The Savannah morning news., 1902-04-15
THE FAMOUS WATER CURE.
istered to RecaIcitrant FiIipinOs
to Force Confessions.

Witnesses Tell of Treatment Admin
istered to RecaIcitrant FiIipinOs
to Force Confessions.
Washington, April 1.-THE Senate
Committee on the Philippines began
the week with the intention of making
an investigation 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 a sergeant in the
volunteers, was the first witness called.
He said he had witnessed the water
! cure" at Igbaras, in the province of
Iloilo. in 1900. 1t was administered to
( the president or chief Filipino official
of the town.
He said that upon the arrival of his
command at Igbaras the presidente
was asked whether runners had been
sent out notifying the insurgents of
| their presence and that upon his re-
fusal to give the information he was
| taken to the convent, where the wit
4 ness was stationed, and the water cure
was administered to him. This official
was stripped to the waist and his
| hands tied behind him. Capt. Glenn
/ and Lieut.. Conger of the regular army
/ and DR.. Lyons, contract surgeon
were standing near. The man, he said.
was then thrown under a water tank
which held about 100 gallons of water,
and his mouth placed directly under
the faucet and held open. Over him
stood an interpreter repeating one
word which the witness said he did
not understand, but which he believed
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
4 not however. permitted to escape, and
| upon refusing to give further informa-
ton he was again taken as he was
| about to mount his horse, and the cure
administered for the second time. This
time the man was not stripped, nor
| was he taken into the building DR..
| Lyons said the water could be brought
to the spot and given there, and when
it was brought in a five gallon can,
one end of a syringe was placed in 1t
and the other in the mans mouth. As
he still refused a second syringe was
brought and one end of 1t placed in the
PROSTATE mans nose. He still refused
and a handful of salt was thrown into
the water. This had the desired effect
and the presidente agreed to answer
questions.
On cross-examination by Republican
senators MIR. Riley said the cure mao
been first resorted to to compel the
presidente to reveal his own attitude
and that it had been learned from his
confession that While he professed to
be friendly to the United States he
was in reality captain of the insur-
gent forces and that his police were all
soldiers. AS a consequence of this ex-
posture he was arrested and the town
burned.
water Cure Detail"
Another witness, William L. Smith OF
Athol, Mass, who was a volunteer pri-
vate, corroborated Mr.. Riley's testi-
mony, saying he had also witnessed the
torture of two policemen of the town Of
Igbaras. Smith said the details of the
cure" were in the hands of squad
of the Eighteenth Regular Infantry
known as ''the water cure detail" He
also said that he had assisted in the
burning of the town of Igbaras and
that the natives generally escaped
from their houses only with the clothes
they wore.
The witness said that the country
places in the vicinity were also burned
All these acts were done under the COM
mand of Capt. Glenn, who was, he said
judge advocate of the department Of
the Viscayas. He said the water wa,
kept running for four or five minutes
and that the doctor in charge fire.
quently placed his hand upon the man.
heart as if to observe it's effect upoI
| that organ.