The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-08-25
"A VICTIM OF
AGUINALDO HERE

we left Cavite for Manila we got separated
from the rest Of our regiment. and before
we knew IL we were in the midst OF the
insurgents.
There were hundreds of them all
around u.s." cried out the Spaniard. spiut-
tering In his excitement and his endeavors
% make himself understood for the Por-
tuguese was not quick and Dias spoke so
rapidly and gesticulated so wildly that
trained linguist must have had difficulty
in following the rapid fire of his remarks
There must have been 5000 around US.
anyway. We tried to stand them of but
VIC were so few In number that they soon
had all our guns and we had to give up.
Then they took US TO Malolos. Some OF
the officers knew me. for I had learned
TO speak their language and j had acted
as Interpreter many times in Manila be-
fore there was war between the F'ilipinos
and the Spanish.
when they got us to Malolos they put
us in prison and they treated us fright
fully" the mans eyes grew wide and he
shook his head mournfully and almost
wspt in self-pity. They took all my
clothes on-everything. They tore the
scrgeants stripes from my Jacket and one
of the men put IL on. They left me with
nothing but my drawers and a shirt-no
cap: nothing to cover my head. Oh. but
we were hungry, and they. they didn't
care. All they gave us to eat was eight
cen grains OF rice day and hardly any
water. How we wanted water! 1 asked
for some water of the man in command
after We reached the prison all tired out
and hot and dirty after the march, and
what did he do? He ordered me tied up
and whipped They fastened my arms be-
hind my back and tied my legs together,
and man whipped my back with sticks.
He struck me on .he head until 1t bled.
See, you can see the scars yet"
/ lie leaned forward, painting in the in
tensity Of his passion. and passed his fin
gers through his hair. The red scars OF
those two-year-oiu wounds were yet Wis
ible.
4 But did not care how they beat me.
' I cried out that they might shoot me; |
begged them to kill me, but first to give
me some water. Only water-that was
all wanted. And then they were furious
bccaus, they could not make me keep
still. Two of them came at me and
thought they were going to kin me. and
| was glad. One of them had a pair OF
shoemakers pincers and before l knew
what they were going to do they pulled
my Jaws apart and stuck those pincers In
and tore out three of my upper teeth
In pantomlme he showed how II was
done. stretching his jaws wide and show
ing the mutilated upper jaw, euiltiess OF
teeth. like that of a very old man. but
red and SCARED and horrid
After that don't remember much:
thought they We're tearing my head OF
entirely he went on. more soberly. MY
mouth filled up with blood so that they
could not see to pull all the lower teeth
And when I came to my senses agair
they had taken every tooth out of the
upper jaw. And even then, when ] wa.
half dead they would not give me water
II got well after while. but 1 could
not eat much, and was so nearly starved
to death. We were all kept In a narrow
prison with guards all around. Three
months and nine days ] was there. al
the time getting weaker and almost dy
ing. And so I made up my mind TO es
cape. One of the guards was kind to me
and I asked him to let me get away. III
said he would N would promise not q
tell who let me escape IL they caught m
again. That night I got out OF the win
dow and away. and for three days j Ia,
, HID. Some French women befriended me
or I don't believe I should have eve
reached Manila alive. They gave m
clothing and even $50 in money to hel
me TO Manila.
~ few days after that the America
troops landed and they soon took the cit
; for We had no ammunition and we coul
? net fight without ammunition I wa
: sent away in a transport back to Spair
$ From there I came to Honolulu to wor
on a plantation, for the wages in Spai
Z were small that 7 could not make
living there and had to go away"