The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-06-19
FUNSTON'S FIND!
From Manila Times, MAYS,

From Manila Times. May S.
CABANATUAN, N. ECIJA Prov, Nav
By esterday General Funston made
one of the biggest hauls of the Philip
pine war, perhaps queit the biggest.
He was making a personal recon-
nOissance, as he is fond of doing: all
| who have ever served under him know
his motto, that mans own eyes are
the best informants. So he went off on
hike with eighteen troopers, 'sfossick-
ing around" in the direction of Bon
gabon and Pontabangan, some twenty
miles northeast of this place, up the
Rio Grande de Pampanga. He was not
acting on any information supplied, but
just ION the prowl" on general prin-
ciples, and an excellent idea it proved
to be. Anybody can follow up a clue
when there is one, but it is when there
isn't one that enterprise tells.
On both sides of the river a fertile
plain extends for some miles, dead fiat,
just rice-felds and cane-brakes, cane
brakes and rice-felds, with villages
here and there. The rich valley of the
Rio Grande is shut in by somewhat
steep bluffs, covered with dense forest
which stretches back into the unknown
mountain regions. The bright eyes of
the Brigadier espied bamboo ladder
in a cleft of the cliffs, and he turned
aside to investigate.
The ladder looked lonesome and mys-
terious. 1t was far from any visible
dwelling-place of man, it could not lead
to any fields up there, and it seemed
much more than mere woodman's af-
fair. "Wonder what is up there?" The
ladder was perfectly perpendicular, and
beside it rope hung sheer from the
brink of the cliff to the ground. Ap-
parently the rope was intended to as
sist the ascent or descent of persons
using the ladder, or perhaps it might
be to haul things up or down and save
the journey. 'sPull it and see ~ When
pulled, it rang bell, big, deep-toned
alarm bell, somewhere away in the
woods back from the brow of the prec-
ipice. sup, quick !" And Funston
and his boys Skinned up the ladder,
eager, excited, like SO many school boys
out for lark, yet keeping their eyes
open and every sense alert for some
surprise.
At the top, footpath led away into
the gloom of the forest, and there, in a
| Vii hno al
ed, they found a wonderful store OF
treasure. Not gold nor silver, nor
pirates plunder, but all the archives OF
the rebel republic, carefully cached and
awaiting the resurrection.
There were thirty or forty large
wooden cases neatly packed, cram-full
of State documents. The Filipinos have
all the excessive Recommendation which
the Spaniards taught them, and every
most trivial thing is preserved, even to
the visiting-cards of everybody who
ever called on Aguinaldo, and the
laundry-bills of the Presidential palace
There were other things saved from
the wreck of Malolos; about thousand
2lb HOtchkiss shells, quantity Of
dynamite, stock of bombs, and much
other ammunition; 200 lbs. of black
gun powder; Office furniture from the
T Malolos Audiencia; carpets, chairs
tables, and lot of miscellaneous good!
of no special Importance.
The documents were the principa
prize. They included some things O
no value, such as ancient Spanish
school books, dating fifty years bach
and containing the education of 20(
years ago:these were probably the relic!
of the so-called university which Pa
terno started. After as good an inspec
tion as circumstances permitted, Gen
Funston set aside several tons of use
less rubbish and burnt it on the spot
saving the State papers.
These comprised all the correspond
ence of Aguinaldo and his chief official
from the time of their earliest dealing:
with Dewey, down to the hurried migra
tion from Malolos. (Archives sub
sequent to that date were, it will be re
membered, taken at Tarlac in the mid
> die of last year, There are letters t.
and from Wildman and Dewey, beside
l several business firms in Manila. Aguin
aldO's own letter-bOok, giving press
,, copies of everything he wrote, is als'
there.
1t is rumored that the correspondent,
shows some firms in Manila to have ha,
realations with the rebels hitherto un
suspected.
! The whole cache was ingeniously hid
den among the trees in the ravine, an,
rooted over heavily with nipa to an un
usual thickness. The structure mad
quite big warehouse, with not an incl
., of space vacant.
= Gen. Funston, knowing there woul
!, be a string of pack-mules returnin.
E about that time to Cabanatuan after
journey up-country with stores, sen
messengers to intercept them and Loaf
: ed his 'fnd" on their backs. Their
3 were thirty one mule-loads of valuabl
= documents.
= 1t was found, later, that there wer
, other approaches to the cache, just lik
: the one described, with alarm bells ey
erywhere, and guard of 40 or 80 rebe
+ had just fed, leaving their dinner hal
4 eaten.
e In regard to our correspondent
It story, Gen. Funston, who came int
It Manila on Thursday night, prefers nc
to say anything for the present, beyon
r. admitting that he did find large qua
r tity of insurgent documents, which wi
be duly forwarded to the proper al
n thorities for examination.
General Funston comes to say goot
bye and bQn-voyage to General Oti
and expects to return north today.