The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-04-27
The Generals Report on the
Philippines Made Public
In Answer to Considerable Pres
sure from Boston.
HE WAS CONVINCED
That TOrtures We're Practiced
Upon the Natives.
Prisoners Shot and BayOneted
to Death.

Washington. April 27.-The war de-
partment today made public that por-
tion of the report of General Miles
which refers to misconduct of officers
and soldiers in the Philippines. Secre-
tary Root has received several REQUESTS
for this reDort, some ct these requests
being from persons in Boston, who
stated that they understood that it con-
tanned much matter that never had been
brought out in the investigations. Ths
secretary has held that such reports
were confidential in order that the Off
Ger making them might be free to make
such comments as he desired but as ir
was learned that General Miles had
no objection to the publication Of the
report it has been made public with a
brief comment by General Davis, Judge
advocate general. who has charge of ali
matters pertaining to the subjects re-
ferred to in this portion of the report
The statements made by General Miles
are the result of his tour of inspection
in the Philippines last autumn and win-
ter.
General Miles report on his Philippine
observations is dated February 1s, 1903
and is addressed to the secretary OF
war He says that in going %rom
Calamba to Batangas in November last
he noticed that the country appeared
/ devastated and that the people were very
much depressed. Stopping at Lipa he
says a party OF citizens headed by the
! acting presidente met him and stated
that they desired to make complaint OF
harsh treatment of the people OF thau
community, saying they had been con-
ceutrated in towns and had suffered
great indignities, that Is OF their peo-
pie had been tortured by what is known
as the water torture and that one man.
highly respected citizen, aged So years,
named Nincente Luna, while suffering
from the effects of the torture and uA-
conscious. was dragged from bis house,
/ which had been set on FIRE and was
| burned to death. They stated that
these atrocities were committed by
company OF scouts under command OF
Lieutenant Hennessey and that their
people had been crowded into towns
six hundred being confined in one build
ing A doctor Of the party said he was
hundred died from sutfOcatlOn- General
Miles says he looked at the building,
which was one story In height, eighteen
or twenty feet wide and possibly sixty
or seventy feet long He asked for
1 written statement to be forwarded him
| at Manila but says he never received
it and adds; I have no reason TO dis
believe their statements: in fact, the in
stances Of torture in the case OF the
man Luna having been tortured and
burned to death are confirmed by other
reports Concerning the failure to re-
celve the statement. General Miles ayS.
| Whether any influence was brought To
bear to prevent their statement. either
by persuasion or coercion, / am not pre-
pared to say at the present time"
General Miles then refers to other
cases, saying that on the island of Cebu
it was reported and published in Mo-
| Vember 1902, that two officers, Captain
Samuels, Forty-fOurth infantry United
/ States volunteers, and Lieutenant Feet
er, Nineteenth infantry, had committed
similar atrocities against the people Of
that island.
1T is also reported that at Laoag on
| the island of Luzon two natives were
1 whipped to death. At Tacloban, Leytes
| it was reported that Major Glenn or
| dered Lieutenant Caulfield, Philippine
scouts to take eight prisoners out into
| the country and that if they did not
guide him to the camp of the insurgent
1 Quizenz-h he was not to bring them back
1t was stated that the men were taken
out and that they either did not or could
not do as directed One of the men who
had a son among the scouts was spared,
but the others were separated into two
parties, numbering three or four re-
spectively and while tied together were
all murdered by being shot or bayonet-
ed to death, some being in a kneeling
position al that time. The pretense was
made tlat they were killed while at
tempting to escape, but so far as l know
no official report was ever made of the
circumstances. These facts have been
reported by Major Watts. who investi-
CATER the case. Besides Lieutenant
Caulfield. civilian scouts Ramos. Pres
pants.
AT Calbayog. samar. it was reported
that several men in that district had
been subjected to the water torture. /
saw three men who had been subjected
to this treatment One was the presi-
dsnte of the town. Mr. Rozales who
showed me long deep scars on his ru
which he said were caused by the cords
with which he was bound cutting into
his flesh. The second man was named
Jose Borja and the third was Padre Jose
Dfaznes. who stated he was one Of three
priests who had been subjected to tor
ture by the troOis under command of
Lieutenant Gau5ot Tenth cavalry; that
his front teeth had been knocked out.
which was apparent: that he was other
, wise maltreated az a robbed of three
hundred dollars. Ii was stated that
these priests were taken out to be killed
and were only saved by the prompt ac-
tion of Major Darlington. First infantry,
who sent out for them. Lieutenant
! Gaujot was tried, plead guilty and was
given the trivial sentence of three
) months suspension from command. for
, feiting $50 per month for the same
period His pleading guilty prevented
8 all the facts and circumstances being
! developed
+ 1T appears that Major Glenn. Lieu
. tenant Conger and party of assistants
I and native scouts were moved from
place to place for the purpose Of ex-
torting statements by means of torture
and it became 50 notorious that this
& party was called 'Glenn's brigade
Whether Il was possible for officers 10
be engaged ia such acts without the
n whose staff they were serving at the
2 time. namely Brigadier General Hughes.
I leave for others to conjecture.
n These facts came to my notice in
| casual way and many others of similar
d character have been reported in differ