[The Philippines: Past and Present (vol. 1 of 2) by Dean C. Worcester]@TWC D-Link book
The Philippines: Past and Present (vol. 1 of 2)

CHAPTER IX
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We have also learned that Senor Buencamino, and Tirona, and Concepcion are prisoners of the American authorities in Manila.

With reference to the wife and sister of the honourable president and the two Leyba sisters, it is said that they went to Vigan and from there went by steamer to Manila." [413] The mother and son, accompanied by Buencamino, had allowed themselves to be captured at an earlier date.

What shall we say of a leader who would turn his mother, wife, sister and son over to American soldiers for safekeeping, and then continue to denounce the latter as murderers, and violaters of women?
Aguinaldo did just this.

That the Insurgent leaders were early and fully aware of the treatment accorded their wounded is shown by the following extract from a letter to General Moxica of Leyte, dated March 2, 1900, giving instructions as to what should be done with wounded men:-- "If by chance any of our men are wounded on the field or elsewhere, efforts must be made to take away the rifles and ammunition at once and carry them away as far as possible, so that they may not be captured by the enemy; and if the wounded cannot be immediately removed elsewhere or retreat from the place, let them be left there, because it is better to save the arms than the men, as there are many Filipinos to fill up the ranks, but rifles are scarce and difficult to secure for battle; and besides the Americans, coming upon any wounded, take good care of them, while the rifles are destroyed; therefore, I repeat, they must endeavour to save the arms rather than the men." [414] There were some rare individual instances in which uninjured Filipinos were treated with severity, and even with cruelty, by American soldiers.

They occurred for the most part late in the war when the "water cure" in mild form was sometimes employed in order to compel persons who had guilty knowledge of the whereabouts of firearms to tell what they knew, to the end that the perpetration of horrible barbarities on the common people, and the assassination of those who had sought American protection, might the more promptly cease.


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