The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-12-10

Z resentative of the Gameweu Fire Alarm
! System, who is soon to install the police
and fire alarm in Honolulu. has the
honor of being one of the few Ameri-
can women who has become so friendly
! with Aguinaldo as TO play a quiet game
7 of checkers with him while he was
guarded by heavily armed soldiers who
paced around his Manila habitation.
Not only did Mrs. Coffee play checkers
with the willy ex-leader of the FilipinOs,
but she has the honor also of having
been fairly beaten by him, (which only
goes to show that he is a military STRAIT
Eegist," said Mrs. Coffee to an Adver-
tiser reporter yesterday afternoon. HE
did not beat me at that game by sweep
ing my men off the board, but by hem
ming in what remained. He told me,
too, that he was only an amateur at the
game and politely apologized for being
such a poor player"
Mrs. Coffee tells the story of her visit
to Aguinaldo in a bright, vivacious
manner and gives a far different i'm
usually found in publications. She met
him under circumstances which would
ordinarily have caused prisoner to be
gloomy, for it was raining on the day
she visited his prison. Despite the
gloom outside and the bare prospects
for his future, Aguinaldo on that day
was chatty, polite digni6ed and a most
entertaining conversationalist. His one
/ longing seemed to be a desire to visit
, the United States and look upon the
beautiful Capitol City of the nation,
which, being the capital, has appealed
to him as probably the most beautiful
city in America. If he goes to the Unit
ed States and is permitted freedom Of
his movements, Mrs Coffee has the
first claim on his attention should he
land at San Francisco. She invited
Aguinaldo, in such event, to take an
automobile ride with her through the
Golden Gate Park and Aguinaldo grave
ly and politely accepted the invitation,
saying nothing would give him greater
pleasure than to ride by the side OF
such a beautiful woman.
Through the courtesy of LieIc. Lew
is, a personal friend of Mr.. Coffee and
myself, I was permitted to visit Aguin
aldo. We drove to the old pal1cio IN
which he is confined in one Of the non
descript carriages of Manila. We found |
the prison located on the bank ~ the +;
Pasig river, in a beautiful place. The |
first thing which appealed to me was !
the manner in which the place was !
guarded. A large garrison is quartered 4
about the prison and every so!di-r IS
heavily armed. We were subjected to
an inspection at the entrance at which
We're a squad of soldiers An officer al
ways remains near by, and sentry
lodge is provided at the gate for a re-
serve. Aguinaldo receives visitors ev-
cry DAY. The building was formerly a
palace and he has his quarters on the
main GCCr which is raised considers bly,
from The ground. There is receutio-.
room in which is the couch of a SEN
try. and through a wide doorway enc
CT .cEes a glimpse of Aguinaldos own
Gp1ri-5tn ut. where he lives with his wife,
bog four years Of age, and 'it5le girl
about a y.ar old. TIE wife a 4 -hi:-
dren were out the day I visited he
chieftain.
Il had an interpreter and through
him AguinaIdo and I got along fam
ously. 1 can assure you that Aguiraldo
English much better than
people imagine he does, but he keeps
this knowledge to himself. At one time
during our conversation he said to me
IN broken English, but such that I could
perfectly. Tf-you-speak-
understand you {
found by so doing that he could really
understood what 1 said. but we got I
along better with the interpreter.
Il found during my conversation that
4 Il
he garden and elsewhere but that he
seldom awaited himself of this oppor-
unity, as he fears assassination. He =,
eels that should he expose himself L
lie would be picked off by some of
4una's men from the opposite side OF
he river. You know he has enemies 3
ven amongst his own race. :
"Aguinaldo speaks in the most perfect
spanish imaginable, and one wonders
when looking at this man who has made =
'uch a stir in the world that he is so
'olished in his manners, so gentle of a
-Oice, so polite and genteel. He speaks
n a slow. soft, measured way that is
eally delightful to hear. He was very '
much inclined TO flatter. He wanted to
NOW if I was married. and was quite =
urprised when I told him Yes oh no,
'enorita, that cannot be But I assured
lin I was a Sonora, and that 1 had
title child. Some one had told me that
AEulnaldo was not good TO look upon,
hat he was p.tted with smallpox 7 r.
vas not quite prepared TO meet this gen =,
and rather good looking type OF
his race OF the archipelago. -
He said that il was desired that he
hould so TO Washington and see the
nited States I asked him if ne was
nN-ous 10 go and he said he was
sked why? and he said because 1t was
eautiful. I asked why again? and he
hen said that because Washington was
he capital Of the nation
He is a shrewd man and everytbin, r.
nat he does and says shows that he