Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1900-02-15
A FILIPINO TOLSTOI.
Jose Rial, Scholarly Man Endowed
With Fine Gifts

A biography of a patriotic Filipino,
which has recently been published by
a member of the faculty cl the Austri-
an university of LeitmeI ,tz, may throw
some light on the native character.
The pamphlet is life of jose Rial,
Filipino patriot and is dedicated to
General Emilio Aguinaldo, who is
characterized as tho libeTator of his
country, a chivalrous and brave war
rior."
Jose Rial was a native of the island
of Luzon. He graduated ON the Uni
versity of Madrid as doctor of med
icine and philosophy Returning to
his home in Manila. ne wrote and pub
lished novel which ex cited the
wrath of the government by it's anti
Spanish sympathies and by its ex-
posure of the corruptions of the
church on the islands. For the crime
of telling what he believed to be the
truth he was banished He came to
the United States, and afterward went
to London, where he devoted himself
to further study
er political novel He then settled as
practicing physician in Hong Kong.
From here he went to Borneo. where
it was his intention to found a colony
of Filipinos. In 1892 he returned to
Manila, presumably for the purpose of
recruiting his colony. He went at
once to the home of his family, leav-
ing his baggage in the custom house.
This baggage was opened, and in it
there were found certain pamphlets of
an anti-Spanish character It has been
charged that these pamphlets were
Struggled into the baggage by some
| fanatical monks, and that the type
from which they had been printed,
was found, still set up, in the posses
sion of these monks.
However. Rial was banished a sec
end time. This time he was sent to
the island of Dapitan. where he was
held a political prisoner under the
close watch of Spanish guards. While
he was on this island and under the
eye of his guards, another insurrec-
ton in the Philippines broke out
| Though for the last four years he had
been prisoner on distant island and
under the constant surveillance of the
authorities still, when the insurrec-
| ton broke out, he was taken to Ma
Mia on the charge of having melted
| the uprising, and, after the forms of
the law had been complied with, he
was condemned to death, and shot on
the Both of December, 1896. in spite of
/ the protest of many humane Span
| iards. One hour before his execution
| he married his betrothed. a beautiful
Irish girl. His own countrymen were
compelled to do the shooting. Back
of this row Of Fillpinos stood Spanish
I soldiers. ready to cut them down if
they shrank from their cruel business.
! Never" says an eyewitness. never
shall forget that awful morning, nor
! the horror-thrill that came with the
4 report of cracking rifles as his man
( gled body fell on the public promen-
ade, amid the jeers of Spaniards and
monks. who had consummated thus
one of the most cold-blooded crimes
registered in history since the tragedy
of Golgotha. My blood boiled. and
from that hour espoused the Filipino
cause"
On the day following Rizars death.
his widow passed the Spanish line at
Manila and made her way on foot to
the camp of the patriots. There
Aguinaldo gave her command of a
company, at the head of which the
Irish bride-widow gained more than
one victory.-Boston Transcript