The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-06-05
Reached His Former Headquar.
tiers Too Late.
A LEADER ON A GRAY HORSE.
He Was Shot by the
American Soldiers.
The Body Carried Away by Fill
plnos-Best Reasons For Be.
living Il Was the Rebel
Chleftain-flls Papers
Found In . Sad
d1ebag.

vigan, Luzon, June 2, via Manila,
June 3.-Major March, with his detach-
ment of the Thirty-third Regiment,
overlook what is thought to have been
Aguinaldo's party on May 10, at Lagat,
about one hundred miles northeast Of
Vigan. The Americans killed or wound
cd an officer, supposed to be Aguinaldo,
whose body was removed by, his fol-
lowers. 80
Aguinaldo had one hundred men and
Major March one hundred and twenty
five. The American commander reach
ed Laboagan, where Aguinaldo had
made his headquarters since March 8,
on May Z. Aguinaldo had fed several
hours before, leaving all the beaten
trails and travelling through the forest
along the beds of streams. Toward
evening May 10 Major March struck
Aguinaldo's outposts about q mile OUT
side Of Lagat, killing four Filipinos and
capturing two. From the latter he
learned that Aguinaldo had camped
there for the night. Although exhaust
ed and half starved, Major March's
men entered Lagat on the run. They
saw the insurgents scattering
INTO THE BUSHES
|or over the plateau. A thousand yards
beyond on the mountainside the figures
of twenty-five Filipinos, dressed in
white, with their leader on gray horse,
were silhouetted against the sunset.
The Americans fred volley and saw
the officer drop from his horse. His fol
lowers fed, carrying the body. The
Americans, on reaching the spot,
caught the horse, which was richly
saddled. Blood from badly wounded
man was on the animal and on the
ground. The saddlebags contained
|Aguinaldo's diary and some private pa
pers, including proclamations. One Of
these was addressed ITO the civilized
nations" 1t protested against the
American occupation Of the Philippines.
There were also found copies-of-S -Sena-
tor Beveridge's speech, translated into
Spanish and entitled ''The death knell
Of the Filipino people,"
Major March, believing that the Fill
pinos had taken to river which is q
tributary to the Chico, followed it for
two days, reaching Tiao, where he
learned that a party of Filipinos had
descended the river May 20 on raft,
with the body of q
DEAD OR WOUNDED
man upon q litter, covered with palm
leaves.
There Major March reviewed his
command, shoeless and exhausted, and
picked out twenty-four of the freshest
men, with whom he beat the surround
ing country for six days longer, but
without finding any trace of the insur-
gents. The Americans pushed on and
arrived at Aparri May 20.
The officer shot was either AguinaldO
or his adjutant, and as the horse was
richly caparisoned it is fair presump-
tion that it was Aguinaldo.
The soldiers of General Young, mill
tary governor of Northwestern Luzon,
captured early last month an insurgent
officer with papers revealing Aguin-
aldo's whereabouts. General Young
Immediately organized for pursuit, CIV
ing Major March q chance to finish the
work begun in November. Major
March left Condor May 10, hurrying
north towards Laboagan, while Colonel
Hare, with battalion divided into two
parts, started from Rangued, province
of Abra, covering the trails westward.
The garrisons in the Cagayan Valley
were disposed in such way as to guard
the avenues Of escape eastward.
Spies heralded the approach of Major
March with signal fires. On reaching
Laboagan he apprehended letter
IN AGUINALDo's HANDWRITING,
the ink OF which was hardly dry, ad-
dressed to an officer Of guerillas of the
Filipino army, and saying:
nCEO AdNAhS oiiANOu uhAo AiOA
at Laboagan a hostile column from
Bokoc, have set out with all my force.
My road has no fixed destination"
This was signed "COlOnel David" a
soubriquet. Aguinaldo called at the
Presidencia, from which he issued de.
crees and where his followers celebrated
Easter with banquet at triangular
table, when speeches were made eulo-
gizing Gregorio De Pillar.
That night Major March's men slept
in the bamboo, resuming the advance
in the morning and reaching Lagat,
forty miles distant, in two days, al
though it was raining hard in the
mountains all the time.
Aguinaldo's papers are very import
ant. They show that he took refuge in
Isabel province, where he remained un-
til he established himself at Laboagan,
province of Abra, where he proposed
to direct the rainy season operations.