Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-06-13
Daily kenneber Journal
THE WATER CURE"
Senate Committee on Philippines
Continues Inquiry.
Officers Describe How Treatment Was
Administered.

Washington, June 12.-Mark H.
Evans. formerly a sergeant of Company
F, 32d Volunteer Infantry, today, testi-
fled before the SeLat committee on the
Philippines concerning the administra-
ton of the water cure to Filipinos on
four different occasions. He also re-
lated the particulars of the burning of
several native villages. All these
events occurred, the witness said, dur
ing the year 1900, in the province of
Batan, island of Luzen, and in or near
the town of Orano, where his head
quarters were. In one case, the cure
was administered by native scouts, and
in the others by an American soldier.
The first case occurred at a little town
where there was supposed to be some
insurgents. The scouts picked out the
suspected people and taking one of
them to a nearby creek, poured a
quantity of water into his mouth from
a canteen. The purpose in this, as in
other cases, was to secure a confession
on another occasion, the witness said
that he had seen an American soldier
take two suspected natives into the wa
ter and duck them, holding them under
for perhaps half minute at time. He
secured a confession in one case but
none in the other.
After the first case of ducking the
victim seemed, the witness said, to have
been quite disabled, being apparently
so weak that he was unable to rise. Mr..
Evans said he had been present al the
burning of four or five native villages
and that the destruction of these places
had been due to presence of insurgents.
The orders were to destroy all the ma
tive hutS along the coast near the
mountains for 80 miles in Batan prov
ince. so as to force the natives to come
IN and this he said, was done.
The witness said the orders to the
troops We're to treat the natives hu-
namely and that with the exceptions
noted, their treatment had been in ac-
cordance with these instructions. The
natives had not, on the other hand,
shown any appreciation of this consid-
Grafton. They refused to divulSe in
formation in their possession and in
any cases they subjected the American
troops to indignties. In one case, he
said. where two soldiers were killed,
their ears were cut off.
Edward j. Norton, late private in
Company l., 18th Infantry, said he
served two years in the island of Panay
and stated that except in isolated cases
the treatment accorded the natives by
United States soldiers was humane
and all that could be expected or de-
sired"
In the isolated cases referred to he
cold tho treatment was not cOnSiSten
with humanity and the laws of war.
He described one occasion where he
had assisted in water curing" a native
The mans mouth, he said, was forced
opcn with a stick and the water poured
down his throat. The effect of the
treatment was temporary strangula-
ton. In this particular case he SAID
the native after receiving the cure, de-
livcred up number of rifles and pis-
tolls. 1T was the practice in marching
through villages" the witness related,
when fired upon by the natives to I'M
mediately burn their houses
lie said the F'ilipinos regarded the
kindness of the troops toward them as
weakness and became bold in conse-
nupnce: also that the general under
standing in the army was that the
policy of General Hughes was one of
kindness and humanity.
He took issue with Senator Culber-
son on the subject of the burning OF
villages and declared it to be military
necessity.
The committee adjourned subject 10
| the call Of the chairman.