Note 17 — Chapter XI · Otis and the War

Between pages 1916 and 1917 of Senate Document 331, part 217 may be found a photo-lithograph of the celebrated alleged order of the Filipino Revolutionary Government of February 15, 1899, to massacre all foreign residents of Manila. In his report for 189918 General Otis himself describes this order as one “which for barbarous intent is unequalled in these modern times in civilized warfare,” and speaks of it as “issued by the Malolos Government through the responsible officer who had raised and organized the hostile inhabitants within the city.” After Aguinaldo was captured in 1901, according to an account given by General MacArthur to the Senate Committee in 1902, of a conversation with the insurgent leader, the latter was shown a copy of this document purporting to have been signed by General Luna, one of his generals. He disclaimed having in any way sanctioned it, in fact disclaimed any prior knowledge of it whatsoever,19 a disclaimer which General MacArthur appears to have accepted as true, frankly and entirely. At page 1890 of the same volume, Captain J. R. M. Taylor, 14th U. S. Infantry, a gallant soldier and an accomplished scholar, who was in charge in 1901 of the captured insurgent records at Manila, states that he was “informed” that the document was originally “signed by Sandico, then Secretary of the Interior” of the revolutionary government. Captain Taylor made an attempt to run the matter down, but obtained no evidence convincing to him. A like investigation by General MacArthur in 1901 had a like result.20