Connecticut western news., 1902-04-17
CRUELTY TO NATIVES.
President Orders Chaffee to In-
 vestigate Charges.
GENERAL SMITH MAY BE TRIED.

dhN NhhAh h141n AAI nh 1h1hUs If Newspaper Reports of Waller
 Trial Are Authentic, General Must
 Be Brought Before Court Martial.
 Trials Also For "water Curers.'
 Washington, April 16.-The following has been cabled to General Chaffee at Manila by order of the war depart ment:
 ''On Feb. 19 letter was sent you in closing for investigation copy of charges made by Governor Gardener of Taya- bas province, which contained general allegations of cruelties practiced by troops on natives and generally of an insolent and brutal attitude of the ar my toward natives.
 "On April a cable dispatch was sent you urging action with all speed con sistent with thorough and searching investigation.
 "On the 4th of March a cable dis patch was sent you directing disciplin- ary measures to produce obedience to the presidents instructions, subordi- hating military officers to civil govern ment in pacitied provinces and instruct ing you to relieve Major Edwin +. Glenn and Captain James A. Ryan from duty and order them to Manila to await investigation into their conduct in accordance with instructions to fol- low by mail.
 "On the 24th of March instructions were mailed you containing statement of charges against these officers and General Jacob H. Smith as the basis of the investigation ordered by the cable of March 4.
 Further instructions in both matters are required by the following facts:
 Press dispatches state that upon the trial of Major Waller of the marine corps testimony was given by Waller, corroborated by other witnesses. 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 prisoners and that when Major Waller asked General Smith to define the age limit for killing he re- piled, Everything over ten.'
 ''If such testimony was given and the facts can be established, you will place General Smith on trial by court mar tial.
 The "Water Cure" Charges.
 Yesterday before the senate com mittee on Philippine affairs Sergeant Charles S. Riley and Private William Lewis Smith of the Twenty-sixth vol unteer infantry testified that form of torture known as the water cure was administered to the presidente of the town of Igbarras, Iloilo province, is- land of Panay, by detachment of the Eighteenth United States infantry commanded by Lieutenant Arthur l., Conger under orders of Major Edwin F. Glenn, then captain of the Twenty fifth infantry. and that Captain and Assistant Surgeon Palmer Lyon, al that time a contract surgeon, was pres ent 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 mar tial. sConger and Lyon are in this coun try. Both the Twenty-sixth volunteer infantry and Eighteenth infantry hay ing returned to the United States anC most of the witnesses being presump lively here, the secretary of war di rects that Major E. F. Glenn, Twenty fifth Infantry, be directed to proceed tt San Francisco and report to the gener al commanding the department of Cal ifornia with view to his trial by court martial under charges alleging the cruelties practiced by him upon | native of the Philippine Islands at Ig barras on the 27th of June. 1900. No Time to Be Lost. If you can discover any witnesse still in the service in the Philippine who can testify in support of tn | charges or if Major Glenn desires tn attendance of any persons now serving | in the islands as witnesses for the de fense, you will direct them to procee' | to San Francisco for that purpose. A | the two years allowed for the prosecu | ton by the statute of limitations i nearly at an end no time is to be lost.
 "You will take such course in ad
 vancing or postponing the investiga l tions previously ordered into the con l duct of General Smith and Majo
 Glenn as shall be required to enabl | you to execute these instructions. 1 "It is believed that the violations O | law and humanity of which thes cases, if true, are examples will prov l to be few and occasional and not t l characterize the conduct of the arm
 generally in the Philippines, but tn
 fact that any such acts of cruelty an
 barbarity appear to have been done ir
 dicates the necessity of a most thoI
 ough, searching and exhaustive invest
 gation under the general charges prt
 ferred by Governor Gardener, and yo
 will spare no effort in the investigatio
 already ordered under these charges
 uncover every such case which ma
 have occurred and bring the offender
 to justice"