The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-10
IS AMERICANS;
600 WILD M0R0S
KILLED IN JOL0
Continued from First Page)


resentatives, though at the same time the
cipher experts of the war department
were busily engaged in trying to unravel
a long report which had come direct from
Manila by cable. This message was from
Colonel Andrews. the military secretary
at army headquarters at Manila, who had
received his data by inter-island cable
from Zamboanga, where the commander
in chief of the Philippine division, Maj.
Gen Leonard Wood, happened to be.
Taft Hears the News.
Secretary Taft was at cabinet meeting
when the official cablegram was finally
deciphered and q copy of 1t was sent
at once to the executive officers, and the
President and members of the cabinet
listened with keenest interest to its read
ing by Secretary Taft. After his return
to the war department, Secretary Ta1t
commenting upon the engagement, SAID
General Wood appears to have been
there by accident, or rather without any
idea of what was going to happen had
a cablegram from him saying there were
some matters calling him into the SOUTH
ern islands, but he would not be out or
reach of the cable, and | suppose when
he got there he found the trouble on
This data relative to General Woods
movements was produced by the Secretary
in response to a suggestion that possibly
General Wood may have gone TO Jolo
with the intention of organizing a pum-
tive expedition against the Moros In the
mountain Businesses who had held out
for the past two years against the Amer
lean forces. The Secretary said:
Various Tribes at War.
Mount Dajo referred to in the dispatch,
o1nn h{nIa The Joln arr6i-
pelago is inhabited by two races Of peo-
pie, the Jolo and the Ssrna, the former
a Malay people, long inhabiting the Jolo
islands, who had been proselyted to Mo-
hamnedanism. The sultan lives in ma
tive town near the city OF Jolo, and is
the nominal head of all Moros there, and
in Mindanao. The latter recognize him,
however, only at their convenience, when
Ii suits their purposes. Two or three dat
tos have always resisted the sultan's
claims and there has always been
state of war between them. With three
warning factions in the islands, the
jealousy of the support OF the Americans
for one side Is quite enough to keep them
In a constant state of turbulence and
fightlng l suppose one of the factions
thought 1t had got together men enough,
and that they were absolutely Immune so
they were just cleaned out. BY the way.
it Is worth noting that the .constabulary
which Is highly praised In General Woods
dispatch for its work, was in that sec
ton made up of Moros themselves. 1t
has never been difficult TO enlist them in
our service to fight against their own
people when called upon, probably ow-
ing to the number Of factions In the is
lands In this particular case, the heavy
mortality among the Moros engaged.
would probably be explained by their
method OF lighting. The Moros ON the
appearance of an enemy sound the alarm
and gather everybody inside their forts.
where they Will fight to the end. Prob
ably the loss In this case was caused by
the ire OF the soldiers artillery. The blue
Jackets were probably called upon TO as
slst In getting this artillery up the steep