The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-04
Incidents That show American SOL
diers Have Been MercifuI Even
Under Great P-roNocatIon.
NATIVES CRUEL, TREACHERoUs
HAVE THE BAD TR Ats OF THE
INDIAN AND SPANIARD.
Horrors of walters M~arch-Spear-
heads i'm Manpits and Snake-Ltke
Natives in Tall Grass.

senators and Representatives I'm Congress 10
make political capital ont Of the alleged
cruel treatment of the natives OF Samar
island by United States soldiers, "A letter
written by stephen Bonsal. a ~well-knOwn
and reliable correspondent. printed IN the
st. Louis Republic. is interesting. Mr. Bon
sal was with General Smith In Samar and
had ample opportunity 10 etudy the charac-
teristics and methods OF the most cruel,
crafty and treacherous people on EARTH
Samar natives have the avage Of the
North American Indians and all the refined
cruelty and cunning OF the educated Span
iards, from WHOM they learned a great
deal Mr.. Bonsal says. under da.e Of Ma
Mia. March .:
When the news Of the massacre at Ba-
langisa and all the horrible details of the
atrocities committed there. including the
mUtilauon OF the living as well as the dead.
was received IN Mania, For once there was
unanIfulty OF opinion amouA ali Americans,
! civilians and military alike. Indignation.
righteous as We thought tncn. bfllsea every
Personal ana political difference ON al
sides the hope WAS expressed that General
Chaucc would act. not only with energy.
but with the severity that the occasion de-
manoed. This feeling immediately found
expression IN the dispatches which were
exchanged at the time between General
Chaftec. General Hughes and the post COM
mandeis near the scene OF the slaughter IN
southern Samar.
III is d curious commentary on the short
memory OF the public that On all the COLI
unlns OF discussion which The charges made
dUrlnE inc Waller court-marual have pro-
! vokeu there has only been here and there
a rete ence 70 the massacre or hfty OF our
own msn, who were cat To pieces while UNI
armed IA Baianglga, 10 whom, though help
less. nO mercy was shown. And yet this
Was liz occasion of the change i'm the plan
OF campaign from extreme slackness 10
well-Tesuiated rigOr.
= went TO Samar with General Smith.
and remained with him almost constantly
cor the hrst month OF the operations. Dur
ing this tine i can say that i never saw
any undue severity exercised upon women
and children, nor did i hear from the
mouths Of credible Witnesses Of any such
unworthy acts having been committed
! General Smith plotted the island into dis
trlcts, and appointed "A commander for each
of these. This commander, under instruc-
ton from General Smith. ordered the con-
-centraton Of all inhabitants o. his district
! at places designated by him Tor their resi-
! dence. Those who did not come in, but re-
NAMED out in the hills with the insurgents,
were warned that after the delay granted
of fifteen days if they did not come in they,
too, would be regarded as insurgents.
INCIDENTS OF HEROISM.
Let me recall some incidents Of heroism
and of matchless daring which have been
displayed by our officers and our men in
this distant part of the globe. Certain L
am there is not a chapter of our history
which shows the indOmitable qualities OF
our race TO better advantage than do some
of the episodes of the war in Samar which
will pass unnoticed unless l an able TO
record them here.
1T has been a war with savages. and yet
with such intelligent and subtle savages
that while behind our men has been the
best equipment and all that money can buy
in the way Of engines Of destruction. there
has not taken place an encounter after
which Ii could not be said. We'll, the Sa-
marite savages were better equipped for
the tussle under these conditions than we
were Everywhere their weapons. bOlOs OF
beautifully tempered steel, have given them
the advantage in the only conditions under
which they would fight.
TT can be said without fear Of cOntradic-
ton that since the day when the hrst
American pioneer crossed the Blue Ridge
we have never been confronted by a more
inaccessible and forbidding country than
that with which our men have been con-
fronted in Samar. No one can describe IL
quite so well as a soldier OF the Ninth In
fantry, who said 10 me, shortly: Samarl
II looks like heaven. but it's hell 10 hike
through / shall attempt 10 describe IL,
though l have no doubt. so small Is our
present real knowledge OF the place. that
in a few years. when the more perfect
knowledge comes, my description viii be
found in many ways inaccurate.
There were thirty garrisOns scattered
along the coast. OF which 1 visited some If
teen. Each and every one OF these garri-
sons was in a state Of siege. and TO some OF
d. a. AAAL A1AAH AAaA -
ments came at the nick OF time. i never
penetrated more than five miles into the
island, but, nevertheless, i am not 10 DO
deferred from describing II, drawing my
Information as 70 what / did not see from
the accounts made 10 me personally by
soldiers who have crossed the island from
end to end.
'To begin with, samar IS not like any
other tropical island that j have ever seen.
1t does not recall Cuba or Java, Ceylon OF
Martinique. IL just looks like Samar; and
fhnp again ff doesn't lODk like SHmaF. for
every section OF IL that comes 10 view IS
quite different from the preceding Views you
nave obtained. The southern portion OF
the island. known now generally as the
Santa Rita and the Balangtga districts, IS
composed, from the coral coast lire 10 about
twenty miles inland, Of a jungle swamp.
through which two or three narrow, deep,
swift-running rivers furnish the only possi-
BILE passage.
island is a high tableland. covered With
dense forests, in whose shadow there IS
always night. A tableland, IL Is intersected.
however, by rivers rushing 10 the sea
through gorge-like valleys. Extending from
the middle 10 the northern end Of the island
(Which is computed 10 have an area OF
about 5000 square miles,. run c~oastwise
chains OF mountains OF equal height and
abruptness on both sides OF the island
These mountains are higher and more diff
cult TO scale than those met with In the
interior, and ] believe they have never
been crossed except through the gorges
by which the pent-up rivers rush on their
way 10 the sea. Behind these barriers are a
succession Of steep valleys and pfecipitous
hills.
HARDSHIPS OF SOLDIERS.
'Up Hill and down dale our soldiers have
advanced, until utterly worn out with the
mountain leeches sucking az their blood.
dying OF the dysentery and with a battle TO
be fought and an ambush TO be overcome
az every step Under these circumstances
IL IS not astonishing that bat few OF the
many columns We have sent ont have sue
ceeded in crossing the island from end 10
end, and. coming out upon the mountain
heights at the other side. have caught a
glimpse OF the Pacific. and. in fancy. OF
Gods country. 6ov0 miles beyond.
Indeed. there have been ouly two such
expeditions where all the sacrifice and an
the suffering have been crowned with sue
cess. / refer 20 that Of Captain Preston.
now dead. with "a detachment 81 men from
the Forty-third United States Volunteers.
and tha. or Major Waller. with has de-
achmcnt Of marines. Even iu the ease u
success the difficulties 20 Dee overcome have
eNacted a heavy tribute OF men. as the
casualty lists OF these expeditions show
"hefore barriers such as these the Amer
igan rnula the Pike nnnruru INTH.a.srf4 aaaHa