The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-07
ESTIMATE Of AGU|NALDO
DESCRIBED BY ONE WHO SAW
MUCH OF HIM.
Tried to Live Up to the Greatness
Which Came to Him Partly by Acct
dent, Partly by Merit.

Colonel Jewett of New Albany,
Indiana, who served with the
First American occupation in the Phi
lippines as Judge Advocate of the
Eighth Army corps, chief officer repres-
enting the Government in the Archipel-
ago during his service in 1898, was in
timately acquainted with Aguinaldo,
the insurgent chieftain. In an inter
view Colonel Jewett said:
THE main facts with reference to
Aguinaldo's career are now a matter of
current history.
Although 1 had exceptional opportu-
mites for knowing him, because 1 arriv-
ed at Cavite before he had assumed
the immense Importance which he has
since either exhibited or affected, never
theless he was a difficult man to under
stand or describe. His prominence was
to some extent, accidental, but / guess
most peoples prominence may, i'm some
degree, be ascribed to accident
He impressed me as a man who. by
force of circumstances, had been raised
to an eminence of which he had never
dreamed and was doing the best he
could to sustain himself in it, His hold
upon the Filipino people was largely a
matter of superstition.
The ignorant ones believed him to be
anting-anting,' which is their way of
describing one who wears a charmed
my belOIe ne leIl CaVlte, IN July, 1898
1t was currently reported and believed
among these people that he underwent
the ordeal of having Volley of rife
balls fired at his breast at close range
and was unframed.
He was soon surrounded by smart
lot of Adventures and his wordy pro-
carnations and letters afterward sent
out, all in the voluble Spanish style,
We're, am satisfied, largely the produc-
ton of his advisers
He realized at all times that he must
nave no rival. A little incident in the
treatment of Artacho proves this. Ar
tacho and Sandico were two of the men
who, with Aguinaldo. accepted Spanish
gold and exile in the rebellion of 1897
and their quarrels over the proceeds in
Hong Kong are well known
Shortly after Aguinaldo returned to
Cavite and set himself up as the head
or the inSurgent movement, Aracho and
Sandico also returned to the island.
Aguinaldo promptly clapped Artacho
into prison where he was kept until
some time in 1899, when he escaped.
He believed himself to be under SEN
tence to death and had no doubt that
Agulnaldo would cause him to be kill
ed. once asked Marti, who was one of
Aguinaldo's advisers, why Artacho. his
former colleague was kept in prison
without charge or trial, and he finally
admitted tnat the real reason was the
fear that Artacho might get up a re-
bellion. In other words. Aguinaldo fear
ed Artacho might divide honors with
him. He therefore resorted to the or
binary Malay method, quite at variance
with his loud professions of liberty.
Both at Bakoor, where he claimed to
be dictator, and afterwards at Malolos,
where he claimed to be President of the
philippines, Aguinaldo put on lots of
style. The last time 1 saw him at Ma
lolos he was dressed in a suit of white
silk with leather leggings and gold
chain, and altogether like one of the
lilies of the field. At that time his wife
was not with him, but his mother and
two nieces were. The nieces were
charming Filipino girls, one of them
quite pretty. His mother, pure Fill
pino woman. was of dark brown color
with straight black hair and absolute
ly devoted to and proud of her son.
She was very courteous to strangers
and was several times under obliga-
tons to her for cigar out of her own
box and light from the burning end
of her own cigar"