hunt at Chagrin Valley; Chicago has a good organization in the Midlothian; Toronto and Montreal turn out their field in an exceptional manner with the exacting spirit demanded by the mother country. At Geneseo, Major Wadsworth, the dean of American fox-hunting and first president of the Masters of Foxhounds Association, has hunted his estates as did his father before him, after the manner of the English landlord. Once a year the "masters" of America meet and discuss matters pertaining to their sport-its preservations, its extension, its popularization. The hound, a matter of fundamental concern, has his lion's share of consideration, and during the convention a bench show is held. Types from various localities are shown and discussed and the arguments at close range concerning the favorite seem not nearly so insistent and conclusive as before arrival or after departure, and without any special designation of the kind, as to whether it be English, or half-bred, or American, the meeting is adjourned to the refrain: "Then drink, puppy, drink; That's old enough to lap and to swallow, With his nose upon the ground, And merrilly we'll whoop and we'll holloa." The author acknowledges the assistance in the preparation of the pictures accompanying this article of the following Masters of Hounds Mr. Harry W. Smith, Grafton; Mr. Henry G. Vaughan, Norfolk: Mr. A. Henry Higginson, Middlesex Mr. Horace Hare, Radnor Mr. Charles E. Mather, Brandywine; Mrs. Allen Potts, Castle Hill; Mr. Clarence Moore, Chevy Chase. PHILIPPINE EXPERIENCES THE CAPTURE OF EMILIO AGUINALDO BY FREDERICK FUNSTON ILLUSTRATION BY F. C. YOHN T was the 8th day of February, 1901, and in the room that served as an office in the head-quarters building at San Isidro, I was going over the morning's work with the adjutant-general of the district, Captain E. V. Smith, when there arrived a telegram that for the moment disturbed our equanimity- —a brief message that was to have no small part in the making of the history of the Philippine insurrection. It was signed by Lieutenant J. D. Taylor, Twenty-fourth Infantry, commanding the company of that regiment that constituted the garrison of the town of Pantabangan, about sixty miles to the north-east, at the foot of the western slope of the massive mountain range that separates the great central plain of Luzon General Funston's volume, soon to be published, will contain much additional matter, including that part of the narrative between the chapter in the September number and this. from the Pacific coast of the island, and was to the effect that a small band of insurgent soldiers had voluntarily presented themselves to him, and that the man in command had stated that he was the bearer of dispatches from Emilio Aguinaldo to certain surbordinates in central and southern Luzon. The letters addressed to Baldomero Aguinaldo, Alejandrino, Urbano Lacuna, Pablo Tecson, Simon Tecson, Teodoro Sandico, and other insurgent leaders, were in cipher and so could not be read, and evidently signed ficticiously, though in a handwriting that seemed to resemble that of Aguinaldo. For more than a year the exact whereabouts of the elusive chieftain of the insurgent Filipinos had been a mystery. Rumor located him in all sorts of impossible places, but those best qualified to judge thought that he was somewhere in the great valley of the Cagayan, in the northern part of the island, or in one of the extensive mountain ranges on either side of it. Probably few if any of those in high command among the insurgent forces knew where he was, as he was taking every precaution against treachery, or the disclosure of his hiding-place by the capture of correspondence, having gone so far as to forbid that the name of his temporary capital should be put on paper in any of the letters sent out by himself or staff. A few trusted men saw that letters to him reached their destination. The period of guerilla warfare that had succeeded the heavier fighting of the earlier days of the insurrection had now lasted more than a year and a half, and it must be confessed that from our stand-point the results had not been satisfactory. Scattered all over the Philippines we had more than seventy thousand troops, counting native auxiliaries, and these in detachments varying in size from a regiment to less than a company garrisoned every town of importance and many places that were mere villages. Through the country everywhere were the enemy's guerilla bands, made up not only of the survivors of the forces that had fought us earlier in the war, but of men who had been recruited or conscripted since. We had almost worn ourselves out chasing these marauders, and it was only occasionally by effecting a surprise or through some streak of good fortune that we were able to inflict any punishment on them, and such successes were only local and had little effect on general conditions. These guerillas persistently violated all the rules that are supposed to govern the conduct of civilized people engaged in war, while the fact that they passed rapidly from the status of peaceful non-combatants living in our garrisoned towns to that of men in arms against us made it especially difficult for us to deal with them. It was realized that Aguinaldo from his hiding-place, wherever it might be, exercised through their local chiefs a sort of general control over these guerilla bands, and as he was insistent that the Filipinos should not accept American rule, and as he was still recognized as the head and front of the insurrection, many of us had long felt that the thing could not end until he was either out of the way, or a prisoner in our hands. Therefore it was but natural that the telegram from Lieutenant Taylor should have created no little excitement, though as I now recollect the circumstances I do not believe that it occurred to any one of us that we would be able to do more than transmit the information for what it might be worth to higher authority, the plan which afterward worked so successfully being evolved later. It was directed that the leader of the surrendered band, with the correspondence that he had given up, be sent to San Isidro with all possible speed. With an escort of soldiers he arrived in less than two days, and proved to be a very intelligent Ilocano, giving his name as Cecilio Segismundo. After being well fed he told me the story of his recent adventures. During this recital he looked me squarely in the eyes, answered all questions frankly and apparently without reserve, and seemed to be telling the truth and keeping back nothing. This conversation was carried on in Spanish, which the man spoke quite well. According to his story, he was one of the men attached to Aguinaldo's head-quarters and had been with him many months, his principal duty being such errands as the one that he had now been sent out on, that is, carrying official mail between the insurgent chief and his surbordinates. On the 14th of January, accompanied by a detachment of twelve armed men of Aguinaldo's escort, he had left with a package of letters to be delivered to Urbano Lacuna, the insurgent chief in Nueva Ecija province, who was to forward to their final destinations those that were not meant for him. After a terrible journey down the coast and through mountains he had, in the vicinity of Baler, encountered a small detachment of our troops out on a scouting expedition and had lost two of his men. It subsequently developed that this was a detachment of the company of the Twenty-second Infantry garrisoning the town of Baler, and was commanded by Lieutenant Parker Hitt. After this encounter Segismundo and his little band had made their way across the pass through the mountain range to the westward, and finally, twenty-six days after leaving Palanan, had reached the outskirts of the town of Pantabangan. Here, footweary and hungry, he communicated with the local presidente, or mayor, who had formerly acted in the same capacity for the insurgent government that he was now filling under American rule. Segismundo not Before he could turn around Hilario had grasped him about the waist, and said, "You are a prisoner of the Americans."-Page 536. writers were still with him. Not one of these referred in any way to the town of Palanan, so that we were entirely dependent on Segismundo's word so far as that place was concerned. unnaturally thought that this man, like practically all of the Filipinos who in those days took office under us, was a double dealer, but this one was true to his salt. He told Segismundo that he was in the service of the Americans, and strongly counselled The cipher letters completely balked us him to present himself to the commander of for many hours. They seemed to be made the local garrison, give up the correspon- up of a jumble of letters of the alphabet, dence in his charge, and in fact attach him- making words in no particular language. self to the chariot of progress and be an Captain Smith, Lazaro Segovia, the versaAmericanista. I don't suppose the loyal tile and courageous Spaniard who for nearpresidente put it just that way, but that is ly a year had done such excellent secret servwhat he meant. Segismundo was loth to ice work for me, and I took off our coats and take so radical a step, and with his band re- even other things, in fact stripped for acmained in hiding in the woods. It took tion, and with pencils and pads of paper much diplomacy on the part of Lieutenant seated ourselves around a table and racked Taylor, the presidente at first acting as our brains, while Patterson, our negro solgo-between, to get him to surrender, but he dier cook, from time to time brought in cofinally did so. Lieutenant Taylor deserved pious libations of hot and strong coffee in the greatest credit for the excellent judge- order that we might be able to keep awake, ment he used in the whole matter. Of for daylight became darkness, and dawn course, any attempt to capture the band was at hand before the peerless Segovia, would have spoiled everything, as the most whose knowledge of both Spanish and Tagof them would probably have escaped. alo now stood us in such good stead, found Segismundo then went on to tell of condi- the key word of the cipher, which was in the tions at Palanan. Aguinaldo with several latter language, having done it by ransackofficers of his staff and an escort of about ing his brain for every word in that Malay fifty uniformed and well-armed men had dialect that he had ever heard of. Among been there for several months, and had us, we then slowly unwound the mess, and been in constant communication with his mess it was when there are taken into convarious subordinates by means of messen- sideration the difficulties of reducing a cigers. The residents of the town and most pher and of rendering it through two lanof the soldiers of his escort were not aware guages to get the letters in which it was of his identity. He passed as "Capitan written into English. When it was over, Emilio," and by those who did not know tired and sleepy as we were, we had left him to be Aguinaldo was supposed to be enough energy to be wildly enthusiastic over merely a subordinate officer of the insur- the result, for it was realized that there had rection. been laid bare the plans of the one man who, for what seemed to be a long time had been the head and front of the insurrection against the authority of the United States. Before we had finished it was nearly noon, and despite Patterson's administrations of hot coffee we were nearly done for. We had been without sleep or food for twenty hours. Some of the cipher letters were signed "Colon Magdalo" and others "Pastor," this apparently depending on to whom they were addressed, but from their context these communications could come only from one who was recognized as the leader of the insurrection, as they gave positive orders to officers of the highest military rank. But besides that I had once heard that Aguinaldo had used "Colon Magdalo," as a nom de plume. The body of all of these So far we had no evidence beyond the word of Segismundo that the man who had sent him on this long journey was really Aguinaldo, and it was not impossible that the man himself might be mistaken. Our attention was now given to the surrendered correspondence. All the letters were addressed to the persons for whom they were meant, but those not in cipher contained little of importance. What there was, however, tended to bear out Segismundo's story. All official communications were signed by what were evidently fictitious names. A number of personal letters from soldiers of Aguinaldo's escort to their friends and families helped us some, as two or three of them referred to "Capitan Emilio," and one or two to the "Dictator," and stated that the VOL. L.-50 letters had evidently been written by a secretary, but the handwriting of the signatures very much resembled several of Aguinaldo that I had seen in captured correspondence. Not one of the communications, either official or personal, intimated the name of the obscure town in which Aguinaldo had taken his refuge. Two, those to Lacuna and Baldomero Aguinaldo, stated that the trusted messenger knew the name of the town where he had his head-quarters. The most important letter, and the one that was the final undoing of its writer, was to his cousin, Baldomero Aguinaldo, then in command of the insurgent bands operating in Cavite province just south of Manila. This directed the person to whom it was addressed to proceed at once to the "Centre of Luzon," and, using this communication as authority, to supersede in command José Alejandrino, who evidently was not giving satisfaction to his chieftain. As soon as he had established himself in command, Baldomero was to direct his subordinates, that is Lacuna, Mascardo, Simon and Pablo Tecson, and possibly one or two others, to send him detachments of men until the aggregate should reach about four hundred. These were to be made up of picked troops, and might be sent by whatever routes their respective commanders thought best. A letter to Lacuna contained nothing of importance, but was of interest for the reason that for more than a year the troops under my command had been trying to break up the guerilla bands that recognized him as chief. After translating the letters we went to bed, but I had great difficulty in sleeping, as plans began to evolve themselves. About four o'clock I got up and sent for Segismundo. I thought the best way was to go at him boldly, now that he had apparently cast his lot with us, and told him that I was going to capture his chief and expected him to help in the operation. He had already told me that the trail leading eastward from the valley of the Cagayan was so carefully watched by outposts that any advance from that direction would be discovered days before it could possibly reach Palanan. Some months before a company of our troops had, after a most trying march, entered Palanan from that direction, but Aguinaldo, his staff and escort, had leisurely retired to the mountains in the vicinity, taking with them all their archives and records, and compelling all the inhabitants to accompany them. As we learned afterward, this was a company of the Sixteenth Infantry, commanded by Captain Cochran. According to Segismundo, the trail along the coast to the south was so carefully watched by the Negritos and Ilongotes, primitive savages, that the same conditions existed. In reply to a question as to whether an expedition from the sea, landing at night on the beach about seven miles from Palanan, would have any chance of success, he stated that the presence of any vessel off the coast would to a certainty be reported, and that, even if such an expedition succeeded in landing, it would be discovered before reaching Palanan. The prospects did not seem any too bright, and I went to bed to sleep it over. In the meantime I had taken into my confidence Captain Smith, Lieutenant Mitchell, my aide, and Segovia, and had discussed the matter with them. By morning I had thought out the general features of the plan which was eventually to succeed, and on asking Segismundo whether it was in his opinion practicable, he replied in the affirmative. There were now all sorts of details to work out, and in these matters I had much assistance from those who had been taken into my confidence. We knew exactly where Aguinaldo was, at the obscure and isolated village of Palanan, a few miles from the east coast of Luzon and very near the north end of the island. We knew that he would be expecting reinforcements from the guerilla bands in central Luzon, he having sent orders to that effect. It was settled beyond the possibility of a doubt that no force the nature of which was known could get even within several days' march of him. So the only recourse was to work a stratagem, that is to get to him under false colors. It would be so impossible to disguise our own troops, that they were not even considered, and dependence would have to be placed on the Macabebes, those fine little fighters, taking their name from their home town, who had always been loyal to Spain and who had now transferred that loyalty to the United States. As it would be absolutely essential to have along some American officers to direct matters and deal with such emergencies as 1 |