Evening star., 1901-04-22
MARTIAL CASES
RECORDS OF TRIALS OF FILIPINOS
FOR MURDER.
Crimes of n Most Revolving Character
proved by General Macarthur.

General orders emanating from the dlNl-
sion of the Philippines contain the records
of FIVE court ma rtial cases in the island on
charges of murder. In four of the cases
the accused were natives, tried on charges
of numbering other natives In the remain
ing instance, however, a band OF natives
was accused of numbering and robbing
Archibald b. Wilson, an Englishman. en-
ployed as a clerk In the engineers depart
ment of the army. Wilson had some $2,Vo
Mexican in his possession, intended for the
remuneration Of employees of the engineers
department. and was waylaid by the band
of Filipinos on the San Juan del Monte
road in Manila province and shot to death.
The natives divided the money among them
selves. All but one of the band who were
caught were sentenced to death.
Revolving Murders.
The other cases We're of most revoiting
character. In one instance members Of
band of natives resisted in an effort to
brand a Filipino with the mouth of red
hot bottle on his bare breast-the mark of
enmity to the United whereupon
they set upon their victim with knives and
bolos and killed him. Still another instance
of barbarous cruelty was that wherein
native, his wife, a -ycar-old dauSh-
ter and three sons. one of the latter mere
tives, who took them away to a secluded
place in a forest and beat out their brains
with clubs.
A band of about forty natives, who were
apparently leading peaceful lives and pur-
suing ordinary occupations, suddenly at
tackled outpost OF the United States
forces, killed one private and wounded an
other seriously. The reviewing authority in
this case favored feniency to the prisoners,
calling attention to the despotic influences
which the brigand chiefs hold over the im-'
pressionaSle natives, and therefore the SEN
tence, which originally pronounced was
death, was communted to Imprisonment for
fifteen years.
In the case of Alexandra Fernandez, ma
tive, who was accused of numbering an
other native with bolo. General Macarthur
took exception to tn. procedure of the mil
itary commission which tried the case of
which Capt. William l.. Buck. 18th Infan-
try. was president and First Lieut.. Palmer
E. Pierce of the same regiment. judge ad-
vocate. The native was found guilty and
sentenced to be hanged.
GEN. MncArthur's Comments.
General Macarthur said:
in the foregoing case of Alexandra Fer
nandez, a native, the conviction of the ac-
cused rests upon the testimony of the
brother and the two nephews of the de-
ceased. The ages of the nephews are not
given: one is referred to as a boy The
father and his two sons tell the same story
in practically the same set phrases to the
effect that they We're eating supper in the
house of the deceased, when the accused,
with two of his brothers, entered and, with
out uttering word, assaulted the decea sed
with bolos, when they, the witnesses,
threw themselves out of the window; that
the assailants soon departed, when the wit
neSSes returned to the house and saw the
body of their relative, exhibiting fatal boIo
wounds. from which he had died
1T appears of record that other witnesses
were present. who according to the state
ment of the judge advocate, could give cir
cumstantial evidence only; that this how
ever. was very strong and bore out the
evidence already given Upon this state
ment the commission did not deem it
necessary to introduce further evidence
NO robbery attended this murder; no en-
nifty between the accused and the de-
ceased; no motive, partisan or political and
no circumstantially incriminating facts ap-
pear OF record to relieve the doubt due in
part to the error Of the commission in shut
ting out all testimony except that of the
three witnesses, who, from reasons not far
to seek. might not have been unbiased in
their testimony.
I'm consideration of the foregoing and the
action of the commission in accepting the
statement of the judge advocate regarding
the nature Of the available circumstan ntiaI
evidence In lieu Of the evidence itself, and
which, spread upon the record, might have
anorded convincing cooperation of or pos
siply nave dlscredited the evidence adduced
the reviewing authority is constrained to
dlsapproEe the proceedings, finding and the
sentence. The accused were set at liberty