The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-16
Secretary Root Orders Reported
Cruelty Rigid|y Investigated
REFERS TO The WATER CURE
Also Wants General Smith Courtmar-
tailed If II Can Be Found That
He Told Major Waller to
Burn and XIII Natives

Washington, April 15-As a result OF
the consideration by the cabinet To-Day
of the charges of cruel treatment OF
Filipinos by United States soldiers, Sec
retary Root had made public the follow
ing correspondence:
Washington, April Is, 1902.
MY Dear Senator: beg to acknowl-
edge receipt of your copy of the test1-
mony of Sergeant Charles Riley and
Private William Lewis late Of the Tween
ty-sixth Infantry, taken before your COM
mittee, yesterday enclose a copy of
dispatch which has been sent today to
Major General Chaffee commanding the
division of the Philippines. Directions
have been given to the Judge advocate
general of the army to take proper steps
In accordance with the despatch:
1.-THE War Department will be glad to
receive the earliest possible Information
of any further evidence which may be
ELECTED by the committee tending to fix
responsibility upon anyone in the mill
tary service of the United States for any
violation of any laws Of war or OF the
regulations or orders governing the oper-
atoms of the army of the United States
in the field. Very respectfully
"ELIHU ROOT,
Secretary of War.
Hon H. C. Lodge, United States Senate,
Washington"
Gable to General Chaffee.
War Department, April 15 1902.
Memorandum for the Adjutant General:
Gable General Chaffee as follows:
On February 10, letter was sent you
enclosing for investigation copy of
charges made by Governor Gardner, of
Tayabas province, which contained gen
eral allegations of cruelties practiced by
the troops on natives and generally of
an insolent and brutal attitude of the
army towards natives.
On April 2, cable dispatch was sent
you urging action with all speed consist
ent with thorough and searching investi-
CATION.
:" On the 4th of March a cable dispatch
was sent you directing disciplinary meas
ures to produce obedience to the Presi-
dents instructions subordinating military
officers to civil government In pacified
provinces, and instructing you to relieve
Major Edward F. Glenn and Capt. James
A. Ryan from duty and order them to
Manila to await investigation into their
conduct in accordance with instructions
to follow by mall.
ION the oath of March instructions
were mailed you containing statement of
charges against these officers and Gen.
Jacob H. Smith the basis of the in
vestigation ordered by the cable of March
4. Further instructions IN both matters
,i~nd hxrt ha fnllnpytpO
Press dispatches state that upon the
trial of Major Waller of the marine corps
testimony was given by Waller, corrobor-
ated by other witnesses, that Gen. Jacob
H. Smith instructed him to kill and burn {;
that the more he killed and burned the
better pleased General Smith would be;
that 1t was no time to take prisoners and
that when Major Waller asked General
Smith to define the age limit for killing,
he replied: Everything over TO-"
VIII Courtmartial General Smith.
of such testimony was given and the
facts can be established you will place
General Smith on trial by courtmartial.' 3"
Before the Senate committee of Phil
ippines affairs Sergeant Riley and Private
Smith of the Twenty-sixth Volunteer In
fantry testified that the form of tor
ture known as the water cure was adj
ministered to the presidente of the town
of Igboras, uoilo province, by a detach-
ment Of the Eighteenth United States
Infantry under command of Lieutenant
Arthur l.. Conger, under orders of Major
Edwin F. Glenn, then captain, Twenty
fifth Infantry, and that Captain and As
sistant Surgeon Palmer Lyon, at that
time contract surgeon was present
" The officers named, or such of them
as are found to be responsible for the act.
will be tried therefor by court-martial.
Both the Twenty-sixth Volunteer Infan-
try and the Eighteenth Infantry having
to the United States and most
of the witnesses being presumably there,
the Secretary of War directs that Maj.
E. F. Glenn, Twenty-fifth Infantry, be
directed to proceed to San Francisco and
report to the general commanding the
Department of California with a view to
his trial by court-martial under charges
alleging the cruelties practiced by him
upon a native of the Philippine islands at
Igboras on June 81, 1900. If you can Us
cover any witnesses still in the service
in the Philippines who can testify In sup
port of the charges, or II Major Glenn de-
sires the attendance of any persons now
serving in the islands as witnesses Tor
the defense. you will direct them to pro-
coed to San Francisco for that purpose.
AS the two years allowed for the prosecu-
ton by the statute of limitations is near
ly at an end no time is to be lost. You
will take such course In advancing the
investigation previously ordered into the
conduct of General Smith and Major
Glenn as shall be required in these In
structions.'
Violations Few.
eft is believed that the violations Of the
law of humanity, of which these cases,
IL true. are examples, will prove to be
few and occasional, and not to charac-
terize the conduct of the army generally
In the Philippines, but the fact that any
such acts of cruelty and barbartty APP
pear to have been done indicates the ne
cessity Of most thorough, searching and
exhaustive investigation into the general
charges preferred by Governor Gardner,
and YOU will spare no effort in the inves-
tigatIon also ordered under this charge,
to uncover every such case which may
have occurred and bring the offenders to
justice.
"The President desires to know In the
fullest and most ciroumstantial 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 its work, he
also intends to see that the most rigor-
Gus care Is exercised to detect and pre-
vent any cruelty or brutality. and that
men who are guilty thereof are punished.
Great as the provocation has been In deal