The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1912-03-13
THE PHILIPPINE
CONSTABULARY
A Life Of Adventure and a
School of Heroism

(GoverEor-Genera1 w. Cameron Forbes
in Harvard Graduates Magazine.)
The Constabulary is another field
which appeals to certain natures.
The work is totally different, both in
kind and in scope, from that of the
engineer or Of the lawyer or of the
servant Of the people in a clerical
position. It involves coming as
third lieutenant, taking a position in
a semi-military blishment, and af-
ter few months training in the Con-
stabulary School, in which the manual
drill and laws, the art of handling
the weapons, and some knowledge Of
the logical language is taught, the
Constabulary man goes out in to the
provinces with handful of natives,
where he is supposed to maintain or
der. To those who have read Kip
ling's, stories of Strickland, Chinn and
others in India, the possibilities of the
Constabulary officers life will appeal
very strongly. The post is not for
those who love fesh-pots or who are
dependent On social opportunities.
They are usually stationed away out
in the provinces, sometimes among
savages, distant from their kind, and
without opportunity to see their
friends sometimes for weeks at a time.
A man must have a good deal Of nat
ural resource to be able to live such
life and find happiness in it.
Still, men do. and make splendid
careers of it. The life is not without
it's spice of danger. There are rivers
to cross in flood times; there are
journeys to make in pursuit of hostile
bands, sometimes into the mountains;
there are difficulties to undergo; and.
were the story of the Constabulary
to. be told by some master pen, the
reading of it would cause many peo-
pie to sit up into the long hours of
the night through reluctance to lose
a minute of the thrilling sensations
which come from hearing of hair
breadth exploits and exhibitions Of
courage, of sacrifice and of endur-
ance. There would be the story OF
Major Fletcher, of Mindoro, set upon
by bandits one night when alone, who
oncoming men and then drew his re-
volver, which he emptied and though
wounded with a bolo, he then unslung
his rife, which he used to such purpose
that the cull-cart sent for the bodies
came back with nine dead, who were
slain in a row on the plaza This is
the same man who climbed up onto
boat in which a mutiny was going
on and single-handed quelled the mu-
tiny and turned over the control to
the ships officers, for which he was
rewarded by thanks from the King of
Spain, as the ship was owned by
.Spaniards and it was they that he was
assisting.
The tale would tell of Crockett, rush
ed by bolomen in Samar, who fell
wounded under the bodies of the as
sailants who were shot down as they
came at him 1t would tell Of Call
man, who rules with a rod of iron
12O 900 savages whom nobody before
had ever been able to deal with or
being under control, whose least word
is now their law, and who has turned
them from the suicidel practice of in
tertribal war into that of road-build-
ing, agricultural, discriminating, and
other peaceful pursuits. which have
resulted in a new development and
new life for the wild mountain section
in the interior of Luzon. Up to ms
time this was a terror to travellers
and so proved to Aguinaldo in his re-
treat from the American forces when
the Ifugao savages robbed his camp
and killed his men, 1t would tell OF
Taylor, now colonel of Constabuiary
and still in his thirties, who was des-
perately wounded when leading his
men against fanatical outlaws in Sa-
mar and only just saved by the Ell
forts of his own men, themselves Fill
pinos, in bringing him out. 1t would
tell of Borseth, unfortunately now
dead, who got his election as COVER
nor of the province of Leyte by the
ballots of Filipinos as against the Fill
ipino candidates, and who ruled so
wisely and we'll that he was loved by
Filipinos throughout his province. His
death from disease contracted in the
line of duty has left a great gap in the
Constabulary forces.
So I could ramble on, but it is hard
Iy fair to mention names in this con-
nection. The army officers who nave
had executive control of the Constap-
ularv have shown conspicuous ability
and public spirit and have written
their names large in the pages OF Phil
ippine history. General Allen, VINO
first organized the Constabulary, ana
General Brandholtz; who has carried
it on, are alike deserving of mention.