The Washington weekly post., 1900-06-05

Vigan, Luzon, June 3 via Manila, June
3-Maj. March, with his detachment of
the Thirty-third Regiment. overlook what
is believed TO have been Aguinaldo's
party on May 10. at Lagat, about 100 miles
northeast of Vigan. The Americans killed
or wounded an officer, supposed to be
AguinaldO, whose body was removed by
his followers.
Aguinaldo had 100 men, Mai. March 125.
The American commander reached Laboa
gan, where Aguinaldo had made his head
quarters since March 6, on May Z. Aguin-
aldo had fled seven hours before. leaving
all the beaten trails and travelling
! through the forest along the beds OF
streams. Toward evening. May 19. Mai
March struck Aguinaldo's outpost, about
mile outside of Lagat, killing four Fill
pinos and capturing two. From the latter
he learned that Aguinaldo had camped
there for the night.
Fell from His Horse.
/ Although exhausted and half starved,
| Maj. Marchs men entered Lagat on the
run. They saw the insurgents scattering
| into the bushes or over the plateau. A
! thousand yards beyond the town. on the
/ mountainside, the figures of twenty-five
/ Filipinos, dressed in white, with their
/ leader on a gray horse, were silhouetted
/ against the sunset. The Americans fired
a volley and saw the officer drop from his
horse. His followers fed. carrying the
body.
! The Americans, on reaching the spot.
caught the horse, which was richly sad
dled- Blood from a badly wounded man
Was on the animal and or the ground.
The saddle bags contained Aguinaldo's
diary and some private papers, includ-
ing proelamatiOns. One of these was ad-
dressed To the civilized nations" 1t pro-
tested against the American occupation
or the Philippines. There were also found
copies OF Senator Beveridge's speech,
translated into Spanish, and entitled 1.-The
death knell of the Filipino people"
Trail Lost ut Tiao.
Maj. March. believing that the Filipinos
had taken 10 river, which is a tributary
TO the Chico. followed 1t for two days,
reaching Tiao. where he learned that a
party or Filipinos had descended the river
May 20 on a raft with the body of a dead
or wounded man upon a litter, covered
with palm leaves.
There Mai. March reviewed his CON-
mand, shoeless and exhausted, and pick.
ed out Jwenty-four of the freshest men,
with whom he beat the surrounding coun-
try for six days longer, but without find
ing any trace Of the insurgents. The
Americans pushed on and arrived al
Aparri May -
The officer shot was either Aguinaldo OF
his adjutant; and as the horse was richly
caparisoned. It is a fair presumption that
IL was Aguinaldo.
The soldiers OF Gen. Young military
governor or Northwestern LuZOn, captur.
ed early last month an Insurgent officer
with papers revealing Aguinaldo's where
aboutS. Gen Young Immediately organ
ized for pursuit giving Mai. March a
chance 10 finish the work begun In No.
vember. Mai. March left Candon May
70, hurrying north toward LabCagan, while
Col Hare, with a battalion divided into
two parts. started from RanguSd, prov
inca OF Abra, covering the trails west,
ward. The garrisors In the Cagayan Val
ley were disposed IN such a way as tC
guard the avenues OF escape eastward.
An Intercepted Letter.
Spies heralded the approach Of Mai
March with signal fires. On reaching La
boagan he apprehended a letter In Aguin
aldo's handwriting. the ink Of which wal
/ hardly dry, addressed TO an officer o.
guerr4llas Of the Filipino army, and say
/ ing.
| There having arrived this morning a
LabOs gan a hostile column from Bokoc,
have set out with all my force Ny roaC
? has no fixed destination"
This was signed Col David"
p sobriquet. Aguinaldo called at the pres
, idencia. from which he issued DEGREES an,
where his followers celebrated Easte
! with a banquet at a triangular table
! when speeches were made eulogtzini
I Gregoric dc Pillar. That night MAJ
March's men slept in the bamboo. resum
ing the advance In the morning. an,
I reaching LagaL forty miles distant, II
. two days, although il was raining har,
. In the mountains all the time.
, Aguinald0's papers ara very important
They show that he took refuge In Isabeii
! province, where ne remained until ne is
: tablished himself at Laboagan. proVlnc
Of Abra, where he proposed 10 direct III
: rainy season operations. Until Fecentl
he was ignorant OF outside events, max
ing no pretensa of directing the insuFFec
: tion, happy II indeed he might be able &
4 H. a.