The age-herald., 1900-03-12
GENERAL KOBBE IN SOUTHERN LUZON Six S0aCOaSt Villages to be GaFri-
 SOned. PEOPLE STARED IN WONDER They Had Never Seen the Americans
 Before.
PEOPLE STARED IN WONDER
COLONEL HOWE RAISED THE FLAG
The Filipino Soldiers at Sorsogon Fir ed One Volley and Then Fled to the Hills-Natives Seem
 Very Indifferent

Sorsogon, Southern LuZon, January 20.- Two days ago a military expedition of some 2,5OO American troops under General Kobbe. left Manila and proceeded on several steam ships to the southern end of Luzon island there to occupy and permanently garrison six sea coast towns, and villages. Up to the present time three such towns have come under the American flag and the con- trol of American army officers, and no one has been hurt either side. Two or three more places still remain to be garrisoned down here and then the expedition will pro- ceed to Samara and Leyte, there to occupy and hold the principal towns of these neigh boring islands.
 General Kobbe's command is composed of the Forty-third and Forty-seventh United States volunteer infantry, and Captain Randolph's battery of the Third artillery. These troops left Manila January IS on transports conveyed by the gunboats Hell ena and Nashville.
 When the expedition arrived off Sorsogon the town was decorated with white and American flags. When General Kobbe and Captain Dariel, Colonel Howe of the Forty seventh. Captain vardley of the Hancock and Lieutenant Kobbe, the generals son, went ashore, they were met by number of naltives and Spaniards, while crowds of the1 1Ttllagers stood and gaped in wonder at the curiosity It was their first sight of Americans. Only three days ago the Tag alo. leader had convincingly told them that Aguinaldo had driven us out of Manila and held us prisoners upon vessels in Manila Bay. The American flag was raised by Colonel Howe.
 People Seemed Indifferent
 The-people seemed indifferent to our pres enc their only visible characteristic be- ing uriosty. So-sogon is an important shipping port and district capital It has, like the rest of this coast and the islands of Samara and Leyte, been blockaded by our vessels since August last, and conse- quently its people have suffered from the lack of varieties of food. There has been stationed in Sorsogon about 300 Tagalo sold iers, under the command of Colonel Leon Paras. There were only one hundred rifles in the command and we were told they had little ammunition.
 ''rhe natives of southern Luzon are called Vieols. They seem a quiet and peaceful people, unlikely to give trouble if T9galo influences be removed from them, and they are apparently more anxious to be let alone, to grow small crops, than to fight and die for the Aguinaldo idea of liberty IT. appears that the main body of the Ffl- fpinos reltreated toward a village called Castillo, some eight miles distant, but rear guard of twenky men were left in Sor- sogon and only guarded the outskirts of the town when General Kobbe's party landed on the wharf.
 To-day Companies A and D of the Forty seventh started on the Helena for Donsol, end Company went on the Nashville to Bulan. Donsol is a few znc-roofed ware houses and some long lines of thatch huts in low tangle os green jungle on the ceast The beach is white and lined with fish weirs, drying nets and dugout canoes. Behind the town some thirty miles is the wonderfully symmetrical cone-shaped vol cano of Mayon, 5000 feet h.eh.
 'sThe company of soldiers was landed from the Helena.
 Meeting Had Been Held
 Before We had landed there had been a meeting of the townspeople Some men with property interests and bales of hemp ready for the market were in favor of sur rendering. But there was "a revolutionary hot-head, an officer, in the gathering, who urged resistance. When our boats were actually seen coming ashore, however, the Tagaios in the party for resistance could not hold their less sanguinary followers, and the army broke flor the hill top. There they were persuaded to fire that one VOL ley, and then they gladly ran away.
 '4There was little enough food dn this town of Donsol, and back in the hills there is still less. The natives already have be- gun to come back to the village, bringing their families, and as this continues Major Wise will soon nave community to ad- minister.
 Tn the beginning they were sullen and indifferent to us, for they are still under the fear of the Tagalos. But when they see that we intend to remain and will afford them protection against retaliations they wdli accept us more gladly and be ready