The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-15
GOT
BY WATER CURE"
Non-COmmissioned Officers Be-
fore Senate Committee
lNDIGNITIES To PRESIDENTS
Cruel Practice of American Soldiers to
Force Confessions From Filiplnos
Wildly Described BY Witnesses.
Natives Were Also Cruel.

washington, April 1.-THE Senate COM
mittee on the Philippines began the week
with the intention of making an invest-
cation of the charges to the effect That
the water cure" so called, is practiced
on the insurgents, and Charles S. Riley
of Northampton. Mass, formerly SER
geant in Company NJ, Twenty-sixth Vol
unteer Infantry. was the first witness
called with that intention in view.
Mr. Riley said that he had been in the
Philippines from October 25 1899, to March
4, 1901 In reply to questions by Senator
Rawlins he said he had witnessed the
water cure" at Igboras. in the province
of noilo, on November a. 1900. 1t was
administered to the presidente or chief
Filipino official of the town. He said
that upon the arrival of his command at
Igboros the presidents was asked
whether runners had been sent out noti-
flying the insurgents OF their presence,
and upon his refusal to give the informa-
ton he was taken to the convent, where
the witness was stationed, and the water
cure was administered to him. The Of
fetal was he said, man about forty
years of age.
Stripped to Their Waists.
When he (the witness) first saw him he
was standing in the corridor of the con-
vent, stripped to the waist and his hands
tied behind him, with Captain Glenn and
Lieutenant Conger of the regular army
and DR.. Lyons a contract surgeon, stand
ing near, while many soldiers stood about.
The man, he said, was then thrown under
a water tank, which held about 100 gal
.Nfxr bic aIn n l.
rectly under the faucet and held open
so as to compel him to swallow the water
which was allowed to escape from the
tank. Over him stood an interpreter re-
peating one word which the witness said
he did not understand, but which he be-
lieved to be the native equivalent of con-
fess."
When at last the presidente agreed to
tell what he knew he was released and
allowed to start away. He was not, how
ever, permitted to escape, and upon re-
fusing to give further information he was
again taken as he was about to mount his
horse and the cure administers Y for the
second time. This time the manfwas not
stripped nor was he taken into thse build.
ing. DR.. Lyons said thez water could be
brsolSk,1ts TO the spot and given there, and
when 1t was brought in a five-gallon can
one end of syringe was placed In it ant
the other end in the mans mouth. AS h,
still refused, a second syringe wa;
brought out and one end of it placed II
the PROSTATE mans nose. He still re
fused, and handful of salt was thrown
into the water
Salt Got the Confession.
This had the desired effect and the
presidente confessed.
On cross-examination by Republican
Senators, Mr.. Riley said the cure" had
been first resorted to to compel the presi-
oente to reveal his own attitude and tina.
1t had been learned from his confession
that while he had protested to be friendly
to the United States, he was in reality a
captain of the insurgent forces and that
his police were all soldiers. AS a conse-
quence of this exposure he was arrest ed
and the town burned. He said the VIC
tim struggled fiercely while the cure was
being administered, and that his eyes
were bloodshot, but the next day when
he saw the man he observed no i'll effects
of the dose he had received.
Mr.. Burrows referring to the surgeon
in charge asked: Ibid anyone shoot
him"
The witness replied in the negative.
Mr.. Riley also said he had known of
many cruelties and indgnities practiced
upon American soldiers by natives.
Cure Applied to Policeman.
Mass, who was a private in Company
NJ, Twenty-seventh Infantry corroborated
Riley's testimony. saying he had also
witnessed the cure of two policemen of
the town of Igboras. Smith said the de-
tails of the cure were in the hands
of a squad of the Eighteenth Infantry,
known as the "water-cure detail" He
also said that he had assisted in the
burning of the town of Igboras and that
the natives generally escaped from their
houses only with the clothes they wore.
Mr.. Smith expressed the opinion that
Igboras had a population of 10000. So far
as he knew no lives were lost. The wit
ness said that the country places In
the vicinity also we're burned. All these
acts were done under the command OF
Captain Glenn, who was, he says a
Judge advocate of the department of the
Viscayas. He said the water cure KEEP
running four or five minutes and thai
the doctor in charge frequently placed
his hand upon the mans heart as II tC
observe it's effect upon the organ.