The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-03-21
REPORT OF
MASSACRE
OFFICER in COMMAND TELLS
HOW TROUBLE STARTED
Moros Were Looking For Trouble and
Ootit A Gift Of j Dog Nearly Pres
vented the Battle Bravery of. Amer
lean Soldiers.

lean Soldiers.
Washington, March 2I Major Scott
has made complete report Of the bat
tie with the Moros. The text of the,
report follows III n. n. 8. .s5.
The recent trouble in Jolo5 had its
beginning over a year ago. when a Suit
Moro BY the name Of Pala ran alnack.
iii La FIud, Bato. British North Borneo,
and escaped after killing and Woundingi
26 persons. He returned to his Gotta
on the south side of the Sulu islands,.
about IS miles from Jolo. It was not
to be tolerated that the citizens Of al
friendly power should thus be murdered.
by savages under American jurisdiction
and an attempt was made to arrest;
Pala by surprise. His. Gotta was taken
and destroyed, but he escaped. He had
many synpathizers, relatives and friends
in various parts of the island among
others the people settled about, Mount
Dajo, who fired upon the American
troops and deprecated upon friendly
!. Moros in the neighborhood. General
Wood came down with troops from
Mindanao lthe I7th infantry was about
to leave for the United States and had
become depleted in numbers) to SUR.
round Paia's jungle and arrest him, He.
was fired upon on the way to Pala's
jungle iii the Tanlbang pass by the Moro
people. One soldier and several Moros
were killed. Many Moros then ran up.
on Mount Dajo and began terrifying.
The troops went on, fought Pala, who
would not surrender, and killed him.
They went on to Tando Loos, where was
another band of some syInpatiizers; who
had been depredating upon friendly
Moros, who were fortified in a crater
about IS miles from Jolo. BY means of
an old Moro. who was captured ON the
way, the chief of this band was i'm
duced to surrender without a fight Gem.
eral Wood with the troops spent the
greater part of the day, far from water, J,
under a tropical sun waiting with the
utmost patience on the dilatory tactics
of the savages, in order TO accomplish
the suhjugation of this band without
bloodshed.
Upon the return of General Wood
to Jolo, it was considered that the ring
leaders were dead and the Moros had
been punished enough and the expedi-
>tions disbanded. lit was soon discovered
that Dajo fugitiyes from the Tarnbang
fight were on Mount Daio. They put
in a crop Of rice and sweet potatoes
inside the crater and had plenty Of water
there all the year round. They said
they did not want to fight and only
wished to cultivate and reap their crops.
A demonstration was made on the dat,
tbs Joakaa and Kalbi, for the guns of
the ringleaders which were surrendered,
and they were told to come down and
settle below, but could cultivate their,
crop above SO as not to lose all their
food They promised to- refrain from
.depredating upon anybody and to pre-
vent thieves from using the mountain
as a stronghold. Dattos Joakana and
4 sKalbi (from whom the Dajo people had
sr,in away kept them from depredating
during the summer and fall. "A day or
SO before Thanksgiving A went, to-
}Zamboanga, a hundred miles north and
returned about Dec. 7, 81 found that
during my absence some Moro had told
the Dajo people that the government
would attack them at daylight on Nov.
so. They ran to the top of the fliouii-
tain, sounded their gongs all night and
made ready for the attack. They con-
sidered that a state of war was on and
reported that 40 armed Moross were go-
ing about at night to take property from,
friendly Moros Several buffalos had
been taken when arrived Pressure