Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-20
AMERICA i'm THE PHILIPPINES
XX-The Native COnstabmlary
By Frederic il Haskin

ent the highest rank attained by an
enlisted man is sergeant major Sur
geons appointed at S1400 year. have
always been too few. AT one time
twenty-seven companies operating at
widely distant points between which
transportation facilities were poor de-
pended upon three surgeons. After a
desperate fight with outlaws several
years ago, wounded men were forced
to wait a week before the services of
a surgeon were available.
Handicapped by disadvantages In
point of numbers and equipment, the
constabulary during its busiest years
had adventures in the field stranger
than fiction and more romantic than
romance. D'Artagnan never had an
experience more remarkable than that
of Inspector Fletcher, who was In
charge of a small garrison at Virac in
the province of Albay, when the crew
of the steamer DOS Hermanos mutt
MED, murdered the chief engineer and
steward and wounded the second en-
gneer and a passenger. When Inspec-
tor Fletcher with Acting Corporal
panalosa and Second-class Private
Nolla arrived the vessel was putting
orr to sea in charge of the mutineers.
The three men reached the vessel in
a small boat, boarded her, engaged the
mutineers hand to hand, killed three,
wounded five, drove two into the sea
and arrested thirty-fve.
In Samar a band of pulajanes agreed
to surrender to the constabulary. Head
ed by the notorious Nasairo Aguilar,
130 outlaws, armed with rifles and bolos,
marched to the station where fifty
members of the Jnstabulary occupied
a cuartel. Captain Ralph Jones no
ticed suspicious movement upon the
part of Aguilar and was attempting to
quietly reach the cuartel when Aguilar
gave the order to attack. During the
hand to hand fight that ensued forty
three pulajanes were killed and when
the victory was won by the constabu-
larry only seven of the fifty were in
fighting condition. Twenty-Five were
dead and seven seriously wounded.
Captain Jones he'd fought through the
! battle with ragged spear wound in
his breast. These two encounters,
which resulted in valor medals being
struck for a number Of Filipinos as
well as for the American officers are
| representative engagements rather
than exceptional ones. The history OF
the Constabulary has been punctuated
with others of this kind.
General Bandholtz has had an ex-
Ceptional career that makes him logl-
cal officer in so picturesque an organiza-
! tion. He came to the Philippines in
| 1900 as a captain in the second infan-
try. At the close of the hostilities in
Martinique Captain Brandholtz, with
one other officer, went into the camp
Of the insurgent Colonel Maxine Abad
and secured promise of his surrender
When civil government was established
in Marinduque the people unanimously
| requested that he be appointed gov
ernor, but he was needed elsewhere
After Captain Bandholtz had secures
the surrep1er of Colonel Marinao Cas-
| tillo with 200 guns, in Tayabas prov
| ince, the people elected him governor.
He accepted this office and was so sue
cessful in suppressing brigandage in the
province, to which had been added
Marinduque, Infanta and Principe. that
Governor General Taft recommended
him as colonel and assistant chief OF
the Philippine constabulary. After he
was put In charge Of the constabulary
General Bandholtz proved by brilliant
services that Governor General Taft's
judgment was not at fault.
Not only as general officer, but
also as a man willing to take chances
with the men in the ranks, General
Bandholtz won the warm commendation
of the Amf1erican residents of the Phil
ippines and the respect of both outlaws
and members of the constabulary.
on one occasion he entered, with a
single guide, the camp of Antonio
Loamo, who was "out" with 100 bolo-
men and forty rifles, and told him that
the time limit for his surrender was up,
and that operations would begin If he
did not come in" The next day Loamo
surrendered.
Although the constabulary now rules
by reason of the fear which it inspires
in the breast of the native outlaws,
1t won its spurs by hard fighting
against tremendous odds. The Fill
pino constables in eight years have
brought from practical savagery to
high state of individual civilization.
they have been trained and disciplined
to a severe standard, they have fought
hard against their own people in the
interest of order, and they are entitled
to the reward of the confidence and
appreciation of all Americans under
the flag.
Tomorrow-In Modern China; 1.-The Great
World Problem.