Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-08
Fe5rne 1En1R1g5 In Gnr DuKNa Rkwe 7EDom

he was on duty on the Pacific coast for
a short while. but the call of the east be-
came insistent. and within a year and
four months, at his own request. he was
returned to duty in the Philippines.
Arriving there early in 1903, he was
placed i'm command of an infantry COM
pany ordered for service in Mindanao.
His company took part in the operations
against Datto Ali, in the Cottabato val
ley Later Maj. Gen. Wood organized
provisional companies in all the regi-
ments in his command men especially
selected for their soldierly qualities. He
selected the officers himself, and Lieut..
Rowland was designated for duty with
the sd Infantry, Provisional Comps ny.
Datto Ali was marvelously cunning
old chief who kept Uncle Sans boys
very busy for about two years. His
people, like himself were Mohamme-
dams. so that from their standpoint
the war was holy one. This added to
the troubles of the troops endeavoring
to soothe the angry passions of Datto
Alis very competent fighting men, be-
cause the Priests went up and down all
through the island and preached the holy
war against the white men. They as
sured the population that it was neces-
sary for their salvation that they go out
and bag few of the unbelevers. Also
that all the Mohammedans fighting in this
holy war would be immune from the bull
let's of the foe. so that they put the strug-
with d free ticket to the paradise of the
Koran thrown in. after Kidding the soil
of Mindanao of the intruders.
The result of the priests agitation nat
urallv was that the enemy, convinced of
the truth Of what had been told them.
in addition to their own. by no means
contemptible. yalor. displayed in every
tight the desperate courage of fanaticism.
1t was trifie discouraging to the Ameri-
can soldiers to find that the Moros alb
w
had accumulated in their midst not one
but several, bullets, but still came on and
not infrequently got close enough to do
damage with their bolos when by all the
rules of war they should have lain down
to die score of yards outside the lines.
Even when the Moros found out by the
violent deaths of their relatives and
friends under their eyes that the priests
information about the invulnerability was
trifle inaccurate. the priests squared 1t
by telling them that death by the I'M
believers bullets entitled the recipient to
Immediate admission to paradise.
An Important Crisis
Thus for two years Lieut. Rowland led
his men, fighting almost continually with
the Moros. and was rewarded by Gen
Wood by an appointment as captain, Phil
ippne Scouts. Finally in 1905 Capt. Frank
Mccoy of the cavalry and Capt How
land. operating from different bases, man
aged to run the willy old datto down In
the ensuing fight Capt Mccoy sent Datto
Ali to play with the Peris. and Capt
Rowland performed Il similar Office for
Ais chief lieutenant. That about ended
things in the Cottab ato valley. as the
rest of the Moros decided they might as
well he good before they We're dead as
afterward.
1t was about that time that the present
battalion organization of tine Philippine
Scouts was perfected. Gen. Smith, later
governor general was one of the first Of
ficers TO believe in the possibility of the
native an aid in putting down the dis
affected natives and in bringing in the Ia
drones. and he organized some of the first
companies of native scouts. The original
companies were MacabebeS, and they
demonstrated their usefulness to the
American cause so thoroughly that scout
companies were organized from almost