advance OF the receipt OF the story OF the
battle which should have preceded it. Then,
too, General Otis last message was of such
reassurlng nature and spoke so decisively
of the driving off of the insurgents that it
was believed scarcely probable that they
could have renewed the attack upon the
American forces SO soon after their defeat.
The naval opinion was just the reverse OF
tHlS. NAVAL oHlCldlS Iell sure tnat DeWey
dispatches had not been inverted and that
there had been more fighting. or the out
come they had little doubt, pointing out
that Dewey's guns command the entire city
and the approaches beyond, affording a most
sa tisfactory backing for General Otis opera
lions.
AS between these varying views there
must be taken into consideration the opinion
OF the Filipinos attached to the junta here
to the effect that the attack of Saturday
night was precipitated by the unexpected
| killing of Filipino by an American guard
and that the result was to bring on an action
at the weakest part of the Filipino lines.
II this opinion is well founded 1t would seem
to be possible that the naval view Is cor
rect and that the Filipinos have now begun
action at their strongest point namely, be-
tween Manila and Malolos, the insurgent
capital, about fifteen miles distant from
Manila.
When the news came today that another
dispatch had been received from General Otis
it was awaited with the greatest interest
II turned out, however to be the usual
periodical sickness and casualty report. The
interesting part about it is the disclosure of
death rate among the American troops
from smallpox OF one man per day for the
last nine days The report reads as fol-
dOws:
MANILA, Feb. 6.-Adjutant General
Washington: Following deaths since Janu-
airy 2S: Royal L. Fletcher, b, First Wash
ington. typhoid fever. January 20: Albert
w. Balton, private, B, Thirteenth Minnesota
yariola; Walter Dugard. private, G, First
Idaho, typhoid fever January SO: Isaac
Cooper, private, Is. Twentieth Kansas
yariola February /: Bugler r. Jones,
private. F, Twenty-third variola Charles
Snodgrass, private b. Twentieth Kansas
yariola; Fred Maxwell private, X, Twen-
tieth Kansas, variola. February 3: James
Owen, private l., Third artillery, varloIa;
Miles e. Kyger, corporal, /. First Wash
ington, typhoid fever; Chester w Hubbard.
private, X, Third artillery, variola; OlaYus
t. Felland, private, First South Dakota
variola. February 4: Pearl Doty, private,
b, Second Oregon, variola.