The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-21
WILLING TO Be CAPTURED
An Army Officer PrOnOunces Ag-
uinald0 Trickster.
Capt. +. l.. Graham snys He Does
Not Wish - Bclittle Funston's
Achievement - Thinks. However.
the Insurgent Wss Tired of War.

! Achievement - Thinks. However.
the Insurgcnt Wss Tired of War.
Had Aguina.ldo not felt that his popu-
| larity was dimi' s'I.ng. and that he was
losing his iEfu ace both with the Off
! GERS and the mon at his army. he would
not haze allow himself to be caught
said Capt. iFranS Graham. late of Com
| pany *. Twenty-s ,enth United States
| Volunteers who recently returned from
the Philippines. He left the islands in
February, and has probably the latest
personal news in Washington.
| Il think it would not have been possible
| to catch Aguinaldo if it had not been that
| he was losing the faith of his followers. L
| say all this not intending to reflect one bit
| upon the greatness of Funston's achieve
ment in effecting the capture. Funston is
| a great man. and the thing he did is by
| far the most brilliant that has been done
during our occupancy of the islands.
Every soldier in the Philippines. / am
sure. looks sup to Funston for what he did
! know that it was the dearest wish Of
every officer and man in the army to do
| just what Funston succeeded in doing,
and every military head was scheming to-
ward the same end. Everyone was ex-
pecting that Aguinaldo would be cap
| next step, and now that it has come /
think it is the last step.
The capture of Aguinaldo .leans the
virtual end of the opposition especially as
he has done what I confidently expected
he would, that is. issue a proclamation
| asking all loyal Filipinos to join with the
Americans in the interest of peace.
"Aguinaldo is a trickster, though,
through and through, and l am half in
| elined to believe that he permitted his cap
ture because he felt that the time had
come for him to get on the winning side.
He did not feel safe with his compatriots.
| There was great deal of bickering a
great deal of enmity and jealousy; Agu-
naldo's generals were drifting further and
further away from him. and l have no
doubt that they were only too willing for
him be captured
But Asunaldo captured and in the tolls
| of the Americanos is quite different per-
son from Aguinaldo free and at the head
| of an army. In the eyes of every Filipino
he is a martyr now, and by virtue of his
martryrdom is at the head of the people
again. They will listen to him. and ii is
for that reason that think his proclama-
ton will be needed. The natives will be-
] Esve what he - al - i-~'7.'
/ Aiit. u. =, JuId ., .4e,e no one else.
The fear that the Filipinos have OF the
American troops is based on most violent
Representations made to the natives by
the designing leaders. 1t is a fact, Of
which we see daily evidence, that the ma
tiVes think We have come into their island
/ to kill and eat their babies. Whenever
the soldiers come into the towns the |
mothers hasten to hide their children, to |
be sure that they are not put on a spit |
and roasted. They are surprised and |
gratified when we pat the children on the |
head and give them pennies. We have |
been able to do more toward the pacitica- |
tion OF the towns by the cultivation Of |
the good will Of the women than by any |
other means.
THE great fear l have is that Aguinal- |
do may escape. Having gained through |
his martyrdom a new ascendency with |
the people, If he should regain his liberty |
he would be able to undo n great deal |
that it has taken many months of hard |
work with some fighting, to bring about. |
| don't believe much in anything he may |
profess in the way Of friendship for the !
Americans and ] know that IL he felt he
Americans for some time he would lay
low Just long enough to get what infor-
nation he wanted and then make for the |
insurgent lines. He VIII have TO be
watched with extreme carefulness.
Il believe that, barring the accident of
his escape. there will be no more lighting
and practically no more trouble in the
Philippines. The Ladrones. of which 50
much Is said, are semi-peaceiul lot
and / don't believe that, after the begin
ming of the rainy season they can be eX-
pected TO make any trouble. They VIII
all come down from the mountains to
plant their rice fields, and, seeing that
hostilities are over, will remain by their
1T is perfectly evident that the La
drone captains are finding it impossible
to hold their men, because they are con-
stantly coming in to surrender When
they come. they bring many more arms
than they do soldiers, which proves that
there have been many deserters .,..
AS TO the peCp'e and their capability
of self-government. should say that they
never should be given complete control
They may do very well in subordinate po-
sitiOrs. but they have inherited too many
undesirable Spanish traits to be put in
positions Of trust. They are a clever and
capable lot, and are amenable to culti-
yation.
Captain Graham was stationed in San /
MateO Valley nearly the entire two years
Of his stay in the island. The little val
ley" he said, is nearly surrounded with
hills and mountains. They furnished the
best sort of hiding places for Ladrones.
and they were our chief concern. Some
times they would come in tn" dead of
night, in a band of fifty or more and !
attack the house of the mayor OF a vii |
lage. torture him until he told where they
could get his money, and then they would
escape. driving of all the cattle they
could find Frequently they would corr
nit murder.
"Our business was to keep down these
predatory iucursiOns-and il meant riding
from one end of the valley to the other
on every kind Of a rumor that such things
were about 10 iidppeh' sometimes drrlN-
ing day after thS event had taken place
or once I'm while. in time to have a short |
brush with the band.
our last pitched battle was at Pinaur-
an, March %. 1900 against General Geron-
imO We drove him off into the mountains
Since then ii has been scouting work
merely keeping the valley quiet"
Captain Graham was formerly major
of the Sixth Battalion District National
Guard. and later commanded Company f.
OF the First District Volunteers. while they
We're in Cuba In 1875. He left for the Phil
ippines I'm the latter part of 1899 and ar
rived in October. He has just returned
with mis- regiment, and was mustered out
q San Francisco. He Immediately took
the examinations for admission to the
Regular Army. passed, and now is await
ing an appointment.
STILL AGAINST IMPERIALISM.