The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1903-05-02

S1Aty -uVe years O1O, WINE Suuor'
ing from the effects of the tor.
ture was dragged from his
house, which had been set afire,
and was burned to death. On
one occasion eight natives held
as prisoners were taken out and
shot while on their knees pray
ing for mercy because they were
unable to direct a company of
scouts to the camp of an inser-
gent leader. This awful murder
of the helpless prisoners was
ordered by Lieutenant Hennes-
sey, but no mention is made of
which he was attached at the
time. No official reports were
made of these outrages, but
General Miles says the facts
were brought to the attention of
the com manding general of the
department in which the atroci-
ties occurred. The report of
General Miles recites numerous
instances of cruelty, and among
them that of native priest who
was robbed of $500 after his
teeth had been knocked out and
otherwise tortured by troops
under the command of Lieuten-
ant Gaujot, of Tenth Calvary.
1t appears that very much of
the report of General Miles is
still held back by the War De-
partment, and none of it would
have ever reached the public had
it not been for demands made
for it by prominent persons in
Boston, who knew that it con-
tanned much matter that had
never been brought out in the
Investigations. In explaining
the reason why the report was
suppressed Secretary Root said
it was customary to regard such
reports as confidential in order
that the officer submitting them
might be free to make such CON-
ments as he desired, but as it
was learned that General Miles
had no objection to the publica-
ton of the report it was made
public' If this be true, why
was not all of the report pub
ished insted of only a portion of
it? However, that part of the re-
port given out most reluctantly
by Secretary Root shows quite
clearly that murder and torture
has been the common practice in
the Philippines. The admin
istratiOn at Washington has done
everything in it's power to pre-
vent the American people from
obtaining a glimpse into the
horrible situation in the islands,
but there is a very true saying
that murder will OUT When
the Senate adopted the reso-
luton of Senator Hoar providing
for a special committee to inves-
tigate the charges of crueltes
and brutality on the part of our
soldiers in the Philippines Sen
atOr HOar was not appointed
chairman of the committee as is
usually done in parliamentary
bodies, but the craftsmanship
went to Senator Lodge, the
friend and odd college chum'
OF President Roosevelt. What
the committee did is now a mat
ter of history. The whole coun-
try knows that the investigation
was most disgusting farce;
that every effort was made to
suppress, and not bring out the
truth. Senator Lodge refused
to summon witnesses whose
names had been submitted to
the com mittee, and witnesses
that were examined were upheld
in their refusal to answer ques-
tions put to them by the Dem
ocratic members of the commit
tee. Senator Hoar, who was
honest in his desire to get at the
truth of the conditions in the
Philippines, was thus bafhed by
his Massachusetts, colleague. In
a very few days the country
realized that the Senate had ar
ranged for a committee of sup
preston, and not for commit
tee of investigation. But the
trnfh iS cnninr ont at last and