The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-02-14
As A SOLDIER SEES /.
THE STATE OF THE WAR IN THE
PHILIPPINES.
Has Degenerated Into a Guerrilla
truggle-Filipinos are Thoroughly
Awed

BAYCUALATA, Luzon January A.
The war is over, but a horde of ire
sponsible guerrilla bands bent on muir
der and rapine, still infest the various
portions of the island. Such Generals
as Del Pillar, eX-convicts and horse
thieves, finding their occupation of
commanding deluded Gugus gone, have
turned their attention to this method
of harrassing the Americans. Ever
since the hard fought struggle with the
Kansans when with every advantage
on their side, the Americans simply
charged them out of their quarters, the
respect of the Filipino for his American
opponent has increased, till now IL
amounts to abject fright at his appear
ance.
Towns splendidly intrenched, are
evacuated with but feeble resistance,
the terror inspiring yell of the Yankee
as he moves forward lending the insur-
gents wings. They disappear in that
mysterious manner peculiar to semi
savage races, as if the earth had open
ed and swallowed them. The 4th Cav
and charged them till they are scat
tered beyond hope of reassembling,
! leaving guns, ammunition and supplies
behind them in their mad flight.
The other day, we captured a print
ing press, and an American safe with
IA cents in it, typical doubtless of the
Filipino treasury. The bombastic pro-
carnations of Aguinaldo, the threaten
ed "unrolling of the bloody scroll of
General Palion, the reported victories
| over the Americans are at last being
specifically received by the Filipinos, as
| they see town after town occupied by
these self-same Americans and Aguin-
aldo's mother and wife are today under
American protection to escape assault
a hn dc ~ hn oft
We are IS miles north of Manila on
what is known as the north firing line
| in country whose fertility surpasses
anything l have seen.
Our company is holding an erstwhile
| stronghold of the insurgents and Span
iards, IA miles from San Miguel and
abutting an almost perpendicular range
! of mountains. History has it that an
entire regiment of Spaniards was mas
sacred here by the insurgents and as
! / look around at the commanding
bluffs of white limestone fringed with
tropical jungle 1 can easily believe it.
A stream pure as crystal flows lazily
past our camp, and an army of bats
millions strong, energies from the i'm
mense caves in this vicinity every even.
ing only to return before sunrise. A
Gugu sharpshooter, as they are called
here, perched high up in a mahogany
tree, amused himself with shooting al
us long after his compatriots had fled
1t was difficult to locate him on account
of his using smokeless powder, but
finally we tumbled him down, and to-
day he works in one kitchen and is as
loyal to the Americans" as it is pos
sible for a Gugu to be.
The natives are densely ignorant
Great Catholic churches occupy the
most desirable locations in every town
Like all inferior races, pomp and
splendor, combined with mystery, de.
lights and awes the people TIL,
churches are gorgeous and while tn,
priests have doubtless done immens,
good, the contrast between the splendiC
architecture of the churches and tn,
squalid dirty homes of its supporters
strikes one rather unpleasantly.
CORPORAL JOHN A. HENSHALL
Co. K, 35th Infantry