Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-03
EX-SERGEANT'S STORY
TELLS ABOUT TORTURE OF FILL
PINGS. '~'r'n'
Object Was to Discover the Murderers
of Soldier-The Current
Reports.

L. E. Hailock Of Boston, Mass, formerly
a sergeant and then private in Company
L. 10th Volunteer Infantry, testified today
before the Senate committee on the Phil
ippines concerning the practice of the IVA
ter cure" in the Philippine archipelago
Mr.. Hallock told Of the infection Of the
cure upon dozen natives at the town of
Leon. province of Panay. He said they
were captured and tortured in order to Sc
cure information of the murder of Private
OHerne of Company 1, who had been not
only killed. but roasted and otherwise tor
tured before death ensued. Capt. Glenn.
in charge Of a scouting party, had first Sc
cured a confession of participation in this
crime by one native, who had implicated
twelve others. These were. the witness
said. taken to Leon, where his company,
under command of Capt. Gregg was sta
toned. and there, on the 21st, and again
on the 23d of August, 1900. the cure was
administered
who inflicted the cure?"
Members of Company L.
Were they ordered to do SOP"
They Were; by First sergt. Januarius
Manning, who Is now in Boston"
Hallock added that he had witnessed the
torture, but had not participated in 1t. and
that while it was in progress Capt. Gregg
was at company headquarters less than
100 yards distant.
did Capt. Gregg know of the torture?"
Senator Rawlns asked.
"All the command knew it, and 1 don't
see how he could have helped knowing it,"
Going back to the capture of the native
who had given the information as to the
Identity of the torturerS of OHerne, the
witness said the names given were those of
natives living five or six miles from Leon.
The first administration of the cure on
August p had not extended to all the cap
tives, and when the punishment was re-
sumed the second day 1t was extended to
others of the party land repeated with some
on the 21st.
Effect of the Water Cure.
What was the effect of the punishment"
1.-The stomach would swell up. and in
some cases witnessed blood come from the
mouth"
Asked what became of the Filipino pris-
oners to whom the cure was administered,
he replied that they were placed in a guard
house twenty by twenty-five feet in size, in
which there was one window and in which
there were at times eighteen men con-
fined. The twelve prisoners were kept
for four or five months and then they tried
to escape. That effort had been successful
on the part of some Of them, but five or six
fleeing prisoners were shot and killed. One
of them had been killed while trying to get
away when the squad were taken to the
river for a bath, and the others when out
at work. in general rush for liberty.
Were all the prisoners who did not es-
cape killed."
Il think so, with one exception: l think
one was given his freedom"
Mr. Hanock also stated that he had been
present when a village of 5000 or 1000 had
been burned and that the occupants of the
houses had not had time to carry out the
furniture He had known of three or four
other cases of such destruction of property,
but had not been an eyewitness.
In reply to other questions, Mr.. Hailock
said the report was current among the
soldiers that the administration of the
water cure was common when they de-
sired to secure information from natives.
He also said that during his entire service
in the Philippines he had known of the
killing of probably 800 or 800 natives mostly
in battle and of the killing of probably
twenty Americans.
Private O'Herne's Murder.
Senator Lodge brought out the details of
the murder of Private O'Herne. The wit
ness said that in June. 1900. O'Herne. with
two other members of the company. had
been sent to Iloilo for mail and that on
their return on June so they were am
pushed by 100 natives and O'Herne's COM
paniOns captured. OHerne had made
dash to get away, and after escaping from
the alta cking party had fallen in with ether
natives supposed to be friendly, but that
instead of proving to be so they had de-
voted the entire next day to his torture and
death, beginning at daylight by cutting
HIM with boos and then roasting him all
day by slow fire. not finishing UP until
night All these details had. the witness
said, been gathered from the confessions of
the men to whom they had given the cure.
Replying to other questions he said he
had not known any one to die under the
water cure The prisoners were generally
fed on rice and coffee, with an occasional
meal of hard tack. He said they Were all
fat" He also said he understood the o.
ders to be to treat the natives well.