The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-03-11

ance offered by the Insurgents,
Who Had Controlled the Place
Up 40 the Arrival of Gen. Hobbies
FOrces-An Important Port
Correspondence OF the Associated Press.
SORSOGON, Southern Luzon, Ian. 20
Two days ago military expedition of
some $500 American troops, under Gen.
hobbe, left Manila and was carried on
several steamships to the southern end
of Luzon island. there to occupy and per-
manently garrison six seacoast towns and
villages. Up to the present time three
such towns have come under the Ameri-
can flag and American army officers, and
no one has been hurt on our side Two
or three more places still remain to be
garrisoned down here, and then the expe-
dition will proceed to Samari and Leyte,
there to occupy and hold the principal
towns of this neighboring island.
Gen. Kobbe's command is composed of
the Forty-thiTd and Forty-seventh United
States volunteer infantry, and Capt. Ran
dolph's battery of the Third artillery
These troops were transported on the
. Hancock and Garonne and the local
steamers Venus, Aerolus, Salvador and
Castona. Conveyed by the gunboat Nash
Vile, the expedition left Manila Jan. IS.
and slowly steamed down the coast to the
deep bay that leads to Sorsogon. On
the morning of Jan 20 we met TIE gun
boat Helena and the little MarVelos, the
three warships leading the transports in
single file, the whole expedition slowly
proceeded up SorsogOn bay. We swept
past several villages. We were close
enough to the shore to detect the tropical
foliage, and there was a presence in the
morning air that reminded OUR soldlsrs
of home
There followed us from Manila a side
wheel steamer, NuneZ with serviceable
draught of six feet. Her use and value
now became apparent. Two compani OF
the Forty seventh were lowered into
eight of the Hancock pull boats, and two
more companies passed aboard the NuneZ.
Then the Nunez towed the whole outfit
up to Sorsogon. still eight miles up the
bay. In two and half hours the expe-
dition reached Sorsogop. and we saw the
town was decorated with red, white and
blue flags
AMERICANS ASHORE.
TIE Helena and MarveIos had preceded
the Nunez up the bay, and were anchor
cd In front Of the town. Gen. Kobbe and
a number of officers went on shore. They
were met by number of Spaniards and
natives. 1t was the natives first sight
of Americans Only three days before
the Tagal leaders had convincingly told
them that Aguiraldo had driven us out
of Manila and held US as prisoners upon
vessels in Manila bay. The Spaniards
told Gen Kobbe that the insurgents had
evacuated the town that morning, where
upon Capt Howe, with an American flag
under his arm, accompanied by an Or
derby, walked across the square in front
Of the church and raised the flag upon
a pole. facing building that had the APP
pearance of barracks. The soldiers
from the Nunez were landed on the
wharf and, Immediately forming into
companies, marched UP into the town.
The people seemed Indifferent to our
presence, their only visible Characteristic
being curiosity. All day long they Hooked
at the Americans from street corners.
doorHays and second-Story windows, and
several times the crowds of the curious
had to be dispersed from I'M front of head
quarters.
There were several Spaniards in town.
and from them was learned something OF
the recent happenings on shore.
IMPORTANT. PORT.
Sorsogon is an important shipping port
and district capital It has, like the
rest of this coast and the islands of Samar
and Leyte, been blOckaded by our vessels
since August last. and consequently the
people have suffered from the lack OF
varieties of food They seemed to have
sufficient of rice. fish and bananas. which
is the diet Of the poorer classes, but all
such cOmestibles as come from Manila
had long since been exhausted.
The Spaniards said they were very glad
to see us, and they hoped for the i'm
mediate re-establishment of commercial
relations with Manila.
1t seems there had been stationed in
Sorsogon about 300 Tagal soldiers, under
the command of Col. Leon Pars. There
were only 100 rifles in the command, how
ever, and We were told they had little
ammunition. The Spaniards. had been
uniformly Well treated by the Filipinos.
There had been no official imposition or
injustice, the Spaniards were allowed
every liberty, and they averred that
travel in the country had been safe at all
times. The town and province had been
ruled by Tagal leaders, and such civil
forces as they established were directly
under the control of the military
There have never been any Spanish pris-
oners in the province of Sorsogon, and all
friars and priests We're driven away more
than a year ago Churches are now oc-
cupied and services conducted by the ma.
tive clergy.
The natives of Southern Luzon are VI
coils. They seem a quiet and peaceab BILE
people. unlike the Tagals, and they APP
parently prefer to be let alone
This province is hemp producer. and
as there have been no shipments for six
months past, considerable of this product
is stored here waiting transfer to a mar
ket.
1t appears that the main body of the
Fflipinos retreated toward a village called
Castillo, some eight miles distant, but a
rear guard of twenty men were left In
Sorsogon and only quilted the outskirts OF
the town when Gen. Hobbies party land
ed on the wharf