The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-02
AGU|NALDO A PRISONER
BUT HIS CAPTORs DID NOT
KNOW IT.
Was Disguised as a Chinese When
Captured With a Part of His Body
Guard-Unwittingly Released.

WASHINGTON d. c., February 16.
An officer who has Just returned
from the Philippines says that It is gem
orally believed that Aguinaldo was re-
Gently prisoner for four days in the
hands of General Young, and that, be-
ing released without revealing his iden-
tity, he has taken refuge in the noun
tains in the southern part of Luzun
disguised as a Chnaman. The orders
OF General Otis have been to disarm
native prisoners, give them a square
meal, talk to them kindly explain the
intentions and policy of the American
authorities and set them free unless
they are men of rank, or suspicious
characters.
One day about two months ago, Cen
eral Young captured part of Aguin-
aldo's bodyguard, which was attended
by twenty or thirty Chinese cargadores
or burden bearers. The entire party
was detained four days, and the Filipi-
nos were closely examined for infor-
nation of their fugitive chief Although
questioned separately their stories
seemed to agree. They explained that,
being exhausted by the hurried march
and the lack of food and rest, they had
fallen to the rear of Aguinaldo's party
and were unable to catch up with it be-
| fore they fell into the hands of the
troops. They spoke freely of Aguln-
aldo's movements and plans, gave the
names of people who were with him
and confessed they We're glad to give
up the fight. They said that Aguinaldo
was trying to reach some seaport where
he could find a boat that would take
him to Hong Kong or some other place
Where he could throw himself upon the
protection of a foreign government
and that he had abandoned everybody
and was sacrificing everything for his
own safety.
The members of the Filipino body
guard were so candid in their state
ments and professed such eagerness
to remain with the American
troops so that they could get
food and protection, that nobody
thought of examining the half-naked
and exhausted Cinnamon who huddled
together wherever they could get shell
ter, and snapped like starving dogs at
such food as was placed before them
and when General Young moved on
the soldiers gave them worn-out cloth
ing and shoes, and as liberal an allow
ance of rice as they could spare, warn
ing them not to take up arms again,
| but to go back to their homes and set
tie down to useful labor.
Sometime after one of the Filipino
bodyguard came into a town where
there was an American garrison and
=, th"I AS ulhdluo was among
the burden bearers, disguised as a
Chinaman, and almost frightened to
death for fear he should be betrayed
and discovered. The informant stated
that the party captured by General
Young was not made up of stragglers,
but was the remnant of Aguinaldo's es-
cort, and that every one of them ex-
pected to be shot or hanged as soon as
they fell into the hands of the American
soldiers. In order to save themselves
they agreed to make the explanations
narrated with the hope of securing their
own 'refease and sending their captors
on wild-goose chase.
| After this incident Aguinaldo, accom-
panied by two companions disguised as
Cinnamon, entered the mountains and
continued his flight to some seaport
here he hoped to secure means of leav-
| ing the island