Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-05-30
INTERESTING STORY
Account of Adventures Of Expedi
ton That Captured Aguinaldo.
As PUBLISHED In THE MANILA TIMES
DR.. Harry J. Watson Sends Copy Of
Paper to the Courier From Manila
Interview with Captain r. Y. Haz.
zard, Who Was in the Party.

Dr.Harry J.Watson, formerly of this
city, but now connected with the army
in the Philippines, very kindly sent
to the Courier copy of the Manila
Times, an enterprising Philippine pa
per printed in English, which contains
the following interesting interview
with Captain R. Y. Hazard who took
an active part in the capture of Ag-
uinaldo:
Yesterday morning Capt. R. Y. Haz-
card. who selected and commanded
the Macabebes forming the expedition
| to Palanan under Gen. Funston, was
| interviewed by Times reporter in
the lobby of the Oriente Hotel. Cap
tain Hazard was asked to tell why
such implicit confidence was placed in
| the plucky natives under his COM
| mand and said:-
| "The Macabebes comprising the
body of the expedition belong TO Com
yam D of the LIST Battalion of Maca-
| bebe Scouts, and were not selected
| from different tribes as enormously
stated. The command was organized
| only last Jan. 25, and contrary to
some accounts they were all new men.
| On the day we captured Aguinaldo
| they had not been in the United States
| military service two months. Com:
pany d is composed solely of Maca-
bebes, and there is not Visayan or,
| 1locano in the command. The selec-
| ton of the men for the expedition was
made by me personally, and chose
them from my previous knowledge of
their characters and capabilities. In
choosing there were three things to
| be seriously considered; first, besides
being the most intelligent men in the
company, they were required to be
| good shots; second, they had to have
a requisite knowledge of the Tagalog
| language, and, third, knowing the ma
ture of the country to be traversed
| they were needed to be the most
physically strong men in the COM
mand.
"These chosen Macabebes We're tax
en- to Caloocan two weeks before we
started and carefully drilled, but mean
/ time kept in ignorance of the purpose.
/ They We're first told of the object of
the visit on the Vicksburg, after we
/ had embarked. The First sergeant
was called UP by me and the matter
texplained. Being a thoroughly intelli-
i gent man he readily grasped every
thing and fell into the scheme, as did
the others. They were then decked
out and arranged, and Immediately on
Il landing we became their prisoners
j We were fed by them and treated. in
: every detail as such.
AT Cassiguran we we're placed in q
room in the presidente's house anf
J, closely guarded for two days. The
: people flocked to gaze at us as if we
were wild beasts. and eyinced much
curiosity. The presidente was away
7 at Palanan attending the celebration
of Aguinaldo's birthday. He had beer
J, gone three days. Aguinaldo was thir
: ty-two years of age on March %, the
day before he was captured, and the
celebration had been extended to tina,
day in order to receive the supposed
reinforcements.
4 While on the road we met ser
geant from the body ahead who said
that eleven Tagalog soldiers were com
ing down the road to where we were
; supposed to have remained to relieve
the other guard that they might en-
ter Palanan with the rest. We there
fore hid in the grass until they hat
passed and then continued the journey
knowing that we should reach Palanar
long before the truth was discovered
or we We're overtaken.
The Macabebes under Hilario Pla
cido, with the others commanding sec
tions, crossed the riven in boats
leaving three for the Americans ant
!, their guard behind. The crossing wa.
, made east of Aguinaldo's house ant
the men marched across the plaza t.
/, the quarters where the Tagalog body
guard was paraded at the northeastern
corner of the triangle. Here the,
!. broke into sections, one stringing from
the Quartet to the bandstand in tn,
: center of the plaza; another hating Oh
the bodyguards flank and in front o
the officers quarters in the northwes
corner of the plaza, and the other
going over to Aguinaldo's house.
The pretended officers then wen
into Aguinaldo's house and reported
Directly after Segovia, the Spaniarc
ex-insurgent, excused himself to dis
: miss his men whom he said were fag
: ged out. Crossing the plaza he stoo
\ between the two sections of Maca
t bebes and said: 'Macabebes, you
!, hour has come; fire. The first vo
t ley scattered the insurgents PAM
/ stricken. Then ran up the streets t
a the north; some rallying short dis
! lance off and firing some shots whic
!. passed through Aguinaldo's house. L
n this way one Macabebe was wounded
t Meanwhile Aguinaldo, who ha
e been gazing out of the window at tn
e reinforcements, was covered by the re
Y volver of Placido Colonel Villa wa
; quicker to grasp the situation and trie
to escape by rushing into anothe
room. but was headed off Major A
hambra leaped out of the window int
some runways which had been bull
. from the house to the river for escap
in case of surprise. Segova, however
n returning from the plaza. made aroun
i, the house and shot him through tn
It shoulder as he ran. Alhambra face
e and threw up his hands just as 81
y govia fred again, the buttel passin
S between his fingers. Alhambra the
s. plunged into the river and disappea
a ed.
ej In response to questioning Capital
e Hazard said: "Aguinaldo was yer
d laxative on the way down and sal