The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-02-08
IL0ILO NEXT.
General Miller is Confident He
Can Take 1t.
And Has Only Awaited the
Word From Otis.
DIE THE TRENCHES.
FilipinOS Take Death in a Mat
ter of Fact Way.
Declare Their Attack Was Not
Premeditated.

Gen. Miller has been for weeks lying
in front of the town on his transports
He has never had any doubt of his
ability to take the place whenever ne
got the word, but there has been re-
straining influence from Washington,
based in part on the hope that the IN
surgents could be brought to a peaceful
retirement from the town and an APP
prehension that an effort to force a
landing might result In serious injury
to foreign interests Now 1t Is felt
that the latter are perhaps more IN
jeopardy from a continuance OF the eX-
listing state of affairs than they would
be through a rapid seizure of the town
Gen. Miller now has with him the
Eighteenth infantry and a battalion OF
artillery, and it is likely that he will be
strongly reinforced before the attempt
is made to take 1loilO.
Naval officers have watched with
pride the achievements of the naval
they were gratified when Secretary
Long sent the following cablegram:
Dewey, Manila: Congratulations.
(Signed) LONG
DIE IN THE TRENCHES.
Manila, Feb. S.-There are many indi-
cations that Manila is full of despera-
does who had intended to cooperate
with Aguinaldo. The police are con-
tinually capturing men and women with
weapons concealed in their clothing.
The vigilance of the authorities In this
respect is highly reassuring.
Last Saturday about midnight two
Englishmen accidentally encountered
gang of armed natives in a dark side
street. The natives, fearing discovery,
imprisoned them until morning, and
threatened to kill them unless they
maintained silence.
Many native clerks, employed by mer-
camille houses, are missing. AS 1t is
impossible that they should have passed
the lines the inference is that they are
in hiding in the city.
Several attempts have been made to
assassinate Americans on the streets,
but that danger is now at minimum.
The natives are terribly cowed, and
the precautions taken, especially
against incendiarism, are admirable.
The insurgents, who have been swept
in every direction, like pheasants in a
battle, die by the hundreds in the
trenches-for the most part passively,
except the Ygorotes, who charge des-
perately and uselessly.
The Filipino prisoners declare that
their attack was unprecedented; that
the outposts fired, and then everybody
followed in accordance with a sort of
general understanding.
DEWEY THE CAUSE
Washington. Feb. st may be that
it was Admiral Dewey's act in seizing
a vessel loaded with arms and ammuni-
ton intended for them that melted
Filipino insurgents to attack the Amer
lean forces Saturday night, for it is un-
derstoOd that one of the bitterest of
their grievances was what they de-
clared to be understandable interference
with their shipping
1t is learned at the navy department
that about a week ago the admiral
caused the seizure of the schooner
Tenang with a full supply of such arms
for the insurgents. The admiraPs re-
port discloses the fact that an Ameri-
can and not a German owned the vessel
thus being used to arm the insurgents
against Otis troops.
ANOTHER THEORY.
London, Feb. S-The president of the
European Filipino junta- in an inter
view with a representative of the AS
Sociated Press today, said:
1T is perfectly clear that the unfor-
tunate hostilities at Manila were occa-
stoned by an attempt of the Nebraskans
the Singaloon water works. The Amer
leans for months have endeavOred fruit
leSsly to induce the Filipinos to with
draw from these works, as the latter
fully recognize their immense strategic
Importance. BY the destruction Of the
villages between the sea and the river
bank the Americans secured a vast
open space from which Manila might
otherwise have been attacked under
cover.
THE Americans have captured the
water works and the Filipinos will now
have to retire to the mountains of San
Mateo and Boso-Boso, which, as they
are easily an hours distance, command
the capital, and it will be impossible to
diSlodge them further.
THE whole Filipino strength will now
be devoted to the protection of the
country outside of Manila, as Aguinaldo
is aware that, even if he captured the
city, he could not ho1d.it with the Amer
lean warships in the bay.
1.-The Americans will also have to de-
pend for their food supply on shipments
from abroad, as the insurgents will eff
fectually cut off the supplies from the
interior"
The Filipino agent concluded with as
serting that Agoncillo, Aguinaldo's
agent in America, and the European
5unta had increasingly advised Aguin-
aldo not to commence hostilities, but,
he added, the Filipinos regard the land
ing of American endorsements as
threat, and this, added to the proclama-
ton of Gen. Otis, refusing political
rights to the natives and inaugurating
military regime, had strained native
opinion to the breaking point.
ENGLISH PRAISE.
London, Feb S.-The Daily Telegraph,
commenting upon the fighting at Man
lila, says:
TT is quite clear that the Americans
have given the Filipino rebels a very
sound thrashing at a comparatively
small cost to themselves. They have
for the time being, at all events, placed
Manila in safety until the reinforce
ments now enroute reach Gen. Otis
Although the majority of the Ameri-
can soldiers at Manila were volunteers,
they appear to have fought with as
much discipline and gallantry as their
regular comrades could have exhib-
tied"
CASUALTIES NUMBER 1877
Washington, Feb. Seen. Otis re-
port of casualties in the Manila fight
up to date aggregate 1877. OF these 40
were officers and men killed and las
wounded.
TREATY CALLED TO OTIS.
Washington, Feb. Seen. Otis has al
ready been notified by the war depart
ment of the ratification of the peace
off h f1-oo