Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-18
SOLDIERS TORTURE NATIVES
Another Witness Tells the Senate Com
mittee About the Water Cure.
NATIVE TOWNS ARE ALSO BUR NED
order &c Destroy Town H. Given by
Captain Glenn and Executed by
Lieutenant COnEer of
the Regulars.


WASHINGTON, April 17.-Edward J.
Davis Of Greenfield, Mass. who was a ser
gcant In Company M. TwGnty-slxth volun-
teer infantry, was before senate committee
on the Philippines today. He was present
in the convent at Igbaras November "a, 1900,
when the water cure" was administered
to the presidente Of the town Of Igbaras,
as testified TO by Sergeant Riley and Private
Smith and related the incidents connected
Herewith. G
He was sworn before being m and
was questioned by Senator Rawlins. He
spoke OF the arrival OF the regulars under
the command OF Captain Glenn. He said
that under orders from Captain Glenn. he,
with a squad. had taken the presidente into
custody on November q and had escorted
him to the convent where the cure was
administered
Reports story of Torture.
He repeated the story Of the torture Of
the presidente, adding some details. The
man was, he said, about 40 years Of age.
When he was taken into the convent he
was asked to give information as to whether
runners had been sent out to notify the in
surgents Of the arrival OF the scouts in the
town. Refusing to do this, the water de-
tail. consisting Of two p~rivates of the
Eighteenth infantry, was ordered by Cap
tain Glenn to strip him. The mans cloth
ing was removed above the waist and his
! hands tied behind him, when the cure was
administered by this detail. He was
then" the witness said, taken to the water
tank and thrown upon his back, and while
an Interpreter stood over him a stream Of
water was directed into his mouth, which
was held open"
who gave the command for this treat
ment?"
Captain Glenn"
How was the mans mouth kept open7"
by means Of a stick, but 1 could not see
Just how it was done"
Continuing, the witness said that when
the victim OF the cure was filled with water
the members Of the detail would force 1t
out Of him by -olllng their fists over his
stomach. and that the process was kept up
for about ten minutes.
He described the second application Of the
cure, as previously testified to and corrobo-
rated Sergeant Riley in the statement that
the details Of this performance were under
the charge Of Contract Surgeon Lyons and
that Captain Glenn and Lieutenant Conger
were both present when It occurred.
Eject of the Treatment.
Mr.. Davis said in reply to questions as to
the physical effect of the process that the
man "squealed' terribly and that his eyes
were bloodshot, but that the next day he
was able to mount his horse end lead the
scouts to the mountain. Afterward he was.
the witness said, taken, 70 IloilO and placed
in prison. -. -
The witness also repeated the statement
that two police officers Of the town of
Igbaras had been subjected to the water
cure. There was he added. "also a ma
tive school teacher there who was mall
treated at the same time, but the water
cure was not administered to him. He
was taken into one OF the back rooms Of
the convent by Dr. Lyons. who secured the
information he wanted from him by placing
two Colts revolvers to his head, thus rem
dering "it unnecessary to administer the
cure"
did you see thisr"
81 did"
Mr.. Davis also gave the details of the
burning OF the town Of Igbaras, which, he
said. contained about 10000 people. but no
business place. All except about $4,000
houses were destroyed and men, women
and children were forced out indiscrimi-
nately.
Senator Burrows-who gave the order to
burn the town."
wltness-Captain Glenn.
ITO whom did he give it?"
ITO Lieutenant Conger. He told the
lieutenant to burn the town"
did you hear him?"
~ did,"
Ibid he say why # should be rned ?"
He did not"
The witness also said that a neighboring
| tnutn cnnfaininC about 10 mn ne0nlA had
been burned. but that he did not know
who had given the order for its destruc-
tion.
Conducted by Regulars.
He stated in reply to questions that the
torture In all the instances mentioned had
been conducted by the regular soldiers, and
that they had not been participated in by
the members OF his regiment. the Twenty
sixth volunteers. my orders were" he
said, ito treat the natives kindly, and SO
far as I observed the soldiers generally so
treated them. with the exceptions l have
mentioned"
He added that the presidente had been a
traitor to the American cause and that the
other natives did not generally seem to
have any sympathy for him. Mr.. Davis
said he had been in charge Of a detachment
OF fifteen men in the town OF IsbaTas for
several months before the arrival OF the
regulars and also for some time a~fterward.
and that he had never had any trouble
whatever with the natives. He had talked
with the regular soldiers about the water
cure and had been given TO understand that
its administration was not Of rare occur
ronce, but said they had not given names
OF persons or places. He replied to Senator
Lodge that he knee OF the murder Of sew
eral Of the member OF Company r OF his
regiment by natives at another point. but II
had been his understanding that they were
killed by ladrones rather than by the town
authorities. as Colonel Dickman had re-
ported.
ACCEPT SENATE SUBSTITUTE