Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-03-12

which is the diet of the poorer classes,
but all such eatables as came from Ma
Mia had long since been exhausted.
The Spaniards said they were
Very Glad to See Us
and they hoped for the immediate ro-
establishment of commercial relations
with Manila It seems there has
been stationed in Sorsogon about 500
Tagalo soldiers, under the command
of Col. Leon Paras. There were only
100 rifles in the command, however,
and we were told they had little an
munition.
These Spaniards had been uniformly
well treated by the Filipinos; there had
been no official imposition or injus-
tice; the Spaniards were allowed every
liberty, and they averred that travel
in the country had been safe at all
times. The town and the province
had been ruled by the Tagalo leaders
and such civil forces as they estab-
lished were directly under the control
of the military, and acted for them
There have never been any Spanish
prisoners in the province of Sorsogon,
and all Spanish friars and priests were
driven away more than a year ago,
churches are now occupied and SER
vices are conducted by the native cler-
gy. The natives of Southern Luzon
are called vicols. They seem a
peaceful people, unlikely to give trou-
Bile if the Tagalo influence be remoYcd
from them, and they are apparently
more anxious to be let alone, to grow
small crops, than to fight and die for
the Aguinaldo ideal of liberty. THIS
province is a hemp producer and as
there have been no shipments for six
months past considerable of this pro-
duct is stored here awaiting transfer
to market.
1t appears that the main body OF
the Filipinos retreated toward a vii
lage called Castillo some eight miles
were left in Sorsogon.
Progress of the Work.
SORSOGON, Luzon, Jan. 21.-CoI-
Howe and the four companies of the
Forty-seventh regiment were no soon.
er established at Sorsogon than Ger
eIal Kobee gave orders for the occu-
patton of Bulan and Donsol. Bulan
is twenty-five miles south of Sorsogon,
and Donsol is thirty miles above it.
They are both small seacoast towns.
Early this morning preparations
were under way to transfer Compan-
les A and D, of the Forty-seventh.
from the Hancock to the Helena for
conveyance to Donsol, and for Com
pany B to go aboard the Nashville for
Bulan. Each outfit had to take along
stores and rations for thirty days and
there was much hurry back and forth
on the Hancock, much confusion and
much work in effecting these trans
fers. Finally by eight o'clock the He
lena and Nashville were loaded and
steamed away from the fleet anchor
age. the Helena leading north for
Donsol and the Nashville turning to-
ward Bulan. AT eleven o'clock the
Helena was off Donsol and the men
were about to learn whether their
landing would be opposed or not.
Through glasses could be seen men
and women leaving the town, carry
ing bundles of household goods with
them. This
Looked Like Resistance.
The beach trenches were lined with
peering faces and the only flag over
the town was Spanish. Donsol ap-
peared as few zinc rooted ware
houses and some long lines of thatch
ed huts in low tangle of green jungle
ON the coast. The beach is white and
lined with fish weirs drying nets and
dug-out canoes. Behind the town
some thirty miles is the wonderfully
symmetrical cone shaped volcano of
Mayor, eight thousand feet high.
One company of soldiers was loaded
into the Helenas small boats. This
action was Immediately followed by
much activity behind the trenches.
whereupon the leaders of this expedi-
ton decided upon another course of
action. The Helena's launch with
Maj. Wise and Lieut. Kobbe on board.
ran in for the beach, towing a small
row boat. When close to the fish
weirs, the launch stopped and the row
boat manned by three Eilipinos and
carrying a big white flag of truce,
landed in front of the trenches. Mean
time, the Helena had
Cleared for Action
and the soldiers still on board were
sent to cover, and those already in the
small boats were waiting just astern
in tow of the tug Nunez. The Brit
ish gunboat Glover had meantime
come in from the south and was now
lying to, few hundred yards from the
Helena. 1t is doubtful if she was rec
ognized from the shore as other than
an American ship-there was little
breeze and her big white ensipn bung