The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-03-29

United States shall be punished by int
prisonment not more than ten years or
by a fine Of not more than $4,000 or
both'
The foregoing. however. are political
offenses against the authority of the
United States. It is presumed that
Aguinaldo will be held for the present at
least, as a military prisoner If tried as
such it would be because he had offend
ed against some of the articles of war
Already there have been several trials
of Filipino officers for offenses against
military usage, such as brutality, but a
military tribunal will not take up the
larger political offense against the auth
GRITTY of the United States. Article 1J4
OF the regulations governing armies IN
the field recites:
Treating in the field the rebellious
enemy according to the law and usagos
of war has never prevented the Iegiti-
nare government from trying the Lead
ers of the rebellion or the chief rebel for
treas and from treating them accord
ing'y, unless they are included in a gen
era amnesty"
This article is referred to as showing
~that the warfare in the Philippines has
not given Aguinaldo such strict mill
tary status as to relieve him from TIE
higher and graver civil OffenSe of high
treason. At the same time, there is lit
tie belief that this offense viii be charg-
ed, the idea being that he will be held
as 4 prisoner without any definite de-
termination of his status, and perhap s IN
time be granted amnesty on condition
that he leave the country.
Aside from the punishment to be Wis
tied upon him, the military regulations
provide for the manner in which he shall
be treated while held as a prisoner.
These regula tons are similar to those of
the Oxford conference and more recent
~ those made at The Hague conference.
Some of the main features are that the
captured officer must surrender his arms,
the confinement must be such as will in-
sure safety, but without intentional SUI
ferilg or lndignity. A prisoner who es-
capes may be shot while in flight; pa
roles may be granted on stated conCi-
tons; honorable men, when captured,
will abstain from giving information
concerning their own army. and violence
is not to be used against prisoners to ex-
tort information. It is nearly a year
since anything has been heard from
Aguinaldo Then the information YVES
not very authentic. He was being pur-
sued in Northern Luzon by different ex-
pediIiOns under Col. Hare, under Gel.
Howe and Major Priton c. March
The troops under the last named Off
Ger captured his equipments and it was
supposed the chief insurgent had been
wounded His escape was erected It
was said, by placing him upon raft
and covering him with leaves, vegetables
ard bushes This raft was fiOated down.
the stream ana passed the points Occu-
pied by the American troops This
stream was the Rio Grande de Cagayan
which flows northward and parallel with
the eastern coast of northern Luzon,
near which the capture was made. Re
ports of the death Of Aguinaldo have
been frequent.
The fact that many orders issued in
AguinaldO's name never were actually
signed by him encouraged the belief that
his name was being used by his follow
ers even after his death There was an
other story that Aguinaldo was once
captured by General Young. but was in
the garb and appeared as a common
1abOrer of the district not understanding
q word Of English and Spanish and was
turned loose after a few days.
While the administration officials are
not prepared to say what is to be the
future of Aguinaldo it seems certain
that none of them has any idea that any