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{33}
palms by the wayside, and pleasant faced people <saluted us politely or>
peeped at us shyly as we passed. They showed no fear of
the strangers, these well looking people, their huts were not deserted, and
even the women and children continued quietly <at> their work as if
nothing unusual were happening. And so through the hot breathless morning
we continued until the huts became more frequent and there appeared before
us a bamboo gate which marked the confines of the town.
Here an incident
happened. As we approached -- the four officers in advance -- a carriage
drove smartly up to the barrier and a tall man wearing an opera hat, evening
dress and with a red sash around his waist and a dandified cane in his hand
jumped to the ground approached & stopped. We all
stopped halted and saluted, and the [arrival?] standing
in the middle of the road in the full blaze of the morning sun, explained
<with dignity> that he was the President of the Provisional Republic
of Bohol; that in accordance with the decree of the council he had come to
surrender the government to the Americans but that he did so under protest
and because there was no recourse. The people of Bohol had no guns and could
not resist; they were suffering because their ports were closed and food
was scarce and dear. He held in his hand the protest of the government, and
desired to proceed to the Government House and there read it and make the
formal surrender in the presence of the Council and chief men. And so with
Major Hale on one side of the Governor, the writer on the other, the two
other officers and escort following in rear, we marched
up the road towards the great church, thence across the plaza and to
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{35}
the Government House above whose entrance hung the scutcheon of Bohol, an
ellipse bearing a sun rising above three mountain peaks and with three stars
above, surrounded by the legend "Gobierno Republicano de Bohol," the whole
bordered by the colors white, red, and blue from inside out. No flag was
flying from the staff, but a squad of native soldiers or police wearing the
blue and white striped uniforms <of the Spaniards> and carrying a lance
and long knife or bolo was drawn up in front and saluted as we passed in,
our own escort remaining at rest outside. Passing on through the stone sally
port with guard room at the side and past the gloomy windows of the prison
<cells> where the faces of the native prisoners gazed out at us through
the bars, we, still accompanied by the President ascended to a large room
looking out upon church and plaza, and found ourselves in the presence of
the assembled dignity of Bohol.
Perhaps forty or fifty men were gathered together in this large bare room,
ornamented only -- if the word may be used -- by a wretchedly flat and wooden
painting of
Aguinaldo done
in uniform; all stood expectant and all <were> deeply impressed <by
the simple scene and indeed> the gravity of the occasion was evident
<[...illegible...] of a quarter of million of people and of a
government>, and it would perhaps be difficult to imagine a group in which
the actors were more deeply affected than <the natives> here. All were
quiet, dignified and grave, and emotion showed not only
merely in the
{36}
Evidently the devotion of the people of the island to Aguinaldo was extreme
amounting almost to worship. Everywhere his picture was displayed and copies
of his celebrated decree of January 8, 1899 exhibited. It was a hard blow
to them to be forbidden to honor, or help further, their patriot
[...illegible...]
To the Presidente -- Your protest is of no avail. I have the force to take your island and I have done so. Sat., in Gov't House on approach.
The president of the town asked if their flag might fly beside our own, the answer was that there was but one flag now in the island that of the United States. Saturday in Govt House.
Next day Major Hale met the headmen and again recurred to their expression of fear that they would become slaves, and said that after fighting for years to free <her> slaves the United States was the last country of the world to enslave others. Sunday meeting.
The protest against surrender having been read and delivered and the brief
speeches ended, the formal meeting dissolved and <presently> the
practical questions of the quartering of the men, unloading of the stores
and details of occupation arranged with the people. Presently the
remainder of the troops <came marching into town &> just behind
them <the telegraph which> the Signal Corps detachment
which <had> in about <some>
fifty minutes after landing had carried the from <the
shore> landing place to the capital, a distance of about
a mile and a half
{37} [continued from p. 35 ]
voice but in the eye. All were standing <Everybody
stood>, the four Americans together and in front of the
Presidente, the others grouped in rear, but two or three persons only spoke.
<First> The President began by reading in pidgin supposed
English the protest <of the council> against surrender of the island;
this was <the words were> incomprehensible, but the
meaning of all was clear enough. The provisional government
surrendered the island which had in a manner been delivered to it in trust
by Aguinaldo, not because it wished to do so but because it was forced <by
superior power> so to do. They had no arms they could not resist, therefore
they <must> yielded. The reply was clear [an arrow
here points to the passage on p. 36 that begins "To the Presidente..."]
The American troops had have come under the
my command of Major Hale as representative of the Government
of the United States to take possession of the island and to protect the
people; we come as friends and not as enemies; but that
all allegiance to Aguinaldo must be renounced, <all contributions cease.
Henceforth Bohol become a part of the U.S. forever.> The proceedings were
brief, the protest read by the President -- who spoke English
-- was delivered to Major Hale; a few short brief remarks
were made by the President of the town of Tagbilaran, the
other & by the Councillor [sic] of Justice, a Tagallo
[sic] but one who had lived for thirty years in Bohol and an able
man. He seemed to fear not that he should become a citizen of the United
States but a slave as he expressed it, and so with others who seemed to think
that they would be deprived of their liberties and reduced to virtual slavery.
They were told that their liberties would be respected, and the words seemed
to cheer them. Indeed since then <it was soon evident
that> the more the people learned of the strangers & of their new
country the more reconciled they became to the soldiers & to the loss
of their shadow of independence. And so it is hoped will the feeling of
contentment grow.
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{39}
and placed headquarters in telephonic communication with the shore station
and thence with the ships by flag. Probably it was the first application
of electricity ever seen on Bohol, and the Presidente inquired with some
anxiety about danger to the people from the wire. Then at one o'clock with
troops drawn up in line <and presenting arms> the flag was raised above
the Government House and the island of Bohol became formally a
part of the <territory of> United States of America. Finished
above
Practical questions relating to the occupation of the island and on the
quartering of the troops,
treatment of
the people, <and the> landing of the stores now occupied attention,
and it soon became evident that the people though uncertain of our [wants?]
were friendly, and <that> the President Mr. Bernabi Reyes, a man of
very superior ability and education <had> accepted the inevitable and
was prepared to do all in his power to assist the new government. The men
were quartered temporarily in the school buildings; houses were rented for
officers and store rooms, the Government House was taken for offices, <and
a hospital established.> Men were prohibited forbidden
from entering to enter native houses huts,
an order was issued prohibiting the sale of tuba -- the fermented juice of
the cocoanut, a tarif [sic] schedule was arranged
<announced> fixing the prices of certain ordinary
commodities; natives were directed to cleanse their premises, and to make
certain sanitary dispositions and a rigid inspection and
cleansing sanitation of buildings <was> instituted
by the surgeon of the command Captain C. L. Furbush. At his desire also native
children were sent to him the hospital for vaccination
<and on> the day after our arrival
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