The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-01-19

hOG0TlO. we WeIc nOG Impressed
with the appearance Of the city, and
recognized that we we're in the camp Of
a possible enemy. The natives watched
us In an insolent sort Of way, but did
not dispute our entrance. But you may
imagine our surprise and pleasure
when. suddenly emerging from the
street that runs at right angles with
the sea shore, We came into q magnifi-
cent city. The buildings were Of stone
at least the first story, and the second
story artifcially built Of the hard ma
tive woods. The sight Of two Ameri.
oans 40 far away from the American
camp was something novel to the Ia.
tivea and they watched US with a great
deal Of curiosity.
"Whether or not we cared to 90, we
were taken to the home Of the conilnan-
dant of Rosario, and were asked the a
tule Of our business: told him and
he refused to allow me to 90 to the
church and the convent, where the
prisoners were held. I said only this
to him: We have come nine miles to
inquire into the condition Of Spanish
and Filipino prisoners; I shall make it
my business to 60 back and report to
General Estrella that we were treated
with extreme discourtesy, and that the
privilege that was accorded to ua By
him, was not accorded by one Of his
subordinates,' ! then had the pleasure
of saying good morning to him and.
turning, started off. It il needless to
say that the old man followed and i'm
mediately conducted US to the place
where he was holding the dying and
diseased soldiers. An American bluff
beats two Of any other kind when put
into practice. But how shall de.
scribe to you the awful condition Of
these poor devils as we found them, IN
a building separated from the other.
evidently one Of the poorest and mean
est. The first thing that we discovered
was the intolerable stencil, and enter
ing we discovered men Oh the first floor
lying upon the damp earth, too poor
and too weak to obtain some more com.
Portable position elsewhere. 1t is an
actual fact that these men were SO near
gone from the effects Of malaria and
~dysentery that they we're but skin and
bones; the cheek bones p%rotruding, the
lips drawn close over the disoolored
teeth, the eyes sunken in their sockets
10 far as 1t was possible for them to go;
the attenuated arms showing clearly
the bones, and the limbs in the same
condition, for these men had not sufi-
cient clothing to cover their nakedness.
We inquired Of best we were able what
their food had boon, and were told that
they had less than three ounces Of rice
a day to support life; that there was no
meat; that there we're no vegetables,
and that il one Of them e%ndeavorod to
90 outside the bounds of his prison wall
that he was shot down. a".
"We came out from these conditions,
and ! saw easily that the governor was
troubled. ! paid no further attention
to him. but passing over to the quarters
of the insurreoto soldiers, inquired Of
them who was responsible for the con-
dition Of the Spanish prisoners and the
Filipino suspects, ! was asked the
question by what authority made
these inquiries. then stated that !
had the permission Of the general COM
m~anding the province, and that !
should certainly not rest until ] had
made my report; first, to the American
officers in charge, aud then to General
Estrella; and, Furthermore. that II they
were seeking in any way to obtain sue.
cor and aid from the American forces
that were in the Philippines, that !
would simply lay such facts as were in
my possession before the Americans and
let them Judge whether such blood
thirsty and fiandish men were entitled
to any consideration whatever from q
civilized people. Again 1t worked, and
they told me that IL | would withhold
my report for u week aud then would
return, that / would find conditions
different. / immediately insisted that
they should share their food with such
of the men as were able to take ii, and
on this condition, that they would fur.
nish them with better quarters, better
food and sufficient clothing, that |
would withhold the report for II week.
Needless to say, at the expiration OF
that time, these men told me that they
were living in clover. The secret OF IT
was that these men were trying very
hard to commend their course, by their
courtesy and by their statements OF hui
name treatment to prlsoners-I say they
were andeavoring to commend them
selves to thu Americans to show them
they were worthy OF being an indepen.
dent people.
"Whila at Rosario we saw q typical
Spanish dungeon; 1t had evidently been
part of a Spanish castle. built some
years before, The mote surrounding
the wall was overgrown by the rank
vardnre common to that country, and
the wall seemed in many places to be
ornmlllng, but the place had evidently
been q castle and fortress combined,
Here we found soma Of the famous
dungeons that form 10 great a part OF
the sensational aud yellow, backed jouI-