The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-20
sUPERsTITION OF FILIPINos.
They Believe an Image of Christ
Gave Advice to Aguinaldo.
From the Manila American.

FROM the Manila American.
In Cavite Viejo and vicinity lot OF ma
tives, who are insurgents at heart. but
who have mo stomach for lighting" have
been muttering against the Americans.
The ostensible cause of their complaint is
that Lieut.. Paul A. Barry of the Fourth
Infantry has been living in house which
is alleged to belong to Aguinaldo.
The house In question is one OF tho
largest buildings in Cavite Viejo. and
when IL became necessary to use the resi-
dence for military purposes. Sonora Fa-
my, (Aguinaldo's mother,) who occupied
the dwelling, was politely asked to move
out. She complied with the request made
of her by the military authorities and
went to live in Bincayan. The men of
Company l OF the Fourth Infantry were
quartered In one wing of the building, and
Lieut.. Barry occupied the big front room.
This room was formerly Aguinaldo's IA
vorite place of abode. The walls are beau
tifully frescoed and the ceiling has paint
ed on it a picture representing the ocean
In the background of the picture there
are three mountains. In the space be-
tween the center and left one the sun APP
pears IN magnificent splendor. In the fore
ground OF the picture is a set of steps
leading from the ocean upward. On the
topmost step sits native girl In national
costume, holding a Filipino flag, the up
per end of The flagstaff being capped by
a bow and arrow. To the left of her and
at her feet is the Spanish flag. lying in
the dust, with the staff broken and near
this are pieces of the chains symbolizing
the harshness of Spanish tyranny and the
breaking of it,
This room seems to have been a sort of
audience room. Against ths far wall Is
an altar, TO the right and left of which
are figures of the Virgin Mary and Jesus.
in half life size. On top of the altar Is a
group OF figures, eighteen inches in hight
representing Mary, Joseph. and the Child
Jesus. Under a curtain of gaudy mater
ial one may see a life-sze figure of Jesus
representing Him dead and ready for the
tomb.
The holy of HOLES in this room, accord
ing to Filipino ideals, is the recumbent
image of Jesus. With this statue of the
Saviour, Aguinaldo claimed 20 have held
many long conversations, and his igno-
rant and deluded followers believed that
the image Of Jesus often gave the self
constituted dictator advice as to the man
agement of the instruction. When Agui-
naldo left Cavite Viejo, by his orders a
light was kept constantly burning on a
pedestal in front of the image. and when
Sonora Fanny moved away she pleaded
as an excuse for wanting to stay that IL
was the command Of the saints that she
should always keep a lighted candle in
that particular place.
Lieut.. Barry had lived In the Aguinaldo
mansion but a short time when the in
surrectos attempted to foment discord by
saying that great sacrilege' was be-
Ing committed.
The images and the sacred picture were
not molested, but the refractory natives
were angered because an American Of
ficer used Aguinaldo's audience chamber
for a sleeping apartment. As time went
on this talk increased and in Bincayan
especially threats were made that Lieut..
Barry would be killed II he did not vacate
the premises.
But the lieutenant is a brave man, and
was not in the least intimidated by the
reports of what the insurrectos had said
Mistaking leniency for fear. the insurgent
sympathizers in Bincayana went so far
as TO say that Lieut.. Barry was afraid
TO come to their barrio because he would
surely be put to death IL he did. When
these assertions came to the ears of the
officer whose life had been threatened he
al once proceeded to show the natives
how little he cared for their clustering.
Going Immediately 10 Bincayan, he coli
lected number OF the braggarts and adj
monished them to do less talking or they
would get into trouble
The malcontents were thoroughly cowed
by Lieut.. BarTy's unexpected action and
since then the propriety of his living in
Aguinaldo's casa" has not been ques-
| toned in Bincayan.