The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-04-26
Il ~ 4
unjustfaby

B H. SMITH,
Ia on a charge, Of ordering the killing Of Ffli-S
the Samar campaign.
were bltchered by ,nurderers who claimed
to. be non -combatants, who wore no uni
form, who protested their friendship and
came-the majority of them at least
into the post asking for work, for rice to
give their women and children.
What was done in Texas in 1896 with
the cry of Remember the Alamo! ON the
lips of the avengers was done in Samar
in memory of Balangiga. The historians
+ tell us that at San 5Jacinto many threw
down their arms and pleaded: me no
Alamo, me no Ala1no" and he adds sue
cinctly: 1t was not the day of mercy"
Heroes and Assassins.
The successes of the insurgents at Ba-
langlga and elsewhere are not comparable
to the stOrming OF Ticonderoga and Of
}!Stony Point. Tney were noteworthy feats
| of arms but the acts of assassins who,
while belonging to the band Of Juan Col
oneros,, wore peaceful clothes and dwelt7
within our lines, commune ting with the.
enemy outside and patiently awaiting the
opportune moment to strike. For this
alone their lives were forfeit under mill
| tary law, and when to thissWas added the
Emerciless slaughter of fifty unarmed men
and the indescribable mutilation of their
bodies the ,samarites placed themselves
beyond the pale.c
The specitiez charges against Major Wal
| Ter were, first, that he treated as enemies,
without first awaiting hostile acts from
| them, all the natives met with in the
course OF his wonderful march from Lam
lang TO Basay, ACROSS southern Samar. BY
Fproc1amatioIS placaTded IN every army
post. translated into Visayan and cir
culated everywhere last November, the in
| habitants Of the district which Waller
trayersed as aWell as other districts of
Samar were ordered to concentrate in
certain designated places within fifteen
days. All who failed to do so were warned
l.that they would be regarded as insurgents
and shot on sight. The second accuse
Etion was a more serious zone. 1t was
charged that after reaching Basay, the
objective of his terrible journey, which,
according to- General Chaffee's first re-
!! port, he reached delirious with fever and
worn. to the bone by starvation, Waller
held an inquiry into the conduct of, three
or four-by one account nine-of his ma
tive carriers or cargadores. These men
l. 1T should. be remembered, had enlisted
with him as amn-fOlloWers fOr7the jour-
ney and consequently they were as much
i his supreme command as were any of the
marines. After hearing the statements of
his officers and men-and if there was a
dissenting voice or any contradiction in
! testimony it. has not been cablec-Major
Waller became satisfied that these men,
| while in the United States service, gave
aid and Information to the enemy, who
hung on his TANKS, SO. that they might
| time their attacks to the best advantage;
that they had stolen the provisions and
| ammunition they agreed to carry, and
conveyed them to the enemy; that when
the marines were starving these camp
! followers sustained life by edible roots
to be found in the country through which
| they marched, which they refused to share
with the marines or to point out where
| they were to besfound. Whereupon Major
/ Waller ordered them to be shot, and the
order was carried out.
| the gentler methods writes. he: could I'M
derstand a summary execution in the heat
of blood while yet in the enemy's country,
but to commit such an atrocity latter
| reaching Basay-," Here, as in most
commons upon the Philippine situation,
| we have to- contend with ignorance of the
facts rather than with any wish to mis-
represent them. This writer is evidently
under the Impression that when Waller
and the survivors of his column Hmped
| into sBasay, footsore and starving, all
their troubles were over; that they drove
| up to the local Waldorf-Astoria, had a
| good dinner. and went to bed thanking
God and their good rifles that they were
well shut of the Samarites.
BnsnyfNot Bed of Roses.
With the very vivid recollection which
/ have. Of my experience in Basay three
weeks before; Major Waller arrived there,
have no hesitation in saying that here
he found greater. dangers threatening him
and more savages thirsting for his blood
/ than those who dogged his footsteps
through. the mountain wildernesses. The
people of Basay at this time number
/ about 5,00O--not souls, but BEETLE browed
i savages, brothers in blood and in brutal
ity Of disposition to the people of Balan-
i gigaysonly twenty miles away. And what
4 the people of 'Balangiga did every Ameri-
can should remember before passing judg-
ment upon the warfare since waged in
! this district.
When arrived at Basay i saw crowd
/ of sayages. walking UP from the beach
/ biting away at long, Shiny uncooked fish
/ fresh from the sea as though they were
/ eating sticks Of candy. One glance at
their faces and I would not have been
surprised to see them eating qufvering
! human flesh. A jungle swamp surrounds
4 the town and in its impenetrable fast
nesses. lay the hordes Of Juan Coloneros.
] We heard. their conch shells blowing by
fday and sawsatheir signal fires by night.
They were wildly elated and even the
! townspeople within cur grasp could hard
/ " conceal the. delight with which the
news from Balangiga. that made our
blood run cold inspired them Unsigned
correspondence was daily intercepted,
4 showing that the people In the town were
Fin league with the insurgents outside,
i and that an attack. from within as we'll
j as. from the, foe In our front was at any
time to be expected.
Night after night the attacks were made
and night after night Captain Bookmiller,
Lieutenant Drouillard and the half-com-