Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-04-19
ACCUSED OF CRUELTY
Alleged Torture of Filipinos to
Be Investigated.
ROOT ORDERS COURT MARTIAL
President viii Back Up tho Army In
Everything Lawful. But Men Who
Use Torture Must Be Punished.
Nothinq VIII Justify lnhumanlty.

Washington, April 16.-Secretary
Root has cabled General Chaffee, at
Manila, to investigate the newspaper
reports OF the Waller trial, and II they
are correct, to court martial General
Smith. Also, If the facts are estab-
hshed as testified to before the senate
Philippine committee to court martial
the officers who administered the
water cure" to the presidente of Ig-
barras. These officers are Major
Glenn, Lieutenant Conger and Assist
ant Surgeon Lyon.
Secretary Roots message is as fol-
lows: Press dispatches state that
upon 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
asked General Smith to define the age
limit for killing, he replied: Every
thing over ten II such testimony was
given, and the facts can be estab-
Ished, you will place General Smith
on trial by court martial.
Yesterday before the senate COM
mittee 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 of
the twon OF lgbarras. Iloilo province,
Island of Panay, by detachment of
Eighteenth United States Infantry,
under command of Lieutenant Arthur
g. Conger, under orders OF Major Ed.
win +. Glenn, and Assistant Surgeon
Palmer Lyon, at that time a contract
surgeon. was present to assist them
The officers named, or such OF them
as are found to be responsible for the
act. will be tried therefor by court
martial. Conger and Lyon are in this
country. Both the Twenty-sixth Vol
unteer Infantry and Eighteenth In
fantry having returned to the United
States, and most OF the witnesses
being presumptively here, the secre-
tary of war directs that Major E. F..
Glenn, Twenty-fifth Infantry, be de-
rected TO proceed to San Francisco
and report to the general commanding
the department OF California, with a
view TO his trial by court martial un.
der charges alleging the cruelties
practiced by him upon a native of the
Philippine Islands at Igbarras on the
9th of June. 1900.
THE president desires to know In
the fullest and most circumstantial
manner all the facts. nothing being
concealed, and no man being for any
reason favored or shielded. For the
very reason that the president intends
to back up the army In the heartiest
fashion in every lawful and legitimate
method of doing it's work, he also in.
tends to see that the most rigorous
care is exercised to detect and pre-
vent any cruelty or brutality, and that
men who are guilty thereof are pun.
ished. Great as the provocation has
been In dealing with foes who habit.
ually resort to treachefy, murder and
torture against our men, nothing can
justify, or win be held TO justify.
the use of torture or inhuman con
duct of any kind on the part Of the
American army"