Evening star., 1902-01-04
DESERTED TO FlLlPlNoS
PRIVATE FEEfIS CAUGHT WITH
r4E rgSrneEsrs.
Sentenced BE shot HI. Life Wa.
saved ky Geh. Chafree-other
Military Trials.

martial records has just reached the War
Department from the Philippines.
Frank c. Meekin, formerly private in
Company B Npf the l37th Volunteer Infan-
try, was triey ON a charge of entering the
service of the enemy in violation of the
laws of war" Meekin absented himself
from his regiment in September, 1900, and
repaired to the camp of the insurgent gen.
eraI Cailies, with whose forces he re-
mained until the surrender to American
arms on June a, .19O1. During his nine
months sojourn with the enemy Meekin
was chiefly employed in the work of re-
pairing arms and preparing ammunition
under the direction of the enemy. During
this period he made no effort to escape. and
admitted to a soldier of his regiment who
was held captive by Gen. Cailles that he
mad Joined the enemy. of his own Tree will,
and did not intend to return to his regi-
ment 1t further appeared that Meekin had
the freedom of the 'enemy's camp; that on
one occasion he Joined party of the en-
emy, and, armed with a rifle, marched
against a detachment of United States
troops; that he accepted appointment
as second lieutenant and then as first lieu
tenant in the insurgent army, and at times
wore the uniform of the rank and was rec
ognized and respected by the insurgent SOL
d1ery as one of it's own officers. At his
trial Meekin set up the defense that he was
captured While drunk by the enemy, taken
10 Zen. Cables camp, and there held a
prisoner of war. Gen. Cables and other in
surgentS testified generously in favor of
the accused on this point, but Gen. Chaffee
found that their evidence failed to corrob-
oIate IN any substantial particular the teS-
timony of the accused. Meekin- was SEN
fenced by military commission to be shot to
death, but-Gen.. Chaffee commuted this SEN
tence to twenty years imprisonment at
hard Labor and designated the Presidio of
place cnnfjnpnenf
Officers Sharply Rebuked.
General Chaffee administered sharp re-
buke to a military commission which az
raigned and tried native named Sabuero,
held as one of a band of outlaws which
carried away a male Filipino, Sabuero
was charged With abduction and murder.
Said General Chaffee: 80 many general or
ders have been published from these head
quarters defining the crime of abduction
and its inapplicabiity to the act of kidnap-
ing man that it is almost inconceiv bic
that officers should persist in preferring
this ridiculous and impossible charge where
male is the victim of the sequestration." e"
Continuing, the general stated that the giSt
OF the oHense of abduction was in detain-
1nS or taking a female against her Will.
The commission found Sabuero guilty of
the charges and sentenced him to be
hanged. General Chaffee said that there
was no evidence to sustain the charge of
lttiuti. dHu tlie GNluelCe dS 10 the kiundD-
ing. of a native was given by convicted
members of the band of outlaws that ac-
tuaily committed the murder, who all
agreed that the accused was not a MEM
proved the sentencs, and ordered the native
set at libert1f Fg =. >
A confession Discredited.
Two nativfsSt Sc. Pgasslricio de la Cruz and
Benedicito L0zado,. were charged with the
murder of two Chinese merchants of Las
Pinas, p l., by striking them with clubs
and cutting them with bolos. A confession,
alleged to be that Of Lozado, was produced,
Killed the two Cinnamon and after leaving
the bodies of the victims near the s6ene OF
the murder ffmovsr them secretly at night
into, the pubic ce1ietery and there buried
them "Accoidingio this. alleged confes-
The voluntary admissions of this accused
Lozado), and his gloating over the details
of the crime. disclose such a state of mental
unsoundnsess that even if his confession
liability Wdd nathraiIy n!9s arise @ y Hen n en-
deavoring te~feAew. the directions of the
native police'in locating the burial place of
his alleged victims. Lozado led them to a
number of places where no bodies were
where human bones were certain to be
found-the public. cemetery. But the grave
pointed out held the bones of three inst ca d
Of two bodies, and there were. no, queues of
hair. General Chaffee was satisfied that
Lozado was mentally deficient, and said:
"CCnceding that he did in fact voluntarily
make such a confession, numerous prece-
dents are not lacking where mania takes
the form Of confessions to imaginary
crimes. and confessions alone are seldom
sufficient to convict A military commits
sion sentenced both natives to be hanged
General Chaffee set them both at liberty.