The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-04
THE PHILIPPINE NATIVES.
OB>ERvdTIONS OF A REGULAR ARMr
SOLDIER NOW AMONG THEN.

OBNEhF ON UT ~ hh"ts1h y
SOLDIER NOW aMONG THEN.
-
Their T%reachery Illustrated In the Insurrec-
ton In Negro, and In Private Life-Few
of Them Really Christians SerenRds OF
Music and Also of Bullets on Christmas.
ISABELLA. Negroes, p. l., Dec. 27-Since
last wrote this little detachment Of forty eight
soldiers has been marched and countemarchcd
until we no longer have any sense OF feeling in
our legs. | know now what il Is like 10 have two
wooden legs, You could stick pins into mine
and ! wouldn't know II. They are apparently
asleep and heaven knows they've earned a rest.
The instruction has struck Negroes and we've
been hunting for II. And hereby hangs a tale.
In a former letter | said that there had never
been an insurrection in Negroes. That was true.
In the mountains there were Papiecio ban.
dts but they had been there for years. This com
pany was scattered about in detachments Of from
six TO hiiy, protecting property from
the bandits. Whenever we got a chance
We chased them and occasionally they gave
us a running fight or a skirmish. That was all.
Tn. OK apartment Of civil government was started.
Regular elections wers held. A governor was
installed a, Bacolod, and leading natives were
elected as Presidents and Vice Presidents o! every
pueblo on the island. The President was
to be the civil boss and the Vice President the head
Of the military. The Vice President OF this burg,
for instance, selected a dozen likely natives. We
armed and drilled them as soldiers. When they
knew enough not n blow their own heads of,
We supplied them with ANN unition and put them
on outpost duty around the town. Meanwhile
the Vice President was the busiest man You ever
saw, We called him Heap Military Like
Pinierton, he never slept"
Every day Heap Military" would comc In and
I'LL the d%etachmen, commander the exact loca.
hon II 300 Papiecios and we poor soldiers would
trot ob.diently through muddy rico FIELDS after a
guide who would always get lost - and never
find a Papiecio. Then, between times, Heap
Military" would grind his own little private axes.
He came within an ace Of getting three or four
Spanish hacienda owners shot, by reporting
tina, they were in league with Papiscio, and
insurrectos. As a matter Of fact. the plantation
owners were only doing their best to Gerry water
on both shoulders. in true Castilian style. Con-
sidering the false evidence produced II Is a marvel
that the Americans did not shoot q Few OF the
accused.
Things ran along In this style for a few weeks
until the American officers were utterly bewildered
Every man denounced his neighbor. Apparently
every native in the island va, conspirinr against
somebody. Al last something happsned. Down
on the sencoast there is a pueblo called Giniearnu
II WAS garnsoned by Corporal Dave Brown and
seven men Of this mpany. One day A native
courier came trotting into Isabella in breathless
haste. He brought a note from Brown stating
that a body Of 500 insurrectos. well armed, had
landed at Gin!gerau from Panay, and that he
expected an attack at any moment, The note
was dated at ! 80 p. VI. and reached Isabella at
6 p VI. II would take SIX hours for us 10 get
there. In ton minutes we were on the way.
Meanwhile, Brown was having fun. With
his seven men he occupied a casa In the middle
Of the plaza At Ginigarau. This gave him an
open space Of 100 yards in ell directions. He
barricaded the lower doors Of the casa and placed
his men at the second story windows. At2o'clock
tie insurrectos opened Are from two side. OF the
plaza. II was then found that there were about
800 Of them and only eighty four rifles. II was
eighty four rifles N eight From 2 o'clock until
q the fight was a lively one and then the lnsur
rectos withdrew taking their dead and wounded
with them, The Chinos. who carry water on
both shoulders. say they had nine dead and over
thirty wounded. One American received Q flesh
wound in the thigh, AZ midnight our detach-
men, arrived We threw a shimish line In a
semi circle around the town. and, a. we could
hear no firing, We waited for daylight. AZ break
Of day we sent three scouts into the outskirts.
Men" said the detachment commander TO
The scouts, go far enough in TO see II the American
flag is still flying and rome back and report II
our flag isn't there We will start right here and
moi, la.va IN hsnhnn IN arOtbaY ~ mari thu
place where this town stood
The flag was there. Not an insuuecto was
visible So we marched in, in a column Of fours
and Blown told his story. The natives Of tho
tow had all been in the game. They had moved
out their families and furniture several days
i,fore the attack Only the eighty four men with
t\.es had come from the neighbonng island VI
panay The Vice President and bis six native
soldiers had fought in the ranks Of the insur-
rectos. That afternoon tho Vice-Presdent came
back and expressed great surprise when he heard
Of the attack, lie said he had been TO the funcral
Of bis wife's cousins grandmother He is now
in the stocks at Balinbagin
We left Brown II reinforcement Of eight men
and started back 10 Isabella. On the way one OF
the men stopped at a nipa hut ~ get a drink Of
water The natives were efiusively friendly.
But through the doorway the soldier caught n
glimpse Ola Filipino uniform, Inside, stretched
on . bamboo bunk We found the commanding
Was badly wounded Among his effects the
Lieutenant found letters from the Vice Press
dent at Ginigarau, stating that the American
force there consisted II only eight men and that
il would bc a good place for a landing And he
also found letters from Heap Military" OF lisa
bella 10 the commander OF the insurgent forces
In Panay, inviting him 10 send troops 10 Negroes
and giving him the details Of the American force
on the island and promising the assistance Of the
native soldiers and the arms and ammunition
furnished to them by the Americanos
When we got back " lisa bella we found the
air charged with mystery. The natives talked
in whispers The Turks and Chinos began 10
close their stores. pack their goods and bury
their gold. Al night We could hear the creak
Of the carabao carts and sieds as the natives
moved their belongings out Of town. Early on
Thursday morning the patrol was going the rounds
Al about 8 o'clock In the outskirts OF the pueblo
they found a native cooking rice cakes over a
Are beside his nipa hut Now cooking rice cakes
is a very innocent occupation. II q man would
live hc must eat aud II he eats he must cook But
tlis particular native was cooking ats 4. NJ, and
he had already cooked nearly three hundred
rice cakes. So the patrol stopped 10 investigate.
First they investigated the rice cakes and found
them good. also the tuba 10 wash them down.
Then they investigated the cook and when he
would not answer IN suit them, they lied his
hands and legs md stuffed a campaign hat into
his mouth and took him 10 the Lieutenant The
Lieutenant took the campaign hat out Of his
mouth and stuck the muZzls OF n full cooked six
shooter IN its place, Then the native talked
Yes, he admitted. The rice CAKES were for a
force Of insurrectosl Their outpost was a mile
from town al an old dismantled sugar mill They
ket, with arms concealed. Then they PROPOSED
A. Vttah n M nf tho ln1nGnaTfln u ApnAFt