PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



525 



efficient and trustworthy auxiliaries. Among the 

 insurgents the Americans had their spies and help- 

 ers, and they gained much information from 

 those who were constantly coming in to give 

 themselves up. As long as Aguinaldo, the presir 

 dent of the Filipino republic, remained at large, 

 the rebellion could not be considered at an end. 

 The leaders of rebels and ladrones who carried on 

 operations independently in their own districts, 

 often mainly for their own profit, however will- 

 ing any of them might be to supplant or over- 

 throw Aguinaldo if the Americans should evacu- 

 ate the islands, all recognized his authority as 

 head of the insurgent government. Although 

 army and government and organized insurrec- 

 tion had ceased to exist and his direction w r as 

 practically nil, still in him was personified the 

 idea that enabled them to control their followers 

 and levy tribute on the people. That wily chief- 

 tain, whose death had been reported to the Ameri- 

 cans more than once, if he were to take the field 

 at the head of a rebel band would invite a develop- 

 ment of military strength that would soon lead 

 to his being cornered and captured. He therefore 

 hid himself for a long time in inaccessible re- 

 treats with only a few followers, keeping up com- 

 munication with the active insurgents by means 

 of couriers. In the beginning of February he de- 

 cided to take a more active part in the rebel- 

 lion, and accordingly sent out despatches order- 

 ing Simon Tecson, Sandico, and Baldomero Agui- 

 naldo to send him troops. Cecilio Segismundo, 

 who bore the letters and was expected to guide 

 the first of the columns to Aguinaldo's hiding- 

 place at Palanan, in the province of Isabela, de- 

 livered the letters into the hands of the Ameri- 

 cans. Brig.-Gen. Frederick Funston thought out 

 a ruse by which he could capture Aguinaldo, and 

 submitted it to Gen. Wheaton. He was called to 

 Manila to talk it over with Gen. MacArthur, and 

 the commanding general, thinking that so great 

 a stake was worth a great risk, gave his consent. 

 Gen. Funston selected from his command in 

 Nueva Ecija a company of 81 Macabebes who 

 were familiar with the Tagalog tongue, steady, 

 intelligent, and of good marching qualities. They 

 were taken to Manila, and with them Hilario Pla- 

 cido, a Tagalo known to Aguinaldo, Lazaro Se- 

 govia, a Spaniard, Dionisio Bato and Gregorio 

 Cadhit, Tagalos and ex-officers of the insurgent 

 army, and Segismundo Placido to play the part 

 of the chief of the column, the Spaniard that of 

 captain of the company, the Tagalos to act as 

 lieutenants, the Macabebes as privates in a com- 

 pany of reenforcements sent according to his or- 

 ders to Aguinaldo's camp, to which Segismundo 

 should guide them according to directions. They 

 were taken on board the gunboat Vicksburg and 

 made to look as much as possible like insurgent 

 soldiers by dressing them in uniforms of Agui- 

 naldo's army, partly in the clothing of the coun- 

 try, which the rebels habitually wore since that 

 army was broken up, so they could change them- 

 selves from combatants to non-combatants by 

 simply concealing their rifles in a clump of bam- 

 boo. A Tagalo penman in San Isidro skilfully 

 forged at the bottom of some sheets of writing- 

 paper captured by Gen. Funston which bore the 

 official seal of Gen. Lacuna the signature of that 

 insurgent leader, and above this signature were 

 written on two of the sheets two decoy letters 

 to Aguinaldo. The Americans on the expedition 

 were Gen. Funston, his aid, Lieut. Mitchell, Capt. 

 and Lieut. Hazzard, the real officers of the Maca- 

 bebe company, and Capt. Newton, who had been 

 in Casiguran before on a daring adventure. These 

 officers were disguised in the uniforms of Ameri-- 



ity which the 



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can privates, part of a suru-vi 

 insurgents were supposed to \>, 

 march, having killed the res 

 started from Manila on March 

 ran Bay on March ]?>, mate! 

 the beach to the town of Casio i 

 obtained a scanty supply of provi 

 alcalde, and on March 17, having sent l< 

 Aguinaldo the two forged letters of L.> 

 one from Hilario Placido, the pretended Fill;, in,, 

 colonel, giving notice of the coming of his purty 

 with the American captives, they set out for a 

 march of 90 miles by a muddy and rocky trail 

 through woods, over mountains, across streams 

 and swamps, and along the beach of the sea. 

 When they came within 8 miles of Palanan an or- 

 der was received from Aguinaldo to leave the 

 Americans there. After marching a short dis- 

 tance a note was sent back to the Macabebe 

 guard by Segovia saying that another messenger 

 from Aguinaldo brought word for the prisoners 

 to be sent on. This was shown to the Tagalo in 

 charge of workmen who were building huts to 

 shelter the American prisoners, and the officers 

 with their guard of 11 Macabebes hastened after 

 the main body, hiding in the bush when they met 

 a party of Tagalo soldiers who were sent out to 

 guard them in the huts. The column had in the 

 meantime reached the Palanan river, and Segovia 

 and Hilario were taken across to report to Agui- 

 naldo, who was surrounded by 8 officers of his 

 staff. While Segovia was telling a long story to 

 fill the time, the Macabebes crossed in boats and 

 lined up in front of Aguinaldo's escort, standing 

 in line to receive them. As soon as the American 

 officers came in sight on the opposite bank Se- 

 govia stepped out on some pretext and gave the 

 order to Gregorio Cadhit, who shouted, " Now, 

 Macabebes, your hour has arrived." The Maca- 

 bebes in great excitement fired a ragged volley 

 at the Tagalos drawn up near them, and these fled 

 instantly, some throwing down their arms, 2 hav- 

 ing been killed. Aguinaldo, thinking that the 

 men were shooting to celebrate, stepped to the 

 window and told them not to waste their ammuni- 

 tion. Hilario thereupon seized him and threw him 

 to the floor, telling him that he was the prisoner 

 of the Americans. Segovia fired at the others with 

 his revolver, wounding Col. Villa, Aguinaldo's 

 chief of staff. Dr. Santiago Barcelona, Aguinal- 

 do's treasurer, gave himself up, but the others 

 jumped through the window into the river. The 

 Macabebes thronged in, and would have killed 

 Aguinaldo if the American officers had not come 

 up in time to prevent it. Aguinaldo's capture 

 was effected on March 23, and on the following 

 day the Vicksburg took the party on board in 

 Palanan Bay and steamed back to Manila. Agui- 

 naldo took the oath of allegiance to the United 

 States and recognized the supreme authority of 

 the American Government in the Philippines. 

 On April 19 a manifesto declaring his allegiance to 

 the United States was issued in his name. Col. 

 Gonzalez, the insurgent governor of Manila prov- 

 ince, surrendered at Malabon with his military 

 staff and civil officials a few days after Aguinal- 

 do's capture. After the publication of Aguinal- 

 do's manifesto surrenders became frequent. Gen. 

 Cailles gave himself up to Gen. Sumner on June 

 24, with his officers and 650 soldiers. On July 

 5 Gen. Bellarmino surrendered, with 1,000 men. 

 Major-Gen. Adna R. Chaffee succeeded Gen. Mac- 

 Arthur as military governor of the Philippines on 

 June 22. Col. Grant, while making a reconnais- 

 sance in the province of Batangas, captured Col. 

 Martin Cabrera, an important leader. Gen. Mas- 

 cardo surrendered in May, with 21 officers and 



