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THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
an Englishman he had been able to get through the Insurgent lines with a French officer. He, however, experienced considerable difficulty in doing so. No such obstacles were placed in the Sway of those members of the Filipino troops who wished to enter the city, provided they left their arms behind them, though they do not | seem to have been invariably searched. He foun that there were about as many Filipinos under arms us Americans, and in many cases the opposing sentries were within whispering distance of each other. He corroborates the statement as to the American soldiers having to put up with all kinds of insulting language from the Insurgent sentries, saying that the Filipinos would frequently walk up to them, point their bayonets at their faces, and taunt them. The American soldiers Lad, however, strict orders to take no notice of them unless they fired, when the firing was to be returned with interest.. Mr. Crocker informed a repre sentative of the Daily Press that before the out- break took place soldiers to whom he had been speaking frequently exclaimed to him, "We can of stand it much longer!" Mr. Crocker added that in firng upon the Americans the Filip as wished to see how much the Americans would stand. Continuing he said
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Lough the relations between the Ameri- cans and the Filipinos were strained I do not think the Americans anticipated any immediate trouble, because the same evening I saw General Auderson and his wife driving along the
Luneta.
I was in the hotel when the trouble com.
menced. Someone said there had been a collision, nd then I noticed carriages driving very rap. idly through the streets and officers making their way to the front. It was about ten o'clock when the firing began, and a very few minutes afterwards a portion of the Kansus Regiment which was quartered near the hotel left for the frout in double quick time. They went away so silently that notwithstanding their close proximity to the hotel I should not bave known they were going had I not been in full view of their quarters There was not the least confu- sion or shouting. The firing commenced on the roed leading to the waterworks, where the Nebraska men were stationed, but it spread all along the line with great rapidity. There was a continuous roar from 10 to 12, when the fir- ing slackened, to be resumed with increased fury at three o'clock on Sunday morning. After ano- ther ull it was again resumed, some of the war- ships joining. The Monadnock was stationed to the south and the Charleston to the north, they be- ing subsequently reinforced by the Concord and the Callao. Admiral Dewey also came down in the Olympia and fired a few shots, but as he was right among the shipping and could not do much where he was he soon ceased. The Monadnock with her 12-inch guns and the Charleston with her 8-inch guns made a fearful ¡noise, the reverberation shaking the earth.
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the battery into a village in the plain soon verf the inhabitants running helter-skelter for the cover of the bill-country. Here at any rule the resistance was absolutely broken down.
February 18, 1899.
FULL REPORT.
[FROM-OUR-QORIESPONDENT,]
i
Manila, 5th February. After moutha of waiting, san l wooks that have failed to pas without calling out regi- ments of soldiers to repulse imaginary attacks of the natives, the long expepted hus, happened and a fight has taken plic» between the Americans and Filipinos. B
At the prosent moment it is difficult to decide whether the clash was premediated or acoidenta), but d soon as the firing commenced it became general and settled down into a steady fight all around the fortifications from Malate to Caloocan.
"In other directions, however, the Amori ans were not having such an easy time. In the direction of Malate, for instance, on the south and Binondo ou the north, though the Insur- gent lines were commanded by the men-of-war, the Insurgouts made a stiff resistau e. The they were the better able to do in consequence of their having availed themselves of the trenches recently occupied by the Spaniards and the Americans. The shells from the warships did fearful havoc. Now and then one would drop right in a trench, and then you would see men and trees rise in the air and scatter about.
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To the north of the city it was dangerous to walk about, as shots were continually being fired from houses, but in another direction I went as far as ten miles. The district to the north of the city, however, is occupied by a low class of natives who are ready for anything. It would have been a most serious thing had the natives risen en masse, because I do not see how our troops could have controlled them. There were immense stores of arms and ammu. nition concealed in houses and churches, and in many cases they could not be discovered with- ont burning the houses down.
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Fighting was going on when we left ou Tuesday, but it was a good distance away. In side the city there was no great excitement. Except in a few cases the shops were open and business was going on. The Filipino car drivers and conductors were attending to their business as if nothing had happened. Some of the native servants had gone away but there were still enough left to meet requirements. The Filipinos in the city looked somewhat crestfallen at the course events had taken, bu not so much as one might have expected.
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There is no doubt about it that the Filipinos in the city have been plotting for some time. i believe their intention was to rise at night, but when it came to the point they had not the sys- tem or the nerve to do it.
The soldiers had orders to shoot any suspio. ious characters whom they discovered Inrking about the streets after eight o'clock at night. The result was that there was absolutely no body in the streets after that hour except soldiers.
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"During the fighting Aguinaldo, who is believed to have been at Malolos, communi- cated with Dewey. He sent hini a message in which he said, For God's sake stop the firing" and disclaiming all responsibility in connection with the starting of the trouble, Dewey, however, refused to comply with the request and now I think Aguinaldo is accepting the situation. There was some talk of his re signing and washing his hands of the whole affair. but I do not think he will do that.
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"The opinion is that it was not Aguinaldo who precipitated this thing but that his fol. lowers whom he could not control are responsi ble. Aguinaldo himself knows too much to such a thing. He is much too smart a man for that. And then we know that if he had in- tended doing this he would have done it more systematically.
Were
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Just bebind. Santa Mesa, where several Englishmen have their residences, among them McLeod. Higgi.botham, Puddy, Lloyd, Reid, Allison, and others, lies a village thataḥas cansed the Americans great aubojance. It is partly within and partly without the line " of blocktionses and the natives have been taking advantage of its location to rau the lines at night. severa. times there has bửu trouble and two men were shot there some days ago-buɛ the matter quieted down
THE PIRM SUDA.
On Satur sy night about half-past eight the Nebraska sentries on outpost duty noticed a number of natives running in and out of the lines and warned them that if they were found
inside that they would be shot. The warning had no effect and the corporal of the guard took upon himself to challenge person, and in, z structed his men to fire it to Auswer was given at the third onil In a few moments three natives approched the post-and were called upon to halt, but they kept advancing. Opce, twice more the command was given,-and then a shot broke the stillness of the night, quickly, followed by another. The foremost of this natives lay dead and the su`ry liad received a bullet through his bat from the gun-of the dead
mau's comrade.
For half an hour things were comparatively quiet while the Americans quickly extended and reinforced the line of outposts, all around the city. A general call to quutus, was sonuded, the city streets were patrolled, and reserves hur- ried out to the suburbs. Long before, the trouble had commenced it was reported that a general engagement was on; people rashed from the theatre and circas and off the deixes to their houses, which were quickly shut up, locked, and lights extinguished. Many took refuge in the walled city and hundreds, of native families from the suburbs attempted to get: into fewn but were kept outside. What went on in the insurgent lines will never be known, but suddenly a volle was fired from the big three and a half foot water pips that crosses dhe fields back of Santa a.es, from the water wirks to the city; like au echo it was auswered by the American lines along the hill and in five minates the engagement was continued along the line of breast works. Every few minutes the firing was punctuated by yells of “Viva Filipina," quickly answered by the cheers
of
At the commencement the Filipinos gained sa hundred yards or so, but on Sunday the Nebraska men pushed forward with the object of getting possession of the waterworks and carried all before them, backed up by the Utah Battery and the. Tennessee men and the boys from Colorado and California. Ultimately they
ecured the reservoir-three miles away-and "As to the losses, those of the Filipinos may here they encamped for the night. The next be anything from 5,000 killed and wounded to day they again pushed on. Everybody was 10.00, and then there are several thousand afraid lest the Filipinos would cut off the water prisoners. I saw 400 or 500 being brought in supply. in which case considerable suffering on Sunday and on Monday I saw 1,000 who would have been entailed upon the residents of had been taken. I should be inclined to place the city. It would have been the easiest thing the American losses at 200 killed and wounded. in the world for the Insurgents to have out the With regard to the Filipinos I saw myself pipes, which are exposed in many places and 50 lying dead in one field. These are of no great strength. The Insurgents had the same number in the next, aud a little still possession of the pumping station, which further on there were 50 mo e. I heard a is four miles beyond the reservoir. It was two mining engineer say that there was, pile o'clock in the afternoon when the Nebraska men of 125 to bury in one lot. The Monadnock resumed their advance, and by five o'clock the pum- killed as many as 20 and 30, and sometimes 50, ping station was in their possession: I cannot tell with one shell. The Callao, which kept steam- by the Filipinos did not make a better fighting close to the shore, also did mn damage for the water-works or why when they saw they with her guns. could not retain them they did not cut the Apipes. I can only think it was because there are a great many. Filipinos in the city who would have suffered just as much as anyone elsa had this been done. On Monday night the Americans took up an impregnable position
ich commanded a plain some three miles in came again and were, pllowed to come ashore Mudda the fight was unusually bitter and from extent, across which the defeated Filipinos were fering to the mountains. A few shots sent by
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There is nothing of the nature of a panic among the Europeans. The ladies and children in the hotel were sent on to the St. Paul on Saturday night. They returned in a launch the next day and tried to land, but they were not allowed to do so. On Monday, however, they
Arrangements were made to bring some of them to Hongkong in the Esmeralda."
the Americans. Fo ous hour the fire was limited to rifles alone until the Monadnoc, stationed off Malate fort, ligan throwing six and ten inch shells into the rebel lines; the havo; must have been awful, but Mauser bullets never ceased for an instant, some even finding their, way out to the warship Up at the, north of the city the Charleston was dropping explosives into the works about Caloocan, but as the distance was much greater the effect was not so disastrons as at Malate. At Caloocan the natives had a big smooth hore gun mounted and trained on the Tondo district and occasionally a shelt fell into the American lines. Following around from this point the 3rd U. S. Artillery. Montaua, Minnesota (two compaui s), and Kansas nfantry regi- were basy answering the steady over the rice fields. No other fire that poured Caim could be taken than the rifle's flash and the mortality was necessarily small though the hospital corps was soou busy carrying in the wounded. Generals McArthur, Otis, Hale, und King were constantly along the line ascertain. ing for themselves the exact progress of this fight At the Chinese ve netery, north of
meuts
the point around the lins were the South Dakotas, Colorado, and Nikitha regina1'8, the
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