Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-12
The PHILIPPINES.
xxIx.-AguinaIdo's Insur-
recti0n.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

Gen. Merritt went so far as to appoint
a commission to meet a similar body
appointed by Aguinaldo to confer with
regard to the situation Of affairs and to
arrive at mutual understanding of
the intent, purposes. aims and desires of
the Filipino people and Of the people of
the United States" Six sessions were
held. the last January 20. 1899, six days
before the outbreak OF open hostilities.
Members Of the conference sent by
Aguinaldo were either unable or unwill-
ing to do anything definite. At the close
of the last session they were again as
sured by the Americans that no form of
hostility would be begun by them.
BY this time the insurgents had TO-
900 militia in the very heart of the CAPT.
tai city of Manila itself. They were
there under American protection, yet
they were armed with bolos, shotguns
and rifles. The notorious Pho del Pillar
was in command. He schemed with rebel
leaders without the city by day and
plotted with his own lieutenants within
agreed that the rebels should rise the
instant that rockets were sent up. This
was expected at any moment in view of
their studied policy of personal abuse
soldiers and officers.
The Americans. obeying strict orders.
did not return physical retaliation for
the rude
Filipinos Led to Believe jostling
Americans Were towards. a w we = =
that harassed them day after day. both
inside and outside the city. The Fill
ipinos then concluded that the Ameri-
cans were towards and could be easily
defeated. Open assaults on members of
the Nebraska volunteer regiment. which
was then in camp on the east line of
Santa Mesa on the outskirts Of Manila,
and attempts to push back our outposts
at the San Juan bridge. which divides
the city OF Manila from the province Of
RIAL were common occurrences right
up to the opening battle the night OF
February 4. A Filipino lieutenant had
been in the habit of threatening the
was No. 2. On this particular night he
approached In the darkness with detail
Of six TX. men EN- Private ni Grayson. Company
duty there. The native party continued
to advance despite repeated challenges
Grayson then fired. killing the lieuten-
ant That shot started the insular war.
The FIlipinos sent rockets aioft at once,
the other pickets of the American out
post No. fired volley, which was re-
turned by the natives on the other side
of the San Juan river. Firing then be-
came general, all along the line. This
fusillade continued until midnight. and
there were a number Of skirmishes There
was lull until 4 am, when the Fill
pinos again began firing, extending their
line of fire until 1t encircled Manila. This
fire was returned. supplemented at last
by concerted advance movement which
drove the rebels back several miles to
Caloocan and other points. The Ameri-
can loss was not heavy. but the Filipinos
suffered casualties of several hundred in
dead and wounded. Two days later
word was received that the United States
Senate had finally ratified the treaty OF
Paris which formally turned the islands
over to the United States for the sum of
sO.OoOOOO United States currency.
The next movement came the night OF
February 90, when 800 insurgents in
a n