The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-02

two hands to his mouth in trumpet form,
shouted the words. Prepare. the rebels
are upon u.s." and Immediately afterNard
disappeared. Thereupon a terrible scene
of panic ensued.
The American soldiers rushed to the
door in widest excitement. trampl ns
under or throwing aside women ard emil
dren. Everybody was in the greatest
state of CONSERVATION and fear. George
Warren the manager. with admiral cour-
age. hurried forward and announced to
the audience. "A false alarm at which
those remaining gained courage. In .eN
minutes nearly the whole audience had
left the entertainment. The performance
was, however continued. and gIadua. y l
noticed few of the American soldiers re-
turn and take up their positions by the
door. We remained watching the per-
Torrance some twenty minutes longer.
when i: became apparent that some
serious action had been taken. Folley
after volley was being fired, and the bal
lets whistled past us through the tent
with unpleasant distinctnesS.
AT the entrance We found the utmost
commotion. People were rushing wildly to
and fro. unconscious OF what they did or
where they went. Soldiers were ordering
the natives to their homes and shooting
those who refused to obey. The night be-
came as light as day. illumined by burning
houses. The noise of guns was deafening
and bullets were simply raining around us.
1t was well known to the residents OF
Manila. and admitted by the Americans,
that the first shots were fired by them.
with the result that large numbers of men,
women, and children were killed. The
Americans in forty-eight hours slaughtered
more people than did the Spaniards in two
centuries The fate of the Treaty of Peace
was to be decided on the 9th of February.
and 1t is said that the conflict was COM
menced for political reasons to ensure the
ratification of the American Treaty with
Spain.
To influence the Senate.
1T has long been known that the Fill
Pine war was brought on as means to
force the Senate to ratify the Paris Peace
Treaty, but it is best that President Nc
Kinley and his advisers should be con-
demned out OF their own mouths. Or Feb
ruary 3. 1899. the day after hostilities broke
out at Manila, the staff correspondent of
the San Francisco CALI wired his paper as
follows:
President Mckinley said to an init
mate friend tonight that the Manila en-
gagement would, in his opinion, ensure
the ratification of the treaty tomorrow.
Senators Lodge and Spooner. being inter-
viewed by the Cali representative to-
night, expressed the same opinion
Il wish to state that one of the officers
of the guard, doing picket duty just out
side the city of Manila, on the night of
February 1. 1899. said to me that up to
that date the Instructions he had invaria-
bly, received were never to shoot unless
attacked. But on the night of February 4,
1899, after going on duty. he said he was
given instructions to use his own judy
ment as how to act He said that he knew
what that meant and that he was not sur
prised when fighting began. He said that
the city Of Santa Ana. just opposite their
lines. was bombarded at $3.50 p. nj. by the
American gunboat LaguDa de Bay. The
combustible nature of the buildings re-
suited in an immediate conflagration.
which lighted up the surrounding country
as bright as day This enabled the AmerI-
cans. who had planned the onslaught. To
kill more Filipinos before morning than
had been killed by the Spaniards in a hun
bred years.
This statement is borne out by the
Hopgkong Daily Press of February u,
1899. which published the following:
AT p. m. on the 4th of February the
river steamer Laguna de Bay got up steam
(ths steamer has been armored and
mounted as a gunboat by the Americans)
and went to Santa Ana. and at $3.50 p. m.
commenced to lombard the town, stimuli
taneously with the American attack on
the Filipino lines
1T is an open and notorious fact that
General Otis, only few days before the
bombardment of Santa Ana. had prepared
map showing the exact location of the
British subjects residing in this suburb
of Manila. This was made with a view
to enabling the commander of the gunboat
Laguna de Bay to avoid firing upon any
of the foreign residents. Mr.. Sheridan.
in speaking of the bombardment and Ar
ing of Santa ANA. says:
The English residents at Santa Ana
had the most trying time on the night of
the 4th, and had it not been for the
kindness and generosity of the Filipinos
many British subjects would. no doubt,
have been killed by the bullets OF she
Americans.
Santa Ana is situated on the Rio
Pasig, which was now patrOlled by an
American armed launch and its guns were
directed and fired upon the town. 1t was
we'll known that General Otis had maps
of Santa Ana in which all European houses
we're marked and their positions located.
and it was therefore scandalous that
shells should have been unnecessarily
thrown into the houses of British resi-