ATROCITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 10973, 12 June 1903, Page 5

ATROCITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES.

Torture Customary* Water Cure Applied to Filipino ' ' ' ' Priest. ' ' - Washington, April 27. — General Miles.' criticism of atfairs in the Philippines,, and especially his observations on atrocities by axmy officers on the matter o{ water jeure, i whippings and devastotioti.a of ! have been made public by the Wat ,D,»» partment, but the detriment took care to* make' public also "what- it regards ,aa conclusive replies to the Qetie*ai-<rom- • manding the army. The policy of dflapartment may therefore be.r regarde4^- iifyced in the respect that it will not order 'investigaUons except. in its own V9J.ifk^\,ii. k „. TH E CENEERAL^ B-KBORT. \.% ~ . , „t- J Grenej'al Miles' report on his' Philippinje .observations is dated .February 19^ W% ■/'-' and is addressed to the Secretary ' of - 7 W t ai*- - 7>7 > 3^[e say's that iv going from Calairfbft.Ttp Batangas in November last he noticed that the country appeared devastated afid that the people were very much . dfejpreg^ea. Stopping, at Lipa he says a; party Si citizens, heided 15/ the acting President^' met him and stated that they desired, tb; make complaint of harsh treatment of the people - of that community, saying .that they-hftd been .concentrated in tqw*ns an,d K haa suffered groa^ indignities, ,"ths,t. fifteen of their people had .been tortured-' tjy what-ia known aa the water torture. &nd tMfTJJre man, a, highly respected citizen, a^ed > years, named Vicente -Luna, while 'suffering from the effects of the torture and Unconscious, was dragged from -'his., oolite, which had been' set on fire', and . waf burned to death: " They stated that tKese atrocities wfere committed by »' compKny of scouts. under command of Lieutenant Hennessey, and that their people >h«d beeii ■ crowded into- towns, six' hundred", being confined in one building." • A doctor of the party said he was ready to testify thfti some of- the six hundred' died frdto-.infe-cation. General Hifea says 'he' " ldoked?.«fe the .building, which' was. one - storeys iA height, eighteen or twenty fe©^> lc»ni^- *'H» asked for a -written statement, to be frtt> warded to > him' at .Maoila r i^buti' v saja'--h6 never received it,- and add*,t_' *;•>■• •\ u " 11 ' t , INSTANCES OF. TaRTDRE,' .). ■' ■ "I have no reason 'to disbelieve, their statementerinfact, the inßttfncdßiSf~tt>tture and the case of the man, Luna, having been tortured, and BuriM \b .. death ;.^« confirmed by other xepbrtS.f " , ' Concerning" ihe failure to, receive^il^ statement, General Miles says: "Whe^ter any^inflTiejiCe was brought- tp. bear ttteir" statement, either, ijy persyj|2jqn or r coej?cion, ' I . am not prepared to BSfcai the pres^it time."* '" / '\ - ' "■ ' ' • ' General Miles then refers to other^cajrt*^ saying. that x>n the island ,'of Ce'bti «;"%{» reported '■ and published itx Noyejaheri 190?, "that two officers, .'Captain: SamnWii! F6r|y^f o^trth : .TjifantrV,* United. States'.lMl nn^eerV- and LieUt. Foster, Eighteenth iXii* fantry, had. committed, similar ktrqcittti against jf-e people of. that island.'], Xtf^l also reported 'at Lajjag; .on the. Miw of . ifyiEon, two "natives were wtoppe^^^o death. At Taclob.an f Leyte'j it wa», reporte^ thatl' Major Cijenn , ordered . Lie^tetfitfi Caut^eld,. Philippine Scput^ to'talte ««$ prisoners .out' in,to. the country, ,-^Ut if they not. guide, him to the canfpof the insurgent, Quizen, he was' not^o'.bffil'B them :back. It waa. stated thai the ta©§ ' were .taken qp.t'.and that, thfly ; eith|er, ifiq not or cptild not,,do .as directed^\ Qnej^if the men who h,ad^ a Son" among the^BjWWcs wa* dpa?ed;*b<it the bt^ert' were" lipp^rii^ ' into two- Ipatties, ; numbering : tbr*^?fkd four respectively, -and y^hilevtied t.ofeetaer were' all baydnet^d to de*ith*,,f«onie beiatf (n' : krteeHnsr' positidn at 4 'til4f*"tiinfeL THe pf^tenae wa« .made th*«(|VtWT Vere'kiflitt "while;- attempting ■to feßckpe; but -mi air ''& I know no official^renort yaa ever made of the circumstance. These' fact" have beea repotted- by- Major WKtts,; who "inveati«?at«sd the case. Beetles Lieutenant Strtitfield. civilian ecouts Bamoß, Preston, Corn, and McKeon were participants.. PRIESTS yOBTIJRED. At Claybayog, Samar, it was reported that several men in that district haa been subjected -to the \*atetf torture. 'l saw'th^ee men who 1 - had been subjected -tft thi6 tteaioicnt One was? the president/ of iXka toyfn, Mr Itoß^es, who showed, ,n>«,-lt>ng r 'deep scars on his arms; which. he said ijrere caused by «the» cords with which he Ui , bound cutting, into his flesh. ,The '•Aflond man. was named. Jose Borja, : and thtf'tfaiiisi was Pedro Jose Diaj;nes\ who' stated -Jjuifc he was one of the" three priests who Had b)6en, subfocted to torture =i»y ttte troops under 1 .command of Lieutenant; Gatitot, Tenth, Cayalryj that his front teeth had been knocked out, .which wa's apparent^ that he was otherwise maltreated fobbed 'of 30CW61. Itj was stated' thit 'W&iq priests had been taken, 6nt to< b». killed; and were only saved byth& projihpt actiftn of Major Catrington, ' First' |hfani;ry, who sent out fbrtthem. Lieutenant Gautot-wi* tried, r, plpdded' guilty and was .' given^tfie trivial sentence of three, months'- eiisj»e«r sion from ijommand. forfeiii»B« .SpSpi, .peV month for the same period. ' His pleading guilty prevented all the> facts and'circiinistances being, developed; '. -t .» ■• <' ". 'h) "It appears that MajofvGlenn n Lieutenant Conget and s pa^rty of. assistftnta an^ ixwtive scottt* were moved from" -placeiio place for t&^/t&xpoie of exljortrng. by m'«Mtti^iof torture /a^d it bec«m«'notOiriow th^t- tMsr pai?ty was called."Gleun^Bpgade." Whether" it wais possible fW/of?ic<% to be eniaraged' v$ such Sets tie personal k«oVH?dsre of the' General Sjpoti whose staff they wereserving at th,6; tjpie, namely, .Bn£adWiGenera,l Hughes. T'fea!Tt xoi»>. other* to 'conjecture/ V '■"\\*Jl > FACTS. NOTbRiOtrS, '''!'"/'. These facts came to my ' nqtijee in. Id casual way and 'many' 1 others of ? srmilir "character have Ueew reported in" different parts of the. archipelago^ In faf»t,;lM»a|i informed that it was common talk . *t. the 1 " places •whfere/ officers /cbngregated'tfiat tuch t!raoß*cti6fa had been, carried ' on* ei^flier with- the tojipirknee b'r . aptfroyal ; "of )ce*>. tain, commanding omeers: It isi .<homeyqr. moat gratifying to .state that such* atrocjiitis have been condemned- by such "ctfm-% nlaridetis as Gonarjls -Lawtoir,:-Wade, Slim- ' ncr, Le«, Baldwin, a^nd- other*. ;•-.'•:,.,, XXX X f oqnd. that - wjth certain officers ithe lnlpressjop prevails .that Such, acts .were justifiable and I feel' it my -duty, in 'order to correct atich^erroneous and,. danfireronf impressions, .and to prevent th& possibility of such &c\a being committed* ia the 'future, which must impair the good name of American armß and bring oißcredit to our service for all time, to address -ft> the gUyiaio.n. «owm»nder' the iollpinhv lett*r / \of instructions': -i- • ' ''-' ii '/ A STRANGE TRANSACTION. "'"'[ I ■ Then follows an order addresped to^tbe . : ' ,■ Commanding General of the. iP&ilinpttees, ' under date of Febmtary 18, m&, iiiwtoieh .General Miles calls 'attention, to the. re- :- ports of atsocities and directs ,that way ' orders pr circulars of personal instruction which would inspire or encourage any act of cruelty -be annulled. The order. 1 says that 'Hhe excuse that the unusual conditions justiiy'l the measures herein > condemned is without foyndation." Continuing, his report to* the. Secretary, General Miles directs attention to the acts of reconcentration b^y General B^^l, ,«»4 elaimß tliat they were in direct violation of law. He jjays that the law waa' also, yiolated in handling and buying large $u*titities of rice, which; was si>ld at a profit* The people who were in the reeonoutrj^- ' tibn camps were, sayß General Milej, "ooifc* scored prisoners of war,:, but wete coffin pelledto buy food frqm those who b^i at a large profit." v ' ; . - •

f - Geneial* Miles characterises this as unprecedented. , He, speaks of the magnitude! Qf the 'transaction, - which involved , 20,000,000 pounds of rice and other supplies At a cost of 306,320 dollars. . . . | •fie says that "an extraordinary feature! of-this transaction is the action which was [ disapproved! by a division commander, who i assumed command and who turned thei njatte'r OV er to the evil authorities, and' r it has been carried on under an act; of -Hie Philippine Commission." 1.