The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-05-09
Massacre of Ninth Infantry
Soldiers Described
to Senators.
FTLIPIN0S NOT WELL TREATED
Witness So Testifes Concerning Captain
Connen, Who Lest His Life Ihe-e-Na-
tives Imprisoned IN Tents Never Saw
the Water Cure Administered.

Additional testimony was heard today
by the Senate Philippine Committee on
the subject Of the treatment of the natives
in the archipelago. The witnesses were
William J. Gibbs. Of Springfield, Mass.
corporal, Company c. Ninth Infantry, and
George G. Boardman, of -Centralia, Kan,
private. CompaEg I, Twentieth United
States Infantry. The latter still wore his
khaki uniform, not having been yet
mustered out OF the service.
Preliminary to the examination Of Wit
nesses Chairman Lodge read letter from
Rev 3. B. Walker. of Boston Ito be
printed in the ~RecoTd'0 denouncing as
fabrication a statement Imputed to him
about letter from his son in the army,
and published in a Boston paper. as to
the shooting down Of over q hundred
captured FIipincs Senator Patterson re
marked that Jail was too good for man
who circulated such a report
The cath having been administered TO
Gibbs, he testified 10 what is known as
the massacre CT BaIangiga, in which a
detachment of the Ninth Infantry was at
tackled while At breakfast by some hun
dreds of Filipinos armed with beIoS, and
three officers and forty-twe we're killed
He told how Captain ConneI had com
PEELED the natives to go 10 work and
clear up the ground around their shacks,
and how. after the second day many OF
the natives refused to work. were arrest
ed. and confined IN two Sibley tents. SO
many 70 each tent that all had TO stand
up. The soldiers about sever ty-tSso o.
them had gone to breakfast, about 200
yards from camp, without arms The
native chief of police. who was supposed
to manage the natives, went over to the
tables, and. after some pleasant remarks.
gave a sudden yell. and the soldiers were
attacked and cut down.
WAS there any previous signal given
TO the Ratives?'' the witness was asked
"No more than that YELL he replied.
Something has been said about bell
having been tolled, but I did pot hear it.
As soon as they yelled they spread into
ranks and cut down the men. Seven Of
the soldiers started for the boats. and
we're killed. The majority Of the rest were
killed right at the tables, and the other:
about twenty or thirty-were killed il
trying to reach their quarters.
How many were killed in alI2'' he va:
asked
81 DO not know. Some say hftx-fOur.''
'eHow long did that whole scene Iast?'
about twenty minutes
"HoS did you get away2'
81 was enc OF those soldiers who wer'
N guard. and We had a little mess of on
own. We got eur guns. and Ne we're theE
safe But I was cut twice"
When the witness said that seventy-fy
Fflipinos we're confined to two sibley tents
each OF which was intended for sixteeI
mentor about a week up 70 the tine @
the massacre, he was asked if they CON
planned Of their treatment. He said the1
did
"Did their complaints 90 any good .
was inquired
They only made complaints 10 the sol
dfeTs," he responded. They were afraid
to make them TO the officers. Some sol
dIers sympathized with them. and some
Just the opposite" The witness said that
he had never seen the water cure admin
istered
Asked how the natives had been treat
ed By Captain ConneII. who commanded
the detachment, and was one OF the killed
he said that the captain did not seem to
treat them very sell. He had sent out
men to destroy all the rice and fish IL
BaIangiga. so that provisions could not
be taken from there 10 the fnsurrectos IL
the mountains. The Filipinos who came
down from the mountains and who tool
part IL the massacre were strong, athletic
fellows, almost naked They occupied
the front line at the tables and made the
FIRST attack upon the soldiers
The examination OF Gibbs was not con
Guided. AID, with that OF Boardman, weni
over till tomorrow.