Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1903-04-30
REPORT OF MILES
MANY ATROCITIES Inflicted ON
ElLIPlNOS.
Complaint Made Of Concentration
Camps. the Water Cure, and in
One Case of the Burning to
Death OF An Old Man. ..SOme of
the Instances.

Washington, April 27.-The war de-
partment has made public that portion
of the report of General Miles which
refers to misconduct of officers and SOL
diers in the Philippines.
Secretary Root has received several
requests for this report. some of them
from persons in Boston, who stated
that it contains much matter that had
never been brought out in the invasti-
cations. The secretary has held that
such reports were confidential in order
that the officer making them might be
free to make such comments as he de-
sired, but as it was learned that Gen
eral Miles had no objection to the pub
LEGATION of the report it has been made
public with brief comment bv Gen.
eral Davis, judge advocate general. who
has charge of all the matters pertain
ing to the subjects referred to in this
portion of the report The statements
made In the report are the result of
General Miles tour OF inspection in the
Philippines last autumn and winter.
The report is dated February 10, 1903,
and is addressed to the secretary of war.
He says that in going from Calamba
to Batangas in November last he no.
ticed that the country appeared devas-
tated and that the people were very
much depressed.
Atrocities Alleged.
Stopping at lipa he says that par
ty OF citizens, beaded by the acting
presideEte, met him and stated that
they desired to make complaint Of.
harsh treatment Of the people of that
community, saying that they had been
concentrated in towns and had suffered
great indignities, that fifteen of their
people had been tortured by what is
known as the water cure, and that one
man, highly respected, aged IS wears,
named Nincente Luna, while suffering
from the effects OF the torture and
while unconscious, was dragged from
his house, which had been burned, and
was burned to death" They stated
that some of these atrocities were COM
mitted by company of scouts under
the command of Lieutenant Hennessy,
and that their people had been crowded
into towns. six hundred being confined
in one building.
a doctor of the party said that he
was ready to testify that some of the
six hundred died from suffocation.
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 written statement to be
forwarded him at Manila, but says he
never received it, and adds:
81 have no reason to disbelieve their
statements; in fact the instances OF
torture in the case of the man Lama
having been tortured and burned to
daeth are confirmed by other reports"
Coercion lntimated.
Concerning the failure to receive the
report, Gen. Miles says:
Whether any influence was brought
to bear to prevent their statement,
either by persuation or coercion, am
not prepared to say at the present
time
General Miles then refers to other
cases, stating that on the island of Ce-
bu it was reported and published in
November /, 902, THAT two officers
Captain Samuels, Forty-fourth Infan-
try. U. $. ", and Lieutenant Feeter,
Eighteenth 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
whipped to death. At Tacloban, Leyte,
it was reported that Major Glenn or
dered Lieutenant Caulfeld, Philippine
scouts, to take eight pi isoners out into
the country, and that if they did not
guide him to the camp Of the insufgent
Quizen he was not to bring them back.
lit was stated thst the men were
taken out and that they either did not
or could not do as directed. One of
the men, who had son among the
scouts, was spared, hut the others were
separated into two parties, numbering
three and four respectively, and while
tied together were all murdered by be.
ing shot or bayoneted to death, some
being in kneeling position at the
time. The pretense was made that
they we're killed while attempting TO
escape, hut 81 far as know no official
report was ever made of the circum.
stance.
"These facts were reported by Major
Watts, who investigated the case. Be-
sides Lieutenant Caulfiield, Civilian
Scouts Ramos, Preston, Corn and Nc
Keen were participants"
FIRST TRAIN GOES OVER.