The evening times., 1900-05-29


porthern Mindanao by Mai. Gen. j. c.
Bates has been given out by the War De-
partment. II states that on the goth Of
March General Bates. accompanied by
Capt S. E Smiley, Fifteenth L. S. In
rantry; Second Lieut.. W. B. Gown. Third
q. S. Cavalry; First Lieut.. II. NJ. Reeve,
Third U. S. Infantry. aide-de-camp. and
Capt. Frank Dew Ramsey, Ninth U. S
Infantry, acting assistant quartermaster
and acting commissary of subsistence,
sailed from Manila on the U. S. S. Manila,
Commander Arthur P. Nazro, U. S. N,
for Sugod Anchorage, on the south side
and near the entrance of the Gulf Of Al
bay. where he met the transports Fran
cisco Reyes, Venes, SaIvadora, Castellano.
and the launch Baltimore, with the
Fortieth U. S. Volunteer Infantry. his pur-
pose being to take and occupy the towns
Of Surigao, Cagayan, Iligan, Misamis, and
Dapitan, in northern Mindanao.
At 1 O'Clock p. m. of the 9th of March
the expedition arrived off Surigao, where
a.hIte flags were displayed eonspicuously
aud native bands Of music were playing
on shore. A message from the insurgent
governor general OF Mindanao and Jobo,
who had some months previous received
his appointment from Aguinaldo, re
quested TO be informed whether or not il
was expected he should come aboard the
transports OF should receive General
Bates on landing Prudencia Garcia. the
insurgent general, described by General
Bates as a landed hemp merchant OF the
island. of considerable intelligence, about
fifty years OF age and a native OF Albay
province, Luzon met General Bates at
the wharf. where the troops were being
landed and rendered him in ceremonl-
Gus and dignifed manner the surrender OK
himself, his men, and their arms and the
town. and later. in a conference in which
his leading head men participated. offered
TO surrender all the troops over which ne
had immediate control with their arms,
10 the United States, and stated that ne
would further endeavor TO induce the in
surreetos in other parts of Mindanao TO
surrender and offered to go to Cagayan
and Iigan as well as other important
points. with a view TO convincing the peo-
pie Of the useiessness of resisting the
United States, a proposition which Cen
eraI Bates was forced TO decline on ac-
count Of the reported bad feeling existing
between Garcia and other leaders at Caga-
yam and other points. On the conclusion
of this conference Company B, FOrtieth
Infantry, escorted General Bates, his
staff, and several army and navy officers,
together with General Garcia and the
leading men of the town, to the plaza,
where the United States flag was raised,
the troops parading. and the L. S s.
Manila firing a national salute. large
quantity Of hemp is stored at this point
and the people were very anxious TO have
the port opened.
Occupation of CaGayan.
On the 2sth the expedition sailed for
An ha
s S. Yorktown. Commander Sperry, L. S.
N, or her way TO join the expedition. Com
mander Sperry had anchored 200 yards OF
the wharf at Cagayan the night before. had
made a sketch OF the barIiOs. roads and
country in the vicinity from the sign al
yard of the Yorktown, and had received
letter from Jose Roa, provincial preside L
OF Cagayan. regretting that on account o.
the delicate state Of the relations existir
between the Philippine people and Tia
United States il was impossible for him TO
properly welcome Commander Sperry, but
offered to send commission
On arrival at Cagayan the following
day white flags were displayed from the
shore batteries, where quite a number of
armed men were seen. and native hoats
came out to the Yorktown and the Manila
with request for a talk. but were informed
that the time for talking had passed and
that the troops were then preparing TO
land Major Cases battalion of the Foitieth
Infantry was disembaTked, two companies
marching directly on the town, the re-
maining two TO the southwest 10 prevent
the escape of the insurreetOs within the
town.
Major Case soon reported the Occupa-
tion of the town without opposition, the
surrender OF the provincial president, the
local president and the local police force,
al Of riff "a
steam launch. The greater portion of the
garrison estimated at from about $50 to
200, armed with Remingtons and Mausers,
had left the town for the mountains or
the approach OF our Slips. There was an
unusual evidence of organization displayed
IN this town.
Shortly after the departure on March 81
tie expedition arrived of Iligan, where
the usual white flags were displayed and
the local president came out to the Mani a.
Major Craighill's battalion was disem-
barked and promptly occupied the town,
which had been considered by the Span
iards as a base of operations against the
Horos of considerable strategic value. The
town itself does not look unlike an abaa-
dOned cantOnment. The local spCesident
and others wished some guarantee that
their property, religion, and general rights
would be respected, and were informed
that the presence of our troops was a suf-
1clent guarantee OF those rights. During
the Spanish occupation of this town threa
kilometres Of the projected railroad from
niSan TO Lake Lano were in operation,
the roadbed for four kilometres was com
pleted and at present there is consiIerab e
rolling stock and material stored in sheds
at Iligan.
On March 81. at 9 p. m, Colonel God
win and staff and Company A. Fortieth
United States Volunteer Infantry sailed
on the CastellanO. accompanied by the
United States steamer Yorktown for Da-
pitan, where the company is now sta
toned. The transports Salvadora and
Francisco Reyes remained at Iligan to un-
load. and. when released, to take cargoes
Of hemp at Suriguo back to Manila. The
United States steamers Manila CaIIao
and Panay, the transport Venus and the
launch Baltimore sailed on the morning
of April 1 for Misamis, arriving OF that
place about IL a. m. An insurrecto flag
Oh the old stone fort. on the approach Of
our ships. was hauled down and a white
flag with an inrurrecto nag underneath
hoisted in its stead.
In order to ascertain the meaning of