Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-10
Defenders Of the Fort Disdsined to
Flee.
ARE NOT LIKE THE FILIPINos
Believed That the Heavy Blow Struck
Will Have q Deterrent Effect ON
Those Disposed to Rebellion.

the battle Of Mount Dajo is discussed I'm
omcial circles with intense interest.
commenting on the engagement secretary
Taft said:
zen. Wood appears to have been there
oy accident. or rather without any Idea OF
what was going to happen. / had a cable
gram from him. saying there were some
natters calling him into the southern is
lands. but he would not be out of reach OF
the cable, and suppose when he got there
ne round the trouble on. Gen. Bliss who
as commander of the Department of Min.
danao. exercised military Jurisdiction over
tne Jolo group. was probably already nj
@ampoango when Gen. Wood arrived there
on mis- trip of inspection"
The Information relative to Gem yoo,.,
g., re,nenls was produced by the Secretar,-
n response to a suggestion thai noss1s,
Ten Wood may have gone "a Iolo ,,,,S ~
ntehtion OF organizing a punitive exnast
~ LII sainst the moros in tine mountain fasf
. .esses VINO had held out for the mas,
Two years against the Amerfcan Co.,. NJ.
secretary said that he had mada -, ~
70 uoio. the last during his visit 10 r.
hiilppines last summer Rafro.t,as 49,.
-. , by some of the official figure
The Island of Jolo.
ne island OF Jolo is three hundred and
'"ehty-six miles square miles In are, ,.-I,I,
q population of forty-four Thousand ,.,,o,
hundred and eighteen people and a sans,,,,
Oh one hundred and eighty-seyen tnbah,
'aits per square mile In ,hs uboI.
Ssonahdancia OF Jolo there were only ,wa,,o
rso and seventy civilized as comnar.S
with nifty thousand one hundre5 III paIeo
zen WIG inhabitants. Jolo is the 49,,
Important Island Of the archinela oo =, 80
sly Se,r rsns southwest OF Zamboango, in
siA uesfees north latitude. The SURFACE a.
covered with hills which in a g. 80 20
such as Bahu, twenty-elght hundred and
zen rect; Butpila, twenty-seyen bnnSraS
w.. .N.i nine feet and Tamalonguis.
10 the dignity of mountains Mount Daa"
reierred TO In the dispatch, was prohabI,
nor mentioned In the same connection with
these mountains because n uras "1
twenty-one hundred feet high rs 1 my
archipelago is inhabited by two races oS
peopie,-the Jolo and the Sisms tho for,,sr
q q, Malay people long inhabiting the JoIo
Islands, who had been proselyted 10 NJ
ma mmedanism. The sultan lives In a no
i've town near the city OF Jolo. and Is The
nominal head OF all Moros there ana ~
hIhoahao. The latter recognize HIM how
ever only at their convenience; when II
suits their purposes. Two or three daftos
nave always resisted the sulutans claims
ana there has always been state of war
neeween them. The sultans control over
them therefore is quite limited, and with
two or three warning factions in the islands
the jealousy of the support of the Ameri.
cans for one side is quite enough 10 keep
Lhem IN constant state of turbulence and
nghtlng. ! suppose one of the factions
thought 1t had gotten together men enough
ana that they were absolutely immune SO
they were just cleaned out.
Constabulary Were Moros.
BY the way. 1t is worth noting that the
constabulary, which is highly praised in
Gen. Woods dispatch for its work. was in
that section made up of Moros themselves.
1t has never been difficult to enlist them In
our service to fight against their own peo-
pie when called UP. probably owing to the
number of factions in the islands In this
particular case the heavy mortality among
the Moros engaged would probably be ex-
planned by their method of fighting II
would have been impossible to have in
ficted the same loss on the northern FIJI
pinos, The latter have a way OF disappear
ing before the troops in the interstices OF
the 5ungles and conducting their guerrilla
warfare. But the Moros on the appearance
OF an enemy sound the alarm and gather
everybody inside their forts. where they
VIII fight to the end. Probably the loss In
this case was caused by the fire OF the SOL
diers' artillery. The bluejackets were prob
ably called upon to assist in getting this
artillery UP the steep heights of the noun
tain because of their knowledge OF blocks
and tackle.
mo. l have not the least fear that this
movement will extend to the other Islands,
and. in fact. / think that the heavy blow
struck the Moros viii have a strongly
deterrent effect upon them"
Capt. Langhorne's Report.
Coincident with the cablegram announcing
a battle near Jolo the War Department has
received the second annual report of Capt
George T. Langhorne 18th Cavalry, gov
ernor OF the Sulu group. and his statements
show that such a fight as that of yesterday
was not unexpected.
In his report he gives incident after In
cident wherein datto has sworn aiiegi-
ance only to turn around and commit some
on life or property. He says
that they have repeatedly fired upon par
ties of surveyors, upon scouting parties OF
and even upon regular troops
without provocation. Their hatred seems
TO be without end and without reason. One
Inami, who ran amuck as the reports puts
1t, and was cut down by the soldiers, was
taken to the hospital to have his wounds
dressed. AS he lay on the operating table
and his bonds were loosed. he summoned all
of his remaining strength to throw his
heavy silver betel box at the surgeons, and
fell back dead.
American force because their soothsayers
had promised them forty years extra lease
of life for 1t.
Credit Given to Col. Duncan.
Although Gen. Wood who now is In corG-
aand of the entire Philippines division, was
present with Brig. Gen. Bliss during the
lighting he gives entire credit for the com
mand of the American forces to Col Joseph
Fl. Duncan, commanding the 9th Infantry
It is believed at the War Department that
Gems. Wood and Bliss were simply present
Is spectators. as Gen. Wood, in his dispatch,
takes occasion to state positively that Col
Duncan commanded.
Col Duncan OF the 9th Infantry was born
On June g. 1853. and entered the army from
Missouri October 10, 1873, when he &C
.epted a commission as second lieutenant
of the 21st Infantry. In May. 1873 he be-
came first lieutenant and reached his cap
.aAncy April "a. 1885. On March 2, 1892 he
was made major OF the 18th Infantry ana
became lieutenant colonel OF that regiment
October 10, 1901. On August o, 1903 ne was
TO the rank of colonel and placed
n command OF ths 9th Infantry
The 9Th Infantry went to the Philippines
about year ago from Fort Leavenworth
rhe last advices received at the War De-
showed that the following troops
we're at Jolo: Companies and L, 4th Cav
Try; the 28th Battery Of field artillery and
Companies i. X. L and NJ OF the 20th In
anfry. but these last companies are under
stood TO have been relieved in January by
Ia from. IA 2, INF .,~,a., tl,a