Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, May 8, 1899.
EVE OF A BIG BATTLE.
Bacolor Is Now the Stronghold of the Rebels.
AMERICANS SOON TO ATTACK IT.
There Are Six Thousand Rebels Stationed There, Well Entrenched and Possessing Plenty of Ammunition—They Have Never Fought Americans, but Think They Can Win.
MANILA, May 8.—To clear the Filipinos out of Bacolor, about five miles southwest of San Fernando, will be the next task of the Americans. The rebel General Mascardo has a force of 6,000 men there, well armed and possessed of a plenty of ammunition. His troops have never met American soldiers and they think, according to reports carried to San Fernando, that they can "whip the whole lot." Bacolor is well entrenched and thousands of natives are working like beavers digging trenches and carrying the dirt in baskets. The enemy uses his riflemen for fighting only, but compels the Bolomen and Chinese and even the women, to labor incessantly.
The rebels have an outpost about a mile beyond San Fernando with a trench that holds between two and three hundred men. From that point several volleys were fired during the night upon the camp of the Twentieth Kansas regiment.
Neither Major General MacArthur nor Major General Lawton have moved although each reconnoitered the country in his own vicinity for some miles from headquarters, developing the presence of small forces of the enemy.
In the vicinity of Laguna de Bay the rebels are extremely active but the lines of General Ovenshine and Colonel Whalley, who is commanding General King's brigade during the latter's illness, have been materially strengthened, and there is no danger in that direction.
The armed steamers Laguna de Bay and Cavadonga, under Captain Grant, have gone to Guagua, about five miles southwest of Bacolor, presumably to establish there a base of supplies for the troops engaged in the northern campaign.
It is rumored that Maibini, president of the cabinet and minister of foreign affairs in the so-called Filipino government, who is a Radical, is to be succeeded by Paterne, framer of the Spanish treaty for 1896. This change is regarded as significant at the present juncture.
The entrance of the Americans into San Fernando was virtually unopposed. The Filipinos who expected the invaders to approach from the sea had that side of the town strongly guarded, but there was only one line of trenches beyond San Tomas. Two battalions of the Fifty-first Iowa regiment which swam the river north of the city, were smartly peppered while in the water but the rebels disappeared as soon as the Americans reached the shore. In the meantime the hospital squad had walked across the bridge into the city, supposing the Americans were there. They encountered no natives.
The few Spaniards and Filipinos who were left welcomed the Americans and opened their homes to them, General MacArthur accepting entertainment at the hands of Senor Hizon, a sugar magnate.
If the inhabitants of San Fernando region are to be believed there is little sympathy with the insurrection in that quarter.
Before evacuating the city the rebels burned the church and the public buildings and looted the Chinese quarter. They drove many rich Filipinos with their families out of the city before them as well as hundreds of Chinese to prevent them helping the Americans. They cut the throats of some. Chinese hid on roof tops or in cellars and some escaped by cutting off their queues. There are 50 fresh graves in the churchyard.
The country beyond Calumpit is full of all sorts of ingenious traps and pitfalls in the roads with sharpened bamboo. Fortunately the Americans escaped the latter.
In the swamps near San Tomas where General Wheaton's troops did the hardest fighting, the men sinking to their waists in mud, are many bodies of Filipinos, smelling horribly.
The army is really enjoying life at San Fernando which is the most picturesque and wealthy town the Americans have entered since the occupation of Manila. It is largely built of stone, the river is close at hand and the high hills almost surround it. Many sugar factories indicate a thriving industry and there are numerous fine residences. General MacArthur's permanent headquarters is established in the best house in town which is richly decorated with frescos and carved woods.
The troops are encamped around in the suburbs and are beginning to think they may be quartered there during the wet season.
After Bacolor has been cleared war communication with Manila may be established. Along the roads to Calumpit the fuel wagons and bull teams dragging provisions have to be ferried one by one across two rivers but the Filipinos have several launches in the river delta.
The American troops are much exhausted by the campaign except the Iowa troops, who are comparatively fresh. The regiments of the division average less than 50 men to a company and all have a weather worn appearance.
Senator Albert J. Beveridge of Indiana is here studying the Philippine question.
Brigadier General Charles King has sailed for the United States on board the transport Puebla.
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| Governor Charles S. Thomas. |
TAKING A FIRM STAND.
Governor of Colorado Protecting the State Troops.
ILLEGALLY KEPT IN THE SERVICE.
Enlisted In the War With Spain, There Is No Law to Compel Them to Stay In the Philippines and Fight Against Those That Are Fighting For Their Freedom.
DENVER, Colo., May 8.—Governor Thomas has announced that within a few days if President McKinley and the secretary of war continues to ignore his communications on the subject of recalling the Colorado regiment from the Philippines, he will take steps with a view of securing the immediate recall of the troops.
"I cannot as yet say just what course I shall follow," he said, "but I will exhaust every resource at my command to bring these boys home. I have tried quiet, peaceable means and have failed. Now I will be obliged to resort to something more forcible, and it will be made public. Of course I do not desire to take any action that will unjustly hamper the administration for I am an American, but I do not propose to sit idly by and see the volunteers from Colorado fighting and dying in the Philippines in defense of the policy which is actuating those in charge of the movements of our armies abroad.
"In the first place the volunteer troops are being detained illegally and in defiance of the constitution. They enlisted for the Spanish war. That war is over and still they are detained in those islands.
"Under the constitution the Colorado volunteers will be perfectly justified in laying down their arms where they are and returning to the United States. If they should do anything like that, probably they could be court-martialed and punished under the strict letter of military rule, but in that event this same military rule would be placed above the constitution of our people."
It is regarded as possible that in the event of the failure of any "public attempt" which may be made to bring about the return of the troops the governor will resort to legal proceedings. If such proves to be the case the supreme court may be called upon to decide a test case regarding the powers of the president and that provision of the constitution relating to the purposes for which volunteer soldiers may be called into service.
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
Damages for Lynching.
The South Carolina constitutional convention of 1895 strongly condemned lynching under any circumstances. It went further by inserting a provision in the new constitution which it was hoped would make sheriffs and their deputies more careful and would induce taxpayers to co-operate with sheriffs in upholding the law. The provision made it the duty of the governor to dismiss all officers who, through their negligence, permission or connivance, allowed a prisoner to be taken from their custody by a mob and lynched or maltreated. It also made the county in which the lynching occurred liable to not less than $2,000 damages, to be paid to the heirs of the murdered man, without regard to the conduct of the officers.
The first case to be tested under the anti-lynching provision of the new constitution came from Orangeburg county. Here Lawrence Brown, a vagabond negro, was arrested on the charge of having burned a ginhouse. When he was brought before a magistrate, there was no evidence of his guilt, and he was discharged. Shortly after, the man was lynched.
Brown's brother brought suit against the county under the provision of the new constitution. On trial of the case before Circuit Judge Aldrich, the testimony was ruled out and the jury was instructed to find no damages, on the ground that the county could not be held liable for the lynching of a man not in the custody of its officers or servants.
The case was taken on appeal to the supreme court of the state. That tribunal has just rendered a decision setting aside the verdict of the circuit court and ordering a new trial. The court points out that the constitution is very clear and holds that lynching is a form of murder for which the county in which it is committed is liable without extenuating circumstances.
In view of the decision of the supreme court, the heirs of other lynched men are preparing to file suits for damages in various counties. It would appear that the constitution makes it mandatory that a jury shall return a verdict for at least $2,000 damages. Unless it is mandatory the anti-lynching provision is likely to become a dead letter through the failure of juries to find verdicts. In case, however, a single verdict is rendered against a county it should tend to lessen the lynching evil in South Carolina, as the average southerner has a strong aversion to paying higher taxes, and may forcibly object when a mob attempts to add to his burdens.
A WOODEN AWNING.
Removed by Force from North Main-st. Fruit Store.
Harry D. Rockafeller [sic], proprietor of a fruit store just north of the Cortland House, is now minus a wooden awning which he had put up last week over the sidewalk, extending from the store to the curb.
On Friday Contractor N. P. Meager and assistants were engaged in putting up the structure and soon after it was commenced, a complaint against it was lodged with Village President Holden.
A few years ago an ordinance was passed by the village trustees prohibiting the erection of wooden awnings which project over the sidewalks, and wherever complaint was entered the owners of those already up were directed to take down their awnings and did so. No new awnings have since been permitted to be put up. When this complaint was entered the trustees were not altogether sure whether the ordinance was still in force or whether it had been repealed. Clerk Hatch was out of town and in order that Mr. Rockafeller might not be put to unnecessary expense in erecting a structure that must come down again they directed Chief of Police Parker to ask him to stop work for the present till the matter could be looked up, and then if the ordinance was found to be repealed he could go on, and if found to be still in force no useless expenditure need be made. The chief did as directed and the carpenters left the work
Mr. Hatch returned later in the day and reported the ordinance still in force. Accordingly a copy of it was made and the chief left it with Mr. Rockafeller.
But when the sun rose the next morning, it shed its beams on a fine new awning which had been erected between two days. Accordingly, on Saturday, a legal notice was served on Mr. Rockafeller to remove the awning by 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The appointed hour arrived and the awning still stood in its position. In the meantime, Mr. Rockafeller had counseled with Attorneys J. & T. E. Courtney and had decided not to remove it.
At 5 o'clock the whole police force and some of the street workmen appeared and removed the whole thing bodily by pulling a few nails. It was loaded on a wagon and taken to the village yard on Groton-ave.
A BARN BURNED.
Property of Mrs. Jay Ball Destroyed—Incendiary Origin.
At about 3:30 o'clock this morning Mr. and Mrs. F. L. MacDowell who board at the home of Mr. A. V. D. Mills, 18 Tompkins-st. were awakened by the sound of crackling as of a fire. Mr. MacDowell arose and looked out of a window, but saw nothing. Going through the house to a rear window he discovered that the barn was on fire. He quickly aroused Mr. Mills who ran up to the engine house and had an alarm rung in from box 333. Mr. Laurence Mills hastened out to the barn to rescue the poultry belonging to his sister, Mrs. Louise Rankin, which was kept there. He found all the doors closed and seeming fastened as usual. The fire was in the extreme rear of the barn and was blazing up fiercely. About thirty blooded hens and roosters were kept there in a box stall. Mr. Mills got about half of them out before he was driven out by the smoke and the rest perished. There was nothing else in the barn besides the poultry except a few articles of furniture stored there which belonged to Mrs. Jay. Ball, who is also the owner of the barn and premises.
This was a bad place for a fire, as three other barns are but a few feet away: Mrs. Sturdevant's on the west, Mr. C. F. Thompson's on the north and Dr. F. D. Reese's on the east. Had the wind been blowing there is scarcely a possibility that they could have been saved, but there was hardly a breath of air stirring. As it was the first two mentioned were considerably scorched. Mrs. Sturdevant's barn was full of valuable furniture belonging to Henry D. Freer of Ithaca, and the loss would have been heavy.
The fire department responded very promptly and the deluge of water quickly poured on deadened the flames and cooled off the adjoining barns. Only a portion of the frame and a little of the siding remained, however, for the building burned like tinder and the fire had gained great headway before the water began to put a check to it.
The fire is believed to be of incendiary origin. Mr. Mills says that so far as he can recollect no one had been in the barn with a light of any kind in two years, and no one ever smoked there.
Mrs. Ball had an insurance of $200 on the barn, placed with Davis, Jenkins & Hakes, one-half of it in the Glens Falls company and the other half in the Agricultural. This will not cover the loss. There was no insurance on the poultry.
Death of Mrs. Price.
Mrs. Thankful A. Price, widow of the late Roswell M. Price of Virgil, died from paralysis at 6:45 o'clock last night at her home, 76 Railroad-st. Mrs. Price had been in poor health for several years, but her death was hastened by a shock of paralysis suffered nearly two weeks ago. She was 69 years of age, and had lived in Cortland since 1892, when she moved from her farm in Virgil. The death of her husband, Mr. Roswell M. Price, occurred Nov. 3, 1890.
Mrs. Price was one of eight children, but two of whom are now living, Mrs. Isaac Edgcomb and Mrs. William Stacey, both of Cortland. Her only child, a son, Spencer Price, died in 1878. The funeral will be held Thursday at 2 o'clock P. M., and interment will be made in the Cortland Rural cemetery.
BICYCLE LAMPS
And the Lack of Them—Fun With Officers—No Arrests.
The new bicycle ordinance went into effect Saturday and that evening the boys and girls had lots of fun with the police force. Not half the riders had on lanterns or bells, but though due warning had been given through the papers the officers did not want to be too hard and made no arrests. But they were quite alive to the infringement of the rule and constantly kept giving personal warnings. They held up everybody in sight that did not have a lantern on.
Pretty soon the boys who had lanterns thought to have some fun with the officers, particularly with Officer Gooding. They turned down their lanterns so they could not be seen. When the officer held them up they manifested great surprise that the lantern did not show, and at once turned it up. Of course they were permitted to proceed then. The fun wasn't confined to the boys. One girl threw the corner of a shawl over her lantern. When the officer stopped her she drew the shawl around her and there was the lantern bright as could be.
But it will not do for these people to presume too much on the good nature of the officers. They are there to do their duty and not to be made fun of by the crowd, and the fact that they were willing to give a little leeway to the crowd on the start should be taken advantage of, or some one will come to grief. This display of forbearance on the part of the officers will not be expected to last all summer.
University Center.
The subject for the University Center this evening is ''Washington's Cabinet and Administration." Following is the program:
The Status of the Nation in 1789, T. J. McEvroy.
The Rise of Political Parties, Rowland L. Davis.
Paper read by Lena E. Dalton.
Alexander Hamilton and Finance, Mather C. Howe.
DEFEATED BACON'S MEN.
CORTLAND TOOK THE GAME AT THE FINISH.
Nice Stick Work, Aided by Poor Fielding, Allowed Ramsey's Men to Win at Binghamton Saturday—Syracuse Shamrocks Play Here Wednesday.
Manager Ramsey's aggregation of ballplayers gave the Binghamtonian Baconites something of a surprise in the last half of the ninth inning Saturday at Binghamton, and here are some of the things The Republican says of the game:
Binghamton and Cortland crossed bats on Saturday afternoon in the liveliest match of the season. It was Binghamton's game at the beginning of the last half inning but some snap hits and two costly errors won the game for Cortland. The ninth was not finished, no man being put out in the second half. With the score 5 to 4 in their favor Ramsey's men dropped their bats and started for the wagon.
With a single run in the first, three men across the plate in the fifth and Cortland shut out until the eighth, things looked favorable for Binghamton and the crowd was already shouting. It was on a throw of McNamara's to Hayward at third to catch Roberts at that base, that Cortland's score in the eighth was made. Although Roberts was running down to the base Hayward had a lead off and when the ball sailed over the bag, was 3 feet away. Some scratch hits and a base on balls gave the Wagonmakers their bases in the ninth but it was O'Brien's costly error that let them home to tie and subsequently win the game.
McFall in the box for Cortland was satisfied to hold down the men he faced to diamond hits and let the fielders do their share of the work. He was touched up sufficiently in the fifth to bring three men across the plate but few good hits were made off him outside of this inning.
In the last and fatal half Delaney came to bat first and got his base on balls. Lawlor made a hit which, because of poor fielding, gave him two bases and Conroy lined out the sphere for a single, bringing Delaney home. Daley, the next man to bat, hit just to the right of second. O'Brien got in front of the ball which was rolling close to the ground. Just as it reached the second baseman, it bounded high and O'Brien fumbled. The grandstand was already shouting for a double play, but the ball rolled on and Lawlor and Conroy scored, tying the game. Roberts, who followed Daley to bat, got his base on balls and McFall lined out a double, bringing the catcher home. As soon as he had crossed the plate, the Cortland men started for the wagon and the game was over with none of the Wagonmakers out.
The largest crowd of the season witnessed the game. At the close of Binghamton's half of the ninth a large number became over confident, as the players appeared to be, and left the grounds.
The score:
Second Baseman Neville arrived this morning and is in the game this afternoon with Ilion.
The Cortlands will take a rest to-morrow, and on Wednesday at Athletic field will meet the Shamrocks of Syracuse. Thursday will be an open day and on Friday Ramsey's men will open the championship season at Utica.
The first league game played at Cortland will occur on Wednesday May 17, and Albany will be the opposing team.
BREVITIES.
—The University Center to-night will be conducted by Prof. T. J. McEvoy and promises to be of great interest. All members are urged to be present.
—The public money for the town of Scott is now in the hands of the supervisor, and the teachers may have the same on presentation of their orders.
—A meeting of the male members of the Homer-ave. M. E. church will be held at 8 o'clock to-night for the purpose of organizing a chapter of the Brotherhood of St. Paul. A large attendance is desirable.
—The advance sale of seats for "The Highwayman," DeKoven & Smith's romantic comic opera which is to be presented at the opera house to-morrow evening, is progressing very satisfactorily at the Candy Kitchen.
—Mrs. Deina A. Rockafeller died Saturduy night from cancer at the home of her son, Harry D. Rockafeller, 52 Groton-ave., at the age of 59 years. The remains were taken to Hollister, Pa., this morning, her former home, for interment.
—New display advertisements to-day are—Stowell, Special sale, page 8; Burgess, Men's Stylish shoes, page 8; Warren, Tanner & Co., Shirtswaists, etc., page 6; E. G. Cone, Magazine Cameras, page 4; McGraw & Osgood, Shoes, page 5; Pope Mfg, Co., Bicycles, page 7; Pearson Bros., Special sale, page 7.
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