Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-24

named Mantaion and Feiixado. who were
engaged In the same business in Spanish
times. have a band of twelve or fifteen
living on plumber and blackmail.
In the province of Isabella there Is a
similar band. about thirty strong. called
Tumanes. who live In the mountains have
ground. Between crops they raid the neigh
boring towns and plantations and commit
highway robbery. A few weeks ago they
attacked village called Nabillian. killed
the magistrates wife. kidnapped his niece,
killed one Of the constabulary. who at
tempted to defend her. and looted the prin.
cipai houses of the town.
Roofing Out the Brigands.
In Aibay. where the big hemp plantations
are. was formerly a desperate and danger
Gus band of twenty or more robbers, who
Tor hfteen years seriously interfered with
the prosperity of the province and have
cost the hemp planters several millions of
dollars In crops burned. in the destruction
OF houses and warehouses. by the inter-
ference with labor and by blackmail and
looting. Their plan was to seize a rich
planter and hold him for ransom. II their
demands We're not compiled with promptly
they would burn the hemp In his fields IL
that did not bring the money they would
set fire to the buildings on his plantation
ana ui n destroy the entire property
Then they would divide the plumber scatter
and disappear until the police abandoned
the search for them. This gang however,
mas practically been exterminated. dozen
or more have been sentenced to death and
an even larger number to imprisonment for
life. and the remainder have subsidized and
have not been heard from lately. No case
thus far.
In the southern islands are similar bands
OF cattle thieves, robbers and highwaymen
but they are not as numerous as In the
k1x aoff IaI
try;
None of these bands are political, al
though they frequently represent them
selves to be 'insurrectos," and often utter
the war cry of Aguinaldo's army when they
RAID town. Colonel Scott, chief of the
constabulary. tells me that altogether the
iaorones can muster about q hundred gums
that naif or them are the descend ants of
criminals who were engaged in the same
business In Spanish times. and the remain
der are fugftives from justice and adven-
turers VINO served with Aguinaldo's army,
ana became SO demoralixed that they have
never been able to settle down tn nea cesrl
occupations.
Gen. Pho del Pillar.
The most conspicuous and picturesque of
the latter class is Major General Pho del
Pilar. a precocious youth, who was one of
Asuinaldo's earliest supporters and COM
mander OF division In his army. He has
remarkable record. Ten years ago he
was stable boy in one of the uyeries of
Manila, where he fell in with a gang Of
horse and cattle thieves and acted as their
spy and go-between until discovered. when
ne joined his employers in the jungies
When the fnsurrecton OF 1895 broke out
the gang of robbers to which he belonged
Joined their fortunes with the 'insurrectos''
and Pillar obtained a small command He
was promoted with astonishing rapidity un-
I'll ne became general and one of the chief
commanders of the insurrectionary army.
And those who know his career say that he
has extraordinary talent in some directions,
although entirely without education and an
able to read or write.
After the surrender he was deported to
Guam with the rest of the insurgent Lead
ers where he started gambling house i'm
mediately after his arrival 1t was the ia
vorite place of resort of the exiles. When
the civil government was organized and a
proclamation of amnesty was made. July
1. 1902. Pillar accepted the terms, returned
to Manila, and opened a gambling house
and cock pit, which he has been running in
defiance of the police until a few weeks
ago, when the constabulary captured a lot
of documents which incriminated him In q
political conspiracy. At least. he seems to
have feared so, for he fed from the city
and his present whereabouts are unknown.
He is supposed to have returned to his for
mer occupation of cattle thief and robber.