The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-07-16
GENERAL FUNST0ES OFFICIAL REPORT
TO THE WAR DEPARTMENT
HOW LETTERS WERE FORGED
TIC Put the Filipino Leader Completely
Or His GUard-Written in Answer
to Letters From Aguinaldo to Gen.
eraI Lacuaa Captured With the Lat
ter's Camp qufpage-Capture OF the
Chief Detailed-The Scheme Approx.
ed by General Macarthur.

AAoh1S lpuDln BTlRdQleP Gen.
eral funston's report of the Capture
OF Aguinaldo made under date of Nav
5th- This report presents in detail all
the 1acts relating to the Capture of
Agulnaldo which were made public at
mat time. General Funston shows that
ms entire plan of the expedition was
approved by General Macarthur. Gen
eral Funston gives the following ac-
u Of the forged letters which were
used to deceive A~guinaldo:
Oh October "a, 1900. while scouting
in the vicinity of Gapan, Neueva Celia.
L had surprised the insurgent chief.
Lacuna. in his camp and had captured.
among other things, some writing paper
which already bore mis- headquarters
seal On this paper two letters were
written to Aguinaldo over the careful
ly forged signature Of Lacuna. In one
under date of February oath, Lacuna
acknowledged the receipt of A~guinaIdo's
letters of January 18th and 14th. and
him for confirmation of his
Uacuna's) appointment as brigadier
general.
"1t will be remembered that the let
ters OF AguinaldO referred to had fallen
into our hands.
Our letter INDUCED in the usual rhet-
oric INDUCED by the insurgent chiefs in
their correspondence and gave a glow
ing account of the progress of the cam
pa1gn from the standpoint of Lacuna.
Another letter, dated February 2Sth.
was prepared. stating that the writer
had just received a communication from
Baldmero Aguinaldo, ordering him to
send one of his best companies under a
reliable chief to Emilio ASuinaldo in
Isabella. In accordance with these Or
ders ne was sending this force under
Lieutenant Colonel Hilario Placidio. The
latter. he stated, had been captured by
n Americans a year g and after
his release lived in Jaen. but recently
had taken to the field again when or
dered to do so by Lacuna This was
included in the letter for fear that Agui-
naldo might have heard that Placidio
had been captured by the Americans
and had taken the oath of allegiance.
The letter also stated that A~guinaldo's
courier, Cecilio SisiSmundo, was with
Lacuna and would accompany the col
unm These two letters were dictated
by me. but written by Segovia. We
were in possession of a number of
samples of Lacuna'S signature and had
previously succeeded in executing a
neat forgery of his autograph at the
end of each Of the two Sheets"
OF the actual capture General Fun
ston says:
The Macabebes started up into the
the town and we heard a few shots,
followed by scattered firing. We hastily
crossed the river and running up init
the town found that the Macabebes
were somewhat demoralized and firing
wildly in every direction. They were
gotten under control with some dlfn-
Guilty. A~guinaldo's guard of about fifty
armed and neatly uniformed men had
been drawn up to receive the reinforce
roan+ an1 on hoinC fired into broke
and ran, a few of them returning the
fire, as they retreated. A~guinaldo. with
officers had awaited in his quarters.
Placidio and SegoVia entered the mouse
to report their arrival and after a short
conversation Segovia stepped outside
the house and ordered the MacabebeS
who had just come up from the river
bank to open fire on the insurgents who
were standing in a line at a distance of
about fifty yards. The were
so excited and nervous that their fire
was very ineffective, but two of the
were killed. the remainder
in their flight throwing away eighteen
rifles and 1000 round of
CAS- soon as Segovia had given the or
der he ran back into the house and
oDened fire on the officers surrounding
He wounded Villa and AL
hambra. The latter jumped out OF the
house into the river and was not seen
again. Villa, on being wounded, sur
rendered. as Q1u also SdnlidSo DoiNe
Iona. Aguinaldo's treasurer. .
'sThe five remaining officers escaped
from the house and swan the river.
Placidio seized Aguinaldo and told him
that he was a prisoner of the Amer1-
cans At his j~uncture. the Amer"
arrived on the scene and gave their at
tention to getting the Macabebes under
control. and protecting the pris-
oners from them. One Macabebe was
slightly wounded by a gunshot wound
in the forehead
In conclusion General Funston deals
ont nraise generously to all who had a
share in the expedition. mentioning
Cantain Hazard, Captain Newton, Lieu
tenant Hazard and Lieutenant Mitch
ell while especially praising Lieutenant
Taylor for the discretion ne showed al.
fer obtaining the Aguinaldo letters. He
aIso speaks in high praise OF Command
ar Barry. OF the Vicksburg, n the as
sietance the navy rendered him.