Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-02-06
A CRITICAL REVIEW or
AGUINALDOS CAPTURE
Gen. Funston Held to be Guilty
of Base TreaChery.
VIOLATED THE RULES 0FWARFARE
Tho Case Considered From
His Own statements.

Lcttcr in Now York Eyenlng Post.

have given the circumstances of the
capture in detail to the public
Aguiraldo in the August number and
Gen. Funston in the September and
October numbers of Everybody's Maya
zine, IA review of the case may be of
service because it will be famous
precedent and because of its influence
las an example) on a race which is
said to be addicted TO treachery.
One of the most remarkable things
in Gen. Funston's narrative is the
frnnkness with which he tells how he
induced Aguinaldo's, trusted coulter,
Segismundo, to betray his trust and
return us guide with the disguised OK
petition for the capture of his chief
Scgismundo had been sent by Aguin-
aldo from Palanan with small de-
tachment to deliver certain dispatches
to his cousin, Baldemero, Gen. Lacuna,
| and other Filipino officers, and, when
marches and want of food, this courier
| and his men had been induced by
native magistrate to "come i'm and
surrender to the United States officer
commanding the post
Gen. Funston says:
We kept Cccilio Segismundo at the head
quarters and | had several long talks with
| him, in which finally got all the necessary
information regarding the town of Palanan
and thn number of people with Aquinaldo.
| After much persuasion he agreed to assist
in the capture of his former chief.
Gen. Funston at first suggested a
soldier-like plan for this purpose to
| Segismundo. who at once rejected ii as
impracticable on account of the man
ncr in which the approaches to his
chiefs headquarters were guarded.
When tsays Gen. Funston) proposed the
plan that finally succeeded, the man capped
his hands together, jumped from his chair
in great glee, and said it would probably
| succeed!
The plan was TO disguise body of native
| troops in our service ms insurgent soldiers,
representing the achievements asked for
by Aquinaldo, and thus gain access to his
presence. The necessary American officers
were TO be carried along as supposed prison
eTs who had been captured en- route. Any
suspicious Aguinaldo might have. were to
BIZ lullOd by decoy letters over the forged
signature of some insurgent chief. The
whole plan (says Gen. Funston) will be best
understood by u perusal of the following
letter TO my immediate superior Gen.
Wheaton,
In this letter the details of the plan,
excepting the proposed forgeries. are
given with admirable clearness. Gen.
Funston suggested that the Presidente
of Casiguran, an insurgent magistrate
who had facilitated Segismundo' IS
journey as Aguinaldo's courier, would
supply the expedition with necessaries
when it arrived at his town, all the
more readily when he saw Segismundo
on his return with the expected re-
Inducements for Aguinaldo.
As to the native ex-insurgent officers
Of different ranks who were to be
ostensibly in command Gen. Funston
said in this letter to Gen. Wheaton:
ut would be necessary to pay the
Tagalos who go as supposed officers
pretty liberally-of course contingent
upon success. y
The names of the men who under.
took the task on these terms were
Hilario Placido, chief La2aro Segoyia
tSpaniard), captain, and two lieu
tenants, Dionisio Bato and Gregoric
Cadhit. Their pictures are given in
the magazine with Segismundo's
Funston's, and those of the other foul
officers of the United States army whC
took the part of prisoners in the eX
petition.
The natives who were to constitute iht
supposed insurgent company. were 81 mol
selected from Company d. First Battalion
Aacubcho Scouts. These men were chosel
among the whole company because of thei
! knowledge of the Tagalo dialect, thci
amenity TO discipline, and their marching
, qualities.
The disguise was artistically perfect
Tho artist (Gen. Funston) describes i
7 as follows:
Tho first task was 10 make these men loo
as much us possible like band of insurgen
soldiers. 1t would have been very uhwis
TO put them all in insurgent uniforms. for
since the instruction has degenerated int
, guerrilla warfare, the great majority of tn
, cnemy's soldiers have been dressed in til
5 clothing of the country, SO that they coul
7 be combatunts or non-combatants withou
0 the necessity of undergoing amy more trans
E | formation than GunccHling their rifles III
n clump of bambooa. To have equipped on
I men throughout with uniforms would hay
1 aroused suspicion because of their ncatnef
. and uniformity. Accordingly, we procure
20 uniforms of the blue and white stripe
, cotton cloth with which the insurgents wer
4. formerly clothed, the remainder being Out
i. fitted ms Filipino puisanos or peasants.
+ Even the arms were chosen SO as t
II make the disguise as complete as pos
5 sible:
r Fifty Mauser and Is Remington ri1t
! were obtuined from the stock of capture
arms in the Manila arsenal. III
balance of the rifles needed 10 arm the di
Is tnchment were TO be Krag-Jorgensens, pr,
y I sumubly captured from party of American
e encountered on the trail, as will be see
q later,
n This was to coincide with the presenc
u of the five Americans as prisoners
\, the detachment.
/. So much for the disguise, und,
is cover of which fire was afterwarc
IL opened on Aguinaldo's men and one
At two Of them killed.
lc Now as to tho forgeries: 1t was
first proposed by Gen. Funston thu
Aguinaldo should he betrayed by
. genuine letter sent on beforehand fro
y one of his former officers, NatividaC
II with whom he was we'll acquainted an
1f of whose surrender he was supposed
/, he ignorant. Natividad was to ha,
~ been the ostensible leader of the @
n petition. But he had been severe
m wounded when in the insurgent servic
=, and according to Gen. Funston) d
9 not feel physically able for the tasl
y 1t may be that there was some NOR
impeachment, and that the ''benevolel
assimilation of Natividad had n
NJ been so complete as Segismundo's. |
s.. that as it may, it was thought nece
m sary to use some other name, and Gle
~, Lacuna's was chosen because he WI
III one of the officers who were directt
nd in Aguinaldo's dispatches (which hi
,a been given up by Segismundol to ser
re roinforcements to headquarters, ar
an because, some time previously, viii
al scouting with small detachment
y" cavalry, Gen. Funston had surpris
this same Lacuna and had captur
Oh his correspondence and stationer
H. including several sheets of writil