The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-04-30
MORE RIGID ARMY INQUIRY
General ChaTee Ordered to lnvest-
gate Charges Of Cruelty.
COURTS-MARTIAL IN PHILIPPINES
A Trial For General Smith. II His Al
LACED Orders Are Verified - Action
Taken After . Cabinet Meeting as
which tho Recent Disclosures Were
considerod.secretary Roots Dispatch

TAKEN hItor u SoDsuee 0s
which tho Recen, Disclosures Were
S.ousiderod.Secreta Roots Dispatch
Washington. D. C.-Secretary Root
has ordered General Chaffee. at
Manila, to investigate the newspaper
reports Of the Waller trial. and II they
are correct to court-martial General
Jacob II. Smith. Also. IL the facts are
established as testified to before the
Senate Committee on the Philippines.
to court-martial the officers who ad'
ministered the water cure" to the
Presidente Of Igbarras. These officers
are Major Glenn. Lieutenant Conger
and Assistant Surgeon Lyon.
This action was the result OF the
consideration Of the Cabinet OF the
charges of cruel treatment Of Filipinos
by United States soldiers. President
Roosevelt Is determined to SLIT the
matter to the bottom.
The following cablesram was sent
to General Chaffee:
ION February ID last a letter was
sent to you enclosing for investigation
a CODY Of charges made by Governor
Gardener. Of Tayabas Province. which
contained general allegations OF cruel
ties practised by troops on natives.
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 1t was
no time to take prisoners. and that
when Major Waller asked General
Smith to define the age limit for Kill
ing he replied, everything over ten
IF such testimony was given. and
the facts can be established. you will
place General Smith on trial by court
martial.
yesterday, before the Senate Com.
mittee. Sergeant Charles 8. Riley and
Private william Lewis Smith. OF the
Twenty-sixth Volunteer Infantry. tes-
tilted that the form Of torture known
as the water cure was administered
to the Presidente Of Igbarras. Hole
Province. by a detachment OF the
Eighteenth Infantry, commanded by
Lieutenant Arthur L. COnger. under
orders Of Major Edwin F. Glenn. then
CAPTAIN Of the Twenty-hfth Infantry,
and that Captain and Assistant Sur
geon Palmer Lyon was present to as
slst them.
The officers named will be tried
therefor by court-martial.
"Conger and Lyon are In this coun.
try, and most Of the witnesses being
presumptively here. the Secretary OF
War directs that Major Glenn shall
proceed to San Francisco. with a view
to his trial by court-martial.
"As the two years allowed for the
prosecution by the statute Of limita-
tions Is nearly ut an end. no time 10
to be lost.
THE fact that such acts of cruelty
and barbarity appear to have been
done indicates the necessity Of most
thorough. searching and exhaustive in
yestlgation under the general charges
preferred by Governor Gardener. and
you will spare NO effort In the investi.
CATION ordered under these charges 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 circumstantial
manner all the facts, nothing being
concealed. and no man being for any
reason favored or shielded. Nothing
can justify or will be held to justify
the use of torture or !nhuman conduct
of any kind on the part of the Ameri.
can army. ELIHU ROOT.
"Secretary of War"