The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-03
Thirty Besieged i'm a Church by Sew
eral Hundred FilfpinOs, Who
Finally Applied the Torch.
TWENTY SOLDIERS KILLED
TEN MORE RESCUED JUST AS THEIR
AMMUNITION GAVE OUT.
Over 200 of the Rebels Slain by the
- Observation-Disclosures Sup
posed to He Dead.

MANILA, May 1.-THE American garri-
son of Catubig, Island of Samar, consist
ing of thirty men belonging to the Forty
third Regiment. has been attacked by reb-
els. Twenty of the Americans were killed.
The remainder were rescued.
The Americans were quartered in the
Catubig Church, which the enemy, num-
bering several hundred men, surrounded
and fiercely attacked. The Americans
fought for two days, and then the rebels
managed to ignite the roof of the church.
1t burned away and finally fell on those
inside the edifice. The walls remained in
tact, however, and were used as shelter
by the besieged Americans for two days
longer, the enemy attacking the building
on all sides at once.
The Americans continued firing from the
windows and doors of the church and did
great execution among the Filipinos 1t
is estimated that over 200 of the latter were
killed. many dead bodies being removed
from the scene of the fighting.
After five days resistance by the Amer
leans lieutenant and eighty men arrived
from Laoan and engaged the besiegers.
who thereupon retired. The fortunate ar
rival of these reinforcements prevented the
humiliation Of the American force in
trenched in the church, who had repeated
ly declined to surrender when ordered to
do so by the Filipinos. The ten survivors
were without food, had little ammunition
and were exhausted when relieved. This
fight has encouraged the Filipinos, who are
now acting in an aggressive manner and
threatening that section of the coast. par
ticularly the town of Catarma. whence
the garrison will probably be withdrawn
to Laoan.
General Funston has discovered a rebel
warehouse near Cabanutuan. province of
New Egija, containing all the archives of
the Malolos government. Aguinaldo's
correspondence up to the time of his flight
and much valuable historical matter.
The belief is growing that Aguinaldo was
killed by the Igorottes. There is no proof
that he has been alive since Maj. Peyton
c. March, of the Thirty-third Regiment,
abandoned the chase after the Filipino
leader in the Benquet mountains. although
an insurgent officer who recently surren-
dered to General Young says the insurgent
General Tinio holds this belief Tinio held
regular communication with Aguinaldo
until Dec. g. since when he has heard
nothing from him, and Tinio thinks Agui-
naldo would find means to communicate
with him If alive. Major March's infor,na-
ton was that there were only half dozen
soldiers with Aguinaldo when he fled
beyond the Bontoc wilderness, where the
savages are hostile to all strangers.
Friends of Aguinaldo's wife assert that
she has heard nothing from him since they
parted. She is in a delicate condition and
she has not been informed of the death
of her child and thinks it is with friends
at Bacoor.
The Sultan of Sulu, with a retinue, in
Guiding several of his wives has sailed for
Singapore, ostensibly on a religious mis-
sion. A Hong-Kong dispatch to a Manila
paper says the Sultan has gone to Singa-
pore In order to protest to the British
against the Americans establishing a tariff
against imports, claiming that it is a viola
ton of the treaty of 1877 between Spain.
Great Britain and Germany, Germany
guaranteeing the Sulu islands free trade,
whereas the Americans have established a
tariff, nearly doubling the prices of tobac-
CO. rice and the Sulu staples of life most
of which are imported from Singapore.
The Filipino crew of the steamship Es-
cano recently mutinied in the channel be-
tween Cebu and Leyte and killed the cap
tain. the mate and the owner Senior Es-
cano, and his son with knives after a des-
perate struggle. The mutineers then scut-
tied the ship and escaped to the Leyte
mountains with $4,000