Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1902-04-18
on CRUELTY
Alleged Torture of Filipinos to
Be Investigated.
RoI3T ORDERS COURT MARTIAL

President Will Back Up the Army In
Evsrythina Lawful. But Men Who
Use Torture Must Be Punished.
Nothing Will Justify humanity.
Washington, April 16.-secretary
Root has cabled General Chaffee, at
Manila. to investigate the newspaper !
reports of the Waller trial. and il they
are correct. to court martial General
Smith. Also, if the facts are estab-
lished as testified 10 before the senate
Philippine committee to court martial
the officers who administered the
water cure" to the presidente of lg
barras. These officers are Major
Glenn. Lieutenant Conger and Assist.
ant Surgeon Lyon.
Secretary Roots message is as fol
lows: Press dispatches state that
uptrf the trial Of Major Waller. of the
Marine Corps, testimony was given by
Waller, corroborated by other wit
nesses, that General Jacob H. Smith
instructed him to kill and burn; that
the more he killed and burned the
better pleased General Smith would
be; that it was no time to take pris'
oners, and that when Major Waller
asl.ed General Smith to define the age
limit for killing. he replied: Every
thing over ten. If such testimony was
given. and the facts can be estab-
lished, you will place General Smith
on trial by court martial.
Yesterday before the senate com
mi.tee on Philippine affairs, Sergeant
Charles F. Reilly and Private William
Lewis Smith. of the Twenty-sixth Vol
unteer Infantry, testified that the form
of torture known as the water cure
was administered to the presidente o
! the twon Of Igbarras. lloilo province
Island Of Panay, by detachment o
Ri ghteenth United States Infantry
under command of Lieutenant Arthu
G. Conger, under orders Of Major Ed
t win F. Glenn, and Assistant Surgeon
Palmer Lyon. at that time a contrac
D surgeon, was present to assist then
! The officers named, OF such Of theT
9 as are found to be responsible for tn
aet. will be tried therefor by couI
martial Conger and Lyon are in thi
z country Both the Twenty-sixth Vo
e uilteer Infantry and Eighteenth Il
( fantry having returned to the Unite
' States. and most of the witnesse
D being presumptively here, the seer
tary of war directs that Major E.
Glenn, Twenty-fifth Infantry, be d
= rected to proceed to San FrancisC
O ard report to the general commandin
v the department of California, with
e view to his trial by court martial u
?. der charges alleging the cruelti'
e pIacticed by him upon native of Il
Philippine Islands at Igbarras on Il
9th of June, 1900.
% THE president desires to know
: the fullest and most circumstanti
s manner all the facts, nothing beil
concealed. and no man being for al
q reason favored or shielded. For Il
n very reason that the president inten
to back up the army in the heartie
fashion in every lawful and legitima
n method of doing its work, he also
u tends to see that the most rigoro
- care is exercised to detect and p
T. vent any cruelty or brutality. and th
% men who are guilty thereof are pl
,o ished. Great as the proYocation
81 been in dealing with foes who hal
u,llly resort to treachery. murder a
torture against our men. nothing c
he Justify, or will be held to JUST
vs. the use Of torture or inhuman c.
n dict Of any kind on the part Of
no American army"