Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-04-14
Many Strange Sights One Sees in the
Visayan Metropolis.
WAS BURNED BY THE INSURGENTS
A People With Few Wants and
Most Primitive Customs.
THEIR FARMS AND HOMES
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
Copyrighted, 1900, by Frank G. Carpenter J

1LOILO, February 20, 1900.
1lo1lo, which is pronounced as though 1t
were spelled Elo-Elo, with the accent on
the Els, Is the second city of the Philip
pines. From the way the town has been
treated in the Associated Press and cable
dispatches of the war correspondents I
supposed it vas a large city. I had heard
that it had all the way from thirty thous-
and to three hundred thousand inhabitants.
and that it was the center of the sugar and
hemp trade of the islands. 1t is the chief
city of the middle islands of the archi-
pelago, the trade center of the Visayan
group, and the capital Of the Island of
Panay, of the largest and thriftiest of
the Philippines. Still it has with its sur
rounding villages, not more than ten thous-
and people, and the city proper does not
cover as much ground as the county seat of
average Ohio county
1t is situated on both sides of the Iloilo
river, which is rather an arm of the sea
than anything else. The ground about it is
low and fiat, running back behind the town
for distance of some twelve miles
more before the mountains begin. The har-
Dor is formed by the Ilolo strait, a strip
of water about six miles wide, running be-
tween the Island of Panay and that of
Guimaras, furnishing a safe and deep an
chorage for ships.
Millions of CocOanut Trees.
The lowlands above and below Iloilo are
covered with cocoanut groves. There
millions upon millions of trees waling the
shores of the western side of the island
so close to the water that they seem to
rise right up out of it, forming d stockade
of white poles topped with green many
miles long Back of this Stockade and ris-
ing out of it as you approach the city you
see the spires and domes of churches
and, later on, the walls Of great stone
fort. and then the town itself, collection
Of low houses rooted with gray galvanized
hon. The most of the houses are Of white
washed stucco, few of wood painted white
or in light colors, and many are dilapidated
and in ruins.
You see everywhere the desolation and
destruction caused by the insurgents. When
they evacuated the city they set fire to it,
saying that most of the property belonged
to the English and the Chinese, and to burn
1t would not injure the natives, who lived
chiefly in the adjoining villages of Molo and
Harrow. So they soaked everything with
ocal oil and ran from house to house with
torches before they left. The work was
well done, and nearly every building of
value was more or less injured. The schools
and hospitals, as well private dwellings
and business property of all kinds. were
fired and In many cases burned to the
ground. Some which had a first story OF
stone have since been rebuilt.
The Condition of Panay.
Similar burning has gone on in most parts
of the Island Of Panay, and although 1t is
nomiually conquered 1t will be a long time
before its peaceful possession can be as
sured. The country is full of bandits and
thieves, and there are bands Of guerrillas
who are travelling from place to place max
ing looting and robbery their business.
These men do not respect the rights Of
property Of the natives any more than
those Of the foreigners. They levy their
contributions on ALL perpetrating the most
horrible murders and other crimes Those
who show any sympathy for US are singled
out for death or torture, their houses are
of the natives would gladly adopt the
American government and join with us were
they not afraid of their lives, and such
officials as are appointed by us have to be
protected in the exercise of their offices.
This will necessitate the garriSoning of the
island for a long time to come. Indeed, it
seems to me that there will have to be a
large American army kept in the Philip
pines for years in order to insure the
progress and quiet which must be had if
the islands are to be AmerfcaniZed.
Need Cavalry.
1 heard today from an old English resi-
dent here what seems to very sensi-
BILE suggestion. This was that the chief
roads Of the island should be patrolled by
cavalry Five hundred men, properly
mounted. could protect the main roads and
crush every band as 1t Genes forth from
tho mountains. The insurgents are cow
ards and they will run If attacked by a
force of any size. With such protection
the people could safely go with their
work on their plantations, and the bandtti
confined to the mountains, would soon be
starved out and disappear.
One source Of the robber bands comes
from tho native soldiers who We're employed
In the Spanish army There were about
three thousand of these. When we took
possession instead of making them part
of our forces as was, 1 am told, entirely
feaS at 6iSpharPad them
and ordered them to go back to their homes
They had been serving some time and pre-
ferred the trade of war to that of agricul-
ture. They formed bands of guerrillas and
since then have been working with the in
surgents and independently raising trouble
everywhere.
Match Head Cartridges.
Panay, and especially Iloilo, have been
the centers of plotting and scheming
against the Americans. All kinds Of plots
have been Matched up here and all sorts Of
means tried to smuggle in arms and am
munition. One of the most ingenious de-
vices was the importing Of Japanese
matches in order to use the heads for re-
charging Mauser cartridges. Thirty mil
lion boxes of these matches passed through
the custom house here within a month be-
fore our officials suspected what Mas being
done. 1t was then suggested that the ma
tives could not use so many matches iegiti-
mately and it was discovered that thew
were cutting off the heads and using them
for powder A number of their cartridges
so charged were captured and tested. II
was found that the match heads had more
explosive power than an equal amount of
powder. They sent the balls forth with
such force that they wers changed into
sluss upon striking the sand, whereas the
ordinary cartride, charged with powder
gave the balls mushroom shape. Upon
reducing the amount of match heads one
third the effect produced was the same as
that of the usual powder-charged cartridge.
The insurgents had also refilled the old car.
tridges with the ordinary amount of full
minating powder.