The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 23, 1899, Page 1

The VOLUME LXXXV—NO . 8B, SAN FRANCISCO, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1899, Call PRICE FIVE CENTS. INSURGENTS ATTEMPT TO BURN AND PLUNDER CITY OF MANILA START FIRES BY ORDER OF | Massachuselts said t kong accusing him of 0990000000 00-0000-00-0-0-00 0090000000009 SENATOR HOAR CALLS IT “RUBBISH.” WASHINGTON, Feb. 22.—*“It .is all rubbish,” Senator Hoar of o-day when the Creelman dispatch from Hong- treasonable correspondence with the Filipinos REBELS ARE ASSEMBLING AGUINALDO American Troops Fighting was called to his attention. I hardly care to dignify it liberty to say that I have Aguinaldo nor with any Government. I have never thing.”” The whole story ment here than anything @ eeroeo+® “Itis the veriest rubbish, the Flames Amb In That Climate Wood Burns Like| Tinder and the Will Be E Special Cable to The Call and the New York Herald. Copyrighted, 1899, by James Gord MANILA, Feb. 28.—There is great excite-| ment throughout the city. Three fires were | started by the insurge ta Cruz, the wharves. The n hose. Refugees are diers were wounded strecets. The first fire was started in Santa Cruz district, and after a pe in the other districts An attenapted rising of the natives in the | city proved abortive continucs and many have been made pris- oncrs. Heavy skirmishing took place cast of| the city yesterday. I surgents lost heavily. M\X]I,:\. Feb. 23 a. m.-—The rebel n Manila, in pursuance of | issued by the insurgent lers as set forth in their plan| rising against American rule, mpted last night to burn and In order to make sure of suc- cess the incendiaries planned to t conflagrations in three dif- | rent quarters of the city, believ-| ing the flames would soon get| beyond control, and that they would then have a chance to kill the foreigners here and pillage their property. Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo were the quarters selected for the starting 9:30 | sympa- of the fires. Those who were chosen to ap- ply the torch did their work well. 1 a short time after the fires were discovered the flames had spread to such an extent that the de- struction of the city was threat- -ened. The troops and foreign residents worked manfully to check the fires, but it was not until morning the flames were under partial control and the city thought to be out of danger. :During the confusion attend- ant upon the work of fighting the fire “armed rebel sympathizers ¢oncealed in houses in the vi-| cinity of the burning quarters fired upon the troops. In the Tondo, quarter seven members of the Minnesota Regiment were wotunded,. including Captain N. C. Robinson of Company C. Thetre was wildest excite- ment. among the natives, and they. were primed for the general yprising, Strong guards were Tonde and the Binondo market. The latter fire is working its way toward | One thousand native houses and hun- | dreds of business places have been burned. thronging the streets with their rescued property. The houses fired were marked with red. One American officer and several sol- Shot From ush. D e e R S S S L S R IS Y'Y = ) Property Loss normous. on Bennett. nts last night at San- | atives have cut the by shooting in the riod of quict the fires | followed. » but sharpshooting t is believed the in-| stationed everywhere about the town and the natives were awed into submission by the show - of | force. Matters are quieting dO\\‘ni at the time this dispatch.is sent. | It is estimated that the loss of | property will be very heavy. About thousand native houses and several hundred na- tive shops were burned. The fire, | originating in the Santa Cruz| quarter, threatened at one time | to reach the wharves, but was| checked. The property of Euro-| pean residents generally escaped. | A Stiff breeze was blowing when the first fire started at Santa Cruz, and the inflammability of the structures caused the blaze to spread with alarm- ing rapidity. The city Fire Department was hopelessly incompetent and the English volunteer. brigade from Santa Mesa was summoned, and, with a mod- | ern engine pumping adequate streams | from the canal, succeeded after four | hours' work In getting the blaze under | control. Meantime the entire block and the greater part of two others across the | etreet. were completely gutted. Hun- dreds of Inhabitants were rendered homeless. The Chinese and natives lined the ad- jacent streets, while hundreds more, fearing a general conflagration, re- moved their furniture and other port- able goods in every direction within a | radius of a-quarter of 2 mile when the | alarm was first given. | General Hughes personally superin. | tended the police arrangements. The whole city was thoroughly patrolled | and guards were doubled. Every avail- able man was dispatched to the region of the fire. Impediments were placed in the way | of the firemen and the hose was cut | five times, This resulted in all the na- | one 0090000 0600 000 00 | Many was expected whe taken his old habits s s e SR S S Manila, From the Old City, Looking Toward Tondo District, Where the Fires Were Started. ] B R e L o was started In the Tondo district. where the natives are thickest: and when the firemen and soldiers attemot- ed to work a regular fusillade of rifle and revolver shots were fired from the windows and roofs of buildings. The firemen, escorted by soldiers, proceeded to clean out the houses. while the fire was unheeded. The Thir- teenth Minnesota were reinforced by detachments from the Third Infantry. Second Oregon, the Third Artillery and the Tenth Pennsylvania. Bullets flew in every direction, in almost every street in the Tondo and Binondo dis- tricts, causing the most intense excite- ment. Many timid persons, imagining that the rebels had effected an entrance through the American lines and were advancing into the city, hurried fran- tically from the hotels and houses, only to be stopped at the first corner by a guard. The sounding of a native bugle call immediately preceding the firing lent color to the story. Thousands of Chinese crossed the bridges and plazas under fire, hurry- ing with their bundles to the Chinese Consulate. All night long the fire spread through the Tondo district, sweeping away rows of houses and devastating acres of territory. With daylight punitive measureswere decided upon and the Americans, al- though tired after their sleepless night's work, soon cleared the district of every native after a slight resistance. There is no doubt that the fires were deliberately set and according to a well organized plan of the rebel leaders. The Incendiaries were members of the secret militia which Aguinaldo organ- jzed in the city before hostilities began. of these bands have been broken up, but others still exist. Hun- dreds of refugees from the burned dis- tricts are in the streets, but the city is well patrolled, and it is believed the immediate danger is over. CHIMORROS REFUSE TO DEAL WITH AGUINALDO Having Taken Negros Island, They Seek the Protection of America. jal Cable to The Call and the Naw York s”fifim. Copyrighted, 1599, by James Gordon Bennett. MANILA, Feb. 22—A deputation from Negros consisting of Aniseto Lac- gon, President of the provisional gov- ernment of the island; Eusebio Luiz Luzuriaga, Minister of the Treasury, and Jose Ruiz Luzuriaga, president of the native congress, held a long confer- ence to-day with General Otis. I after- ward Interviewed the visitors and learned that on November 12, having defeated the Spanish garrison, the {n- tives being driven off the streets. those A habitants established a provisional gov- | in the immediate vicinity of the blaze ernment consisting of the officials who | being corralled in the vacant lots and |are now here and Juan Aremeta, as | guerded until the excitement was over, | Minister of War; Antonio. Jaque, Min- | In some instances the goldiers were |ister of Justice; Simon Lazares, Min- | compelled to lse harsh measures, The | ister of the Interior; Augustin Amena- | butts of their rifles and their bayonets ’bm-, Minister of Agriculture and Com- were froely applied, merde, and Nicolas Gules, Minister of The danger from live electric wires | Public Works, Btanislao Gusay was ‘mc:‘ugnte’d the c‘loslngdat the cireuit | chosen vice president of the congress, n the burning region and the only 1, E in certain parts of the eity was 1;2: WHich lssde up ot thiry mx toputies. furnished the blaze, . Bhortlx aftor midnight another fir Contipued on Fourth Page, et 4 + by denial, but you are at 1 ¢ never corresponded with i % member of his so-called + { even thought of such a 4 ! has created more amuse- ® + else. Mr. Creelman, as n he ! { started for Manila, has with @+eeeso+e® him. 0—0-0-0-00-0-0-0-0-90-0-0-0-0-¢ i G404 D404 0424990909043 4040+06 4040404040 O e S S THREATENS DEATH TO ALL NATIVES NOT UNDER ARMS The Drastic Method Taken by Aguinaldo to Recruit His Fast Vanishing Army. MANILA, Feb. 22.—A detachment of Nebraskans this morning drove a force of 300 Filipinos three miles to the Pasig, killing manyv of them. Twenty-one of their dead were found on.the field. Of our® men none were killed and only three wounded. Private John Alley of Company D.was severely wounded; Privates Alonzo Groverick of Company M and Charles Pike of Company K were slightly wounded. A prisoner captured by the Nebraskans confirms the report that the insurgent leaders threaten death to all natives who refuse to take up arms against the Americans. Under this threat many pacificos have re- cently been impressed into the native army in the province of Manila. Reports from the insurgent lines say the Tagallo chiefs tell their men that the Americans suffered great losses in taking Iloilo, and that all the Visayas Islands are in open rebellion and will assist the Tagallos in their struggle for independence. The withdrawal of the American forces from Pateros and some other distant outposts is also represented as a Filipino victory. * 0+0+0+04040+0+04040+040+ ; : : Calle Rosario, the Street Leading From the Escolta Toward Tondo. pd S A N DA S S A D e e e e e e 'NEAR MANILA ‘Thirty Thousand Filipinos Rallying and a Big Battle Imminent. campaign agalnst the rebellious fole lowers of Aguinaldo with energy. Every casualty report that comes from Geneéral Otis notes the wounding or killing of some of the American troops by what are practically sharpshooters on the other side. The main body of the insurgents has now fallen back well out of the line of effective range of the gunboats, but as the American troops have been obliged to extend their lines in order to protect the water works and to take advantage of the natural topographical defenses of Ma- nila, the troops are exposed to the fire of these guerrillas without an opportu- nity to retaliate, for the enemy flees before an advance in force. This was. after all, about what was expected by the War Department officials, and that was why, in sending reinforcements to General Otis, they made it a point to send as many of the regular troops as possible who had been used to Indian fighting in the Bad Lands of the West. BW YORK, Feb. 22.—The Wash- ington correspondent of the Her-| ald telegraphs: Reports from| General Otis and Admiral Dewey show that Aguinaldo is concen- trating at least 30,000 Filipinos in the | vicinity of Manila and it would not be surprising if a battle should soon take place. Reports show there is little dis- gension among Aguinaldo’s followers, even the ‘insurgents surrounding Tloilo obeying his orders. Orders will be issued by the War De- partment in a few days directing the Sixth and Ninth Regiments of Infantry to proceed to Manila. These troops will take the places of volunteers who will be mustered out as soon as the treaty of peace is signed by the President. The officials have learned that some of the arms and ammunition which have been shipped to the Filipinos dur- ing the past seven months have been sent from this country via China. The matter is being carefully investigated, but no action can be taken to prevent | General Lawton, who goes to take such shipments to China, Rear Admiral | command of these troops, is an old In- Dewey, however, can seize them when | dian fighter, and soon after the troops on their way to the Philippines. ?rriVPrdwithm ;wn Mn:hr:: ;veeks‘:i a S orward campaign W 2gin and a It is authoritatively denied at the| s e e sttobtiint kN et { Navy Departmert that Rear Admiral|pedt DOW P8 BONR e 00 R Dewey authorized the expedition which o 3 X 23 o son, If it does not bring about their im- left on the. Abbey and was afterward seized by him. On account of the long | mediate surrender. It IS felt to be nec- essary to do this in order to avoid the coast line of the islands it is impossible hardships to which the American @+ O+ 04>+ 042+ +0 ¢+ @ | troops otherwise would be exposed dur- ing these torrential rains, which will make life in outside entrenchments al- most impossible for civilized troops. It developed to-day that Sixto Lo- pez, Agoncillo’s secretary, left here quietly Monday night on the train for New York. Since then nothing has been heard from him. His hotel room is still reserved, and the hotel people say they think he will come back. Dr. Lo- sada, the only Filipino left, is still con- fined to his bed. DICTATOR AGUINALDO ISSUES A MANIFESTO HONGKONG, Feh. 22.—Aguinaldo has issued a manifesto accepting the situation caused by the “unexpected provocation of the Americans,” while lamenting the hostilities which he says he “tried to avoid by every means in his power, making humiliating con- cessions and tolerating Insults and out- rages of the army of occupation against the people of Manila.” He adds that he is prepared to sacrifice every- thing “to maintain the integrity of the national honor,” calls on all to “wit- ness the good faith and honesty of his intentions,” and complains he has been treated as a rebel, “because I defended the national interests instead of be- coming the tool of the American pre- posterous pretensions.” The rebel leader further alleges that the country is unanimous in his sup- port; that the people “will perish rather than accept the odlous Ameri- can dominion,” and that “even the cor- rupt Spanish dominion is preferable.” The Philippine Commission is consid- ered by Aguinaldo to be a farce, and Otis, Denby, Dewey and Secretary Har- den are classed as pronounced annexa- tionists, the latter being charged with having “maliciously defamed” the Fil- ipinos in newspaper reports. He ig classed as being ‘“especially obnoxious | to the Filipino Government.” Finally, Aguinaldo expresses the wish to “proclaim to the world and offi- clally dispel the false rumors that Ger- many or any other power has rendered assistance, moral or material, to the Filipinos, nor have the Filipinos soli- cited it.” B e R e C Ca SCS SRC to establish a blockade, but it is stated that all shipments of munitions to the Filipinos will be seized if possible. The Bennington arrived to-day at Manila, | according to a dispatch from Admiral { Dewey, and the Yorktown is expected in a few days. The Castine and the Princeton will soonsreach there. With this force of small gunboats Admiral | Dewey will be able to cut off many of the shipments which will be made to Aguinaldo. The authorities here are giving close attention to the daily developments in the military situation in the Philip- pines and have decided to push the GERMANY SEEKS " CHAMBERS’ SCALP Requests the Washington Govern- ment to Supersede the Chief Justice. : BERLIN, Feb. 22.—According to the official Ham- burgischer Correspondence, the German Foreign Office, complying with a petition of Germans in Samoa, has re- quested the Washington Government to supersede Chief Justice Chambers. LEHO+04040+040+04040101010 401040404 040 +0+0+04040404m | O+l