Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-10
Gen. Jake Smiths Dance

0CAs Cah0 SA11tA . OdhtS
I might fill this paper with stories of the
lying schemes Of the Filipinos to entice our
men into ambush. have room for but one.
This relates to Gen. Jake Smith, who made
the cage of railroad irons near Bautista
and filled it with F'ilipinos The insurgents
knew of the bravery of Smith and they
were anxious to capture him. They per-
suaded the presidente of the town to get
up grand ball and have Smith attend, eX
pecting to bolo him on his way home The
daring officer learned of the plot. He went
to the ball and found there fifty guests, in
Guiding the most prominent men and most
beautiful senoritas of the district. He play
ed the violin, for several of the dances and
later on tripped the light fantastic toe with
the prettiest of our brown skinned cousins.
He left the ball about o'clock in the
morning and with his troops captured the
kidnapers and then put them in his railroad
jail
In that same region heard many stories
of the antics of Col Bell and his daring
troops The Filipinos did not know what
to make of them. They were ready to
fight at any odds and under all circum-
stances One of the great surprises was at
the river at Porac. Our troops were pur-
suing the insurgents when they came 10 the
stream. The enemy was not in sight and
the company laying their guns on the bank
stripped to the skin and rushed into the
water for a swim The insurgents, who
were hiding in the bamboos. came forth
and attacked them, whereupon the naked
men rushed out and grabbed their guns
swan the river and made for the f1llpinos,
yelling as though they were demons am
told the brown mep became ashy from
fear. They fled over rice fields ana through
the bamboos followed by our soldiers, who
travelled rapidly, unimpeded by clothes
They did not regard the wire grass ana the
thorns, though they cut deep into their
skins Some of the Filipinos were chased
as much as three miles and the soldiers
came back scratched and bleeding, but with
captives in front of their bayonets
How Cold Water Cured a Liar.
Speaking of Filipino lying, it has been
very common among the nsurrectos when
their guns were demanded. They would
use the weapons one day, and then hide
them in a clump of bamboo or sink them in
a stream and come out and pretend to be
the friends of the Americans. To us all
Fiipinos look the same, and we have again
and again treated our foes as friends to our
sorrow. l remember an instance when
happened near Calumpt. band OF Fill
pinos attacked some of our Macabebes ana
killed most of them. The next day the sol
diers We're sent out to find the dead ana
capture the murderers When they came 10
the spot there was no sign of insurgents ana
the dead had been buried. On the very place
where the fight had been they found
lonely Filipino blowing with water buf-
falo One of the Macabebes who had es-
capped recognized the man and said he was
before. The plowman denied the charge
and claimed that he was ''Mucho Amigo.
The Macabebe insisted. whereupon the
lieutenant commanding the company APP
piled drastic measures. He had the man
taken to a creek nearby. His feet were
strapped together, his hand tied behind his
back and a rope put around his neck. He
was then dropped down into the water
He foated a while by kicking, but soon
sank moment later he was dragged out
and asked where the rifles were hidden. He
pretended ignorance. and was again thrown
into the water. This time he swallowed
about a gallon. but when he was dragged
out he swore he knew nothing. He was
again thrown in and again drawn out,
when his memory came to him. He prom
Used everything to keep dry. He gave the
names of the insurgents. and took our SOL
diers to the very field where he had
been blowing. He showed them where to
dig and they unearthed sixteen rifles and
as many bolos from beneath the very fur
rows which he had been making. The rifles
We're wrapped in banana leaves, and they
lay about foot below the surface. He was
standing upon them when the soldiers
came up.
1 have heard other stories of similar
treatment which resulted in similar sue
cess. One young lieutenant told me that he
had discovered rifles by tying a cord around
the head of the man who knew where they
We're concealed and by means of a stick
twisting it tighter and tighter until the in
surgent gave the information.
He said the Macabebes understood better
than any others how to get the truth out
of Tagalo Their method was to lay the