The Saint Paul globe., March 30, 1899, Image 2

About The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
Y(?L. XXII.— NO. 89.
WARMTH MUD
SMI VILLAGES
American and British Forces Join in an At-
tack Upon Mataafa's Followers
INTENSE FEELING AGALIT GERMAN ELEMENT
Joint Ultimatum of American and British Represen
tatives Ignored by Mataafa, Who Barricades
Roadways and Marches Upon the Consulates
Several Shore Villages Destroyed Stray Shell
Wrecks the German Consulate Intense Ex
citement in Washington Over the War News
From Apia Feared That Serious Complications
May Ensue.
WASHINGTON, March 29. — (Special.) — With a suddenness that astonish
ed all officials, there came to Washington tonight news of a clash In the Pa
cific ocean that may have the most serious consequences. Warships of the
United States and England, acting in concert, in Samoan waters have turned
their guns upon the native party upheld hy Germany. Many natives are said
to have been killed by tlie bombardment, and casualties are reported on the
American. and English ships, but these losses, though to be deplored, were of
small consequence in the view of officials. Possible international complica
tions come first to mind. England, Germany and the United States are involv
ed and each power, in a waj*, touching its honor. In public, officials say that
the clash has been discounted; that nothing serious is to be anticipated, and
that Germany will look upon the matter in the right light; in private it is
admitted that the seriousness of the situation cannot be exaggerated. Eng
land and the United States, on the one side, and Germany upon the other, it Is
pointed out, have, in diplomatic effect, come to blows. Wars which have
changed the map of Europe have sprung from less serious collisions. It is
Hated on authority that for the next few days the administration will watch
the Samoan situation far more closely than that in the Philippines.
Th e outcome hinges upon the reception of the news in Berlin. That re-
ception cannot be anticipated. Pacific impulses may, and probably will, pre
-* Tail. If they do not, for years the great war, which ls to be the trial of mod
ern civilization, has been predicted, and some day it must come.
Copyrighted By the Associated Press.
APIA, Samoan Islands, March 23 (Via
Auckland, N. __„ March 29.)— The troubles
growing out of the election of a king of
Samoa have taken a more serious turn
and resulted ln the bombardment of na
tive villages along the shore by the
United States cruiser Philadelphia, Ad
miral Kautz commanding, and the British
cruisers Porpoise and Royalist.
The bombardment has continued inter
• mittently for eight days. Several villages
have been burned, and there have been
a number of casualties among the Ameri
can and British sailors and marines. As
yet it is impossible to estimate the num
ber of natives killed or injured.
As Mataafa and his chiefs, constituting
• the provisional government, continued to
defy the treaty after the arrival of the
Philadelphia, Admiral Kautz summoned
the various consuls and the senior naval
officers to a conference on board the
Philadelphia, when the whole situation
was carefully canvassed. The upshot was
a resolution to dismiss the provisional
government, and Admiral Kautz issued a
proclamation calling upon Mataafa and
his chiefs to return to their homes. Ma
taafa evacuated Mullnuu, the town he
had made his headquarters, and went
into the interior.
Herr Rose, the German consul at Apia,
Issued a proclamation supplementing the
one he had issued several weeks before,
upholding the provisional government.
As a result of this the Mataafans assem
bled in larg force and hemmed in the
town.
TROUBLE BEGINS.
The British cruiser Royalist brought the
Malietoa prisoners from the islands to
which they had been transferred by the
provisional government. The Americans
then fortified Mullnuu, where 22,000 Malle
toans took refuge. The rebels— the ad
herents of Mataafa— barricaded the roads
.Within the municipality and seized the
British houses. An ultimatum was sent
to them, ordering them to evacuate and
threatening them, in the event of refusal,
with bombardment, to commence at 1
o'clock on the afternoon of March 18.
This was ignored, and the rebels com
menced an attack in the direction of the
United States and British consulates
about half an hour before the time fixed
for the bombardment. The Philadelphia,
Porpoise and Royalist opened fire upon
the distant villages. There was great dif
ficulty in locating the enemy, owing to
the dense forest, but several shore vil
lages were- soon in flames.
A defective shell from the Philadelphia
exploded near the American consulate,
and the marines outsido narrowly es
caped. A fragment struck the leg of
Private Budge, shattering It so badly as
to necessitate amputation. Another frag
ment tiaversed the German consulate,
smashing the crockery. The Germans then
went on board the German cruiser Falke.
BRITISH SAILORS KILLED.
During the night the rebels made a
hot attack on the town, killing three
British sailors. A British marine was
shot in the leg by a sentry of his own
party, another was shot in the foot, and
an American sentry was killed at his
post. The bombardment continuing, the
inhabitants of the town took refuge on
board the Royalist, greatly crowding the
vessel.
Many people are leaving Samoa, the
captain of the Royalist urging them to
,_go, so as not to interfere with the mili
tary operations.
The Porpoise has shelled the villages
east and west of Apia and captured many
boats. The Americans and British are
fighting splendidly together, but there ls
a bitter feeling against the Germans.
Two men, a British and a German sub
ject, have been arrested as spies.
The bombardment of the jungle was for
a time very hot.
The British cruiser Tauranga, which, lt
Is said, was intending to annex the Loan
ga islands (a section of the Friendly
islands In the Pacific) was intercepted at
Suva, capital of the Fiji islands, by order
of the home government.
MISSION OF THE TAURANGA.
TONGA ISLANDS, March 23 (via Auck
land, N. Z., March 29.)— The British
cruiser Tauranga arrived here on March
7 under sealed orders on a secret mis
sion. It is surmised that her visit was
the result of rumors of an Intended Ger
man annexation, the cruiser aiming to
secure an agreement that if any nation is
to annex the Tonga Islands it shall be
England. The captain of the Tauranga,
COL. ALFRED SYDNEY FROST, OF SOUTH DAKOTA,
The Brilliant Soldier Who Led the Charge Against the Insurgents Beyond
Mar ilao.
before leaving on March 18, said he had
accomplished his mission satisfactorily,
and that the German Incident had been
overrated, the German claims being
trifling, except as to the right to a
coaling station in the island of Vavao.
It is doubtful whether the German consul
Intends to proceed even with this.
STARTLED OFFICIALS.
WASHINGTON, March 29.-The news
from Samoa that the United States
cruiser Philadelphia, and the British
| cruisers Porpoise and Royalist, had bom
barded the towns held by Mataafa, who
has thus far had the official support of
the German government, came with
startling suddenness to officials here, and
displaced for the time being the attention
given to the fighting around Manila.
The shelling of Mataafa's towns was
viewed as of secondary Importance, but
the deepest Interest attached to the atti
tude of the German government. At first
apprehensions were felt that grave inter
national complications mijfm: ensue. But
those most intimately familiar with the
latest official exchanges between Wash
ington, London and Berlin did not take
such a gloomy view of the outlook. While
recognizing that the bloodshed at Samoa
created a very serious and delicate sltua-
I tion, yet lt was said to Im a situation ,
THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 30. 1899.
which had been clearly apprehended, and
had been discussed ln advance between
the representatives of the three govern
ments. The real crisis, from an interna
tional standpoint, occurred. Although re
lations were greatly strained, lt was pos
sible to secure an understanding, which is
said to make sure that the outbreak now
reported will not cause a rupture in the
relations between the United States and
Germany, or between Great Britain and
Germany.
WASHINGTON INTERESTED.
The details of the bombardment were
read with eager Interest by leading gov
ernment and diplomatic officers, who have
been most directly concerned in handling
the Samoan question. There was nothing
of an official character, however, either at
the state or navy departments or at the
British or German embassy to augment
the very full press reports. Upon this offi
cials based their views.
In all quarters there were expressions
of concern and surprise at the serious
ness and extent of the bombardment and
the resulting loss of life. That some
overt act would take place has been ap
prehended for many days, but there was
little Idea it would take such a broad
sweep and lead to such heavy loss of
life. In this aspect of the case the actual
results were regarded as far more seri
ous than those which had been expected
and provided for during the recent diplo
matic exchanges between the three gov
ernments. Moreover, new elements of In
ternational danger had unexpectedly
arisen. These included the proclamation
of German Consul Rose, which lt ls be
lieved tended to Incite the Mataafa party
to an open revolt; also the wounding and
killing of British sailors and marines, the
shooting of an American sentry and the
attacks on the several consulates.
These all involve unknown possibilities
of serious complication. While they had
been guarded against as far as possible
by the recent anticipatory exchanges, yet
it was felt that the German press and na
tional sentiment might be wrought to a
high pitch by the events which had oc
curred, and that this outburst of popular
feeling might overcome the strong ef
forts of officials to keep the subject with
in pacific bounds.
ANGLO-AMERICAN ATTITUDE.
In an authoritative quarter the atti
tude of the British and American officials
was stated substantially as follows:
It was actually understood between the
two governments that the first essential
ln Samoa was to maintain peace and
order. For that reason it was determined
that any lawlessness on the part of
Mataafa or any other Samoan element,
which threatened the lives or property of
residents, would be suppressed even
though force was required. This was en
tirely without referenec to the rights of
the three governments — Great Britain,
the United States and Germany— and was
merely a rule of self-preservation and
peace security. Acting on this under
standing Capt. Sturdee, of the Porpoise,
gave notice some time ago that he would
bombard {he Mataafa ns If there was any
outbreak or disorder. This Insured quiet
for some time, but he has always been
ready to use force if lt was necessary. It
was not proposed to give Samoa over to
a reign of anarchy, simply because the
German consular officer at Samoa dif
fered with the British and American of
ficers. Outside of these differences it
was proposed to protect life and property
at all hazards. When Admiral Kautz
went to Samoa, he also had as his first
duty to protect' life and property and to
maintain order.
It is evident that the bloodshed has
arisen out of this united effort of the
American and British commanders to
protect the law-abiding and peaceful ele
ments against the disorderly and rebel
lious subjects of Mataafa. This is evi
denced by Mataafa's action in hemming
in the town where the American and
British officials resided, also in the at
tacks on the consulates, and ln the gen
eral lawlessness which has prevailed
since Mataafa began his reign. In short,
according to the view of those best ac
quainted with the subject, the British
and American case will rest upon the
paramount necessity of preserving peace
and order.
GERMAN VIEW OF IT.
The German view, is can be stated on
very eminent authority, is not likely to
raise a direct issue on the position thus
laid down by the British and American
officials. On the contrary, there is said to
be a growing disposition on the part of
Germany to hold Herr Rose accountable
for the difficulties into which he has di
rected his government. For a time he
was sustained, with the natural desire to
protect him in the proper discharge of his
duties, but the German authorities have
not contemplated that he would carry the
matter to an open rupture and result in
bloodshed. On that account there ls good
reason to believe that the German gov
ernment wll not sustain Herr Rose, and
official information in that direction has
already been conveyed.
The diplomatic exchanges leading up to
this crisis have been very sharp within
t^Vast few days. Early last week the
Berlin government received direct infor
mation from Samoa that Admiral Kautz
had arrived there, and had summoned a
meeting of all the officials for March 11
The German authorities felt sure this
meeting would result in serious trouble
The Berlin foreign office therefore in
structed the German ambassador here,
Dr. yon Holleben, to present a note em
bodying Germany's views. It argued that
a naval commander had no right to act
Continued on Third Pace.
VICTORY II SIGHT
WAR DEPARTMENT EXPERTS SIM
"UP THE SITUATION IN THE
PHILIPPINES
IMERHMS MEET OBSTACLES
ADVANCE NECESSARILY SLOW* OW
ING TO DESTRUCTIVE TAC
TICS OF ENEMY
ROAD TO MALOLOS IS ROUGH
Filipinos Under Cover Give the At
tacking: Army Much Annoyance,
hut Are Simply Delaying the In
evitable Result Gen. Corbin
Discredits Statement That Insur
gents Have Abandoned Their
Capital at Malolos— End Is in
Sight.
WASHINGTON, March 29.— The presi
dent today discussed with his advisers
and callers the situation in the Philip
pines. Assistant Secretary of War Mel
klejohn and Adjt. Gen. Corbin, who have
kept close track of the progress of the
American army and the condition of the
troops, were with him for some time.
With them he went over the situation,
and expressed his pleasure at the good
progress Gen. Otis and his generals had
made, though he regretted the loss of
life.
The dispatch of Gen. Otis received early
this morning was not supplemented by
any later news. The opinion was given
at the war department that Gen. Otis had
ample force under his command, and that
when the regulars now on their way to
Manila reach their destination, there
would be little need of retaining the vol
unteers in service there. No demand for
muster out will hold good until the formal
ratification of the peace treaty, of course,
and when this will be done is not known.
The French ambassador, who is acting
for Spain, has no information on the sub
ject, and does not know when the treaty
will be received here.
When Gen. Otis reported to the war de
partment early today that at 6 o'clock
this morning the American troops, under
Gen. Mac Arthur, again , took up their ad
vance, there was renewed expectation of
fighting and decisive developments. Gen.
Otis* dispatch covered much ground, not
only in showing the position of our forces,
but also the extent of the advance con
templated for the day. The halt and rest
of yesterday gave a new aspect to the
advaifce, for instead of a long continued
fight with jaded troops and exhausted
supplies, Gen. Mac Arthur began practi
cally a new advance today, with his men
refreshed and well supplied.
ROAD TO MALOLOS.
Maj. Simpson, who ls closely following
the movement of the troops by means of
the military map, regarded Gen. Otis' dis
patch as showing that the plan today
was to reach Bigaa, seven miles from
Malolos, and there wait until tomorrow
for the final advance on Malolos. The
march cut out for today covers about
seven miles. The two towns mentioned,
Bocave and Bigaa, are the only ones along
the line of march, and they are small
pueblas. There is, however, a constant
succession of haciendas: and plantations,
showing that the road lies through a
rather fertile country.
There are two natural obstacles lying
along the route— first the Marilao river
and further on the Bulacan river. The
bridge over the Marilao river has been
burned, but all reports indicate that the
engineers have succeeded in repairing it.
Bigaa is just beyond the Bulacan river,
so that Gen. Otis' report that Mac-
Arthur's advance "will continue to Bi
gaa" was construed at the war depart
ment to mean that the two rivers would
be passed before today's advance closed.
Being seven miles from, Malolos our force
can either cover that distance tomorrow
or else turn southward to reduce the
large city of Bulacan on the left.
The expectation here fs that they will
keep on to Malolos, and that tomorrow
night will see them near the Insurgent
capital. In the meantime the Indications
are that the fighting will not be as se
vere as it was Saturday and Sunday, for
Gen. Otis' dispatch of this morning says:
"Enemy's resistance not so vigorous to
day." This is attributed to the fact that
our forces are now in a more open coun
try, where tho methods of guerrilla fight
ing are not so readily executed.
SITUATION SUMMED UP.
The report that the enemy has de
stroyed the railway and telegraph lines
compels our engineers practically to build
a railroad and telegraph line as our
troops advance.
An official of the war department sum
med up the military situation as fol
lows: .
"The troops are in excellent spirits.
Full supplies are on hand, and the supply
trains are keeping abreast of the men.
The enemy is losing heart, and falling
back, and tonight we wll- be within seven
miles of the enemy's capital."
Gen. Corbin does not. credit the report
that the insurgents haye abandoned their
capital and have removed back to San
Fernando. He bases this conclusion on
the fact that Gen. Otis has reported no
such movement, and he doubtless would
be quick to report any move of such vital
Importance. His reports thus far are
considered very comprehensive ahd in
telligent.
— '. T
IMPORTANT LEGISLATION.
Mlssourrl Murderer-- Teats Gallows
That Are Fan Reaching.
JEFFERSON CITY. M«., March 29.—
The Missouri house imt_ afternoon passed
the bill making the contract rate of inter
est 7 per cent, a reduction of from 8 per
cent. The bill provides also that property
sold under mortgage for a note satisfies
the debt ln full.
The house also passe* a bill which prac
tically abolishes department stores in the
state. The bill applies to cities of over 10,000
inhabitants. It divides goods into seven
ty-three classes and traces a license tax
of "1600 on each clUsg, imy store to carry
all classes must pay a tax of 138,000.
*
BULLETIN OF
IMPOBTANT NEWS OF THE DAY.
Weather Forecast For St. Paul.
Fair, North Winds.
I— Fierce Fighting; at Manila.
Samoan Town* Bombarded.
Stato* In Philippine*.
2— Bounty Law Invalid.
Eagle Street Site Oppoaed.
Tenebrae Is Said.
»— The Legislative Session.
Hon* in Joking Mood.
State Prltton Junket.
**— Editorial.
Disorder at Brussels.
6— Sporting: News.
Army Beef Inquiry.
6— Markets of the World.
Bar Silver, 59 l-'Ae.
Stocks Weaker.
7— Minneapolis Matters.
News of the Northwest.
B— ln the Field of Labor.
Return of the Fifteenth.
News of the Railroads.
ATLANTIC LINERS.
NEW YORK— Arrived: Majestic, Liver
pool. Sailed: Nordland, Antwerp; Kai
ser Wilhelm 11. , Genoa.
SOUTHAMPTON-Arrlved: St. Louis,
New York. Sailed: Kaiser Wilhelm der
Grosse, New York; Lahn, New York.
PHILADELPHIA-Salled: Netherlarid,
for Antwerp.
QUEENSTOWN— Arrived: Teutonic, New
York.
GIBRALTAR— Arrived: Aller, New York.
BOULOGNE— SaiIed: Phoenicia, New
York.
PHILADELPHIA-Arrived: Italia, Liver
pool.
ROTTERDAM— Arrived: Edam, New
York.
LIVERPOOL— SaiIed: Pennland, Phila
delphia; Catalonia, Boston.
TODAY'S EVENTS.
METROPOLITAN— "A Bachelor's Hon
eymoon," 8:15 PM.
GRAND— "A Midnight Bell," 8:15 PM.
Palm Garden— Vaudeville, 2 and 8 PM.
Women's Civic Federation, Commercial
club, 3 PM.
Lecture, Central Park Church, 8 PM.
Noonday Talk, Commercial club, D. L.
Kingsbury, 1 PM.
ALL ON BOARD LOST
STEAMER ROWENA LEE EXPLODES
HER BOILERS AND
SINKS
PASSENGERS AND CHEW LOST
Was Seen to Suddenly Stop and
Lurch as Though a Snag Had
Been Struck, Then the Boat Part
ed ln the Middle and Sank Out
of Sight Detonation of the Ex
plosion Was Terrific. _
NEW MADRID, Mo., March 29.— The
steamer Rowena Lee, with about thirty
passengers aboard, beside her crew, ex
ploded opposite Tyler about 10 o'clock this
afternoon, and immediately sank, with all
on board except Capt. Garvell and one of
the crew. The steamer left Cairo with
sixteen passengers bound for Memphis. At
Caruthersville, Mo., she landed and took
aboard fifteen more passengers. It is es
timated that with passengers and crew
she then had aboard about fifty people.
She made the next landing at Tyler, Mo.,
and at 4 o'clock this afternoon backed
into mid-stream from Tyler to proceed on
her journey.
The steamer had just reached the mid
dle of the river when she suddenly
stopped and lurched as if a snag had been
struck. The next moment the boat parted
ln the middle, a volume of steam and de
bits arose and the detonation of an ex
plosion thundered over the water.
The river is running very high and the
steamer immediately sank with all on
board, but the captain and one of the
crew. They clung to the wreckage and
were saved by boats.
The Lee was manned by the following
crew: Captain, George Carvell; first
clerk, L. T. Booker; second clerk, Gus
Mitchell; third clerk, Sam Lewis; pilots,
Sid Smith and Ed Banks; mates, John
Christy and Patrick Flanagan; engineers,
Albert Calder and Frank Stull; steward,
George W. Todd; mall clerk, M. L. Kelly.
Theodore Hunn, barkeeper; Logo
marsino, barkeeper; William Hight, col
ored, deck barkeeper.
Al Farris, of Hickman, Ky., was a pas
senger on the vessel.
Most of the crew live ln Memphis.
The number of passengers cannot be
learned.
The boat was the property of the Lees,
at Memphis. It ls stated that she had
sixty people on board, including her deck
hands. Tyler is 125 miles below hera.
WAS A MAGNIFICENT VESSEL.
MEMPHIS, Term., March 29.— The
steamer Rowena Lee was owned by the
Lee line, of Memphis, and was one of the
most magnificent passenger steamers in
the Mississippi river trade. She p.'ied
between Memphis and Cairo. News of
the sinking of the Lee spread like wild
fire in Memphis. Most of the crew lived
here. As to the passenger list of the ill
fated vessel, nothing can be obtained at
the Memphis office of the company to
night. An effort has been made to get
the names of those passengers who em
barked at Cairo, but this list had not
been received at a late hour tonight.
From local river men it was ascertained
that the Rowena Lee carried a cabin
crew of about fifteen officers and a <3eck
crew numbering about thirty. Taking
the figures and a fair number of passen
gers taken on at Cairo and other points,
lt can easily be reasoned that at least
Continued on Fourth Pace.
PRICE WO CENTS-) gfvFt' 8 %..
im warn oi
WAY TO MALOLOS
American Troops Cross the Bulacan River
Under a Galling Fire
CASUALTIES FOR THE DAY NUMBERED SEVENTY
Gen. McArthur's Brigade Within Three Hiles of the
Filipino Capital Artillery Pushed Across a
Bridge by Hand, While Hules Were Forced
Through the Water Against Stubborn Resist
ance Filipinos Yield Only When Superiority
of American Courage Compel Are Now in Full
Retreat Burning of Bulacan Scenes of
Desolation.
WASHINGTON, March 29.-The following advices from Manila Were
received by the war department tonight.
Manila, March aO.-Adjntant General, Washington. Gen. Mac A*, (bur
advanced at O yesterday (Wednesday) morning from Marilao. He pa*.ed
rapidly to Boeave, and at 11.45 took up the advance for Bigaa, and «t
3.15 in the afternoon for Gulgnnto. three and one-half miles f.om Ma
lolos, reaching that point at 5 o'clock. Casnalties for the day seven
ty. There was fierce fighting in the afternoon. The troops made the
crossing of the Bnlacan river at Guigunto by working artillery over
the railroad bridge hy hand, and swimming mnles against fierce re
sistance. The column will pass on the railroad to the extreme front,
which is nearly repaired, and will resnpply troops today. -Otis.
MANILA, March 29.— The American
army advanced at 6 o'clock this morning,
sweeping onward three miles before 10
o'clock, and driving the rebels beyond
Bocave to the west of Bulacan and on the
railroad leading to Malolos. Our troops
met with but slight resistance. The Fili
pinos fired volleys yesterday evening for
the purpose of drawing the American fire,
and disclosing the locality of our position.
Two of the Pennsylvania regiment and
one man belonging to the Dakota regi
ment were wounded. The Americans re
mained silent.
SCENES OF DESOLATION.
The country between Marilao and Ma
nila presents a picture of de'solatlon.
Smoke is curling from hundreds of ash
heaps, and the remains of trees and
fences torn by shrapnel are to be seen
everywhere. The general appearance of
the country is as if lt had been swept by
TQNt)dW2>
a cyclone. The roads are strewn with
furniture and clothing dropped ln flight by
the Filipinos. The only persons remain
ing behind are a few aged persons, too In
firm to escape. They camp beside the
ruins of the former homes, and beg pasa
ersby for any kind of assistance. The ma
jority of them are living on the generos
ity of our soldiers, who give them por
tions of their rations. The dogs of the
Filipinos cower in the bushes, still terri
fied and barking, while hundreds of pigs
«* to be seen busily searching for food.
"Bodies of dead Filipinos are stranded
in the shallows of the river or are rest
ing in the jungles where they crawled
to die or were left in the wake of the
hurriedly retreating army. These bodies
give forth a horrible odor, but there Is
no time at present to bury them.
FLED IN A PANIC.
The inhabitants who fled from Marilao
and Meycauaryan left ln such a panic
that on tables our soldiers found spread
money and valuables, and ln the rooms
were trunks containing other property
of value. This was the case in most of
the houses deserted. They were not
molested by our soldiers, but the Chi
nese, who slipped in after the armies,
are looting when they can, and have
taken possession of several houses, over
which they raise the Chinese flag, some
of which were torn down.
A colored woman was found hidden ln
a house at Meycauaryan yesterday, just
dead, apparently from fright and hun
ger.
The American forces met with strong
opposition in the jungle. First one Ne
braskan, then one Pennsylvanian, and
afterwards two of the Montana regiments
were killed. Thirty-five were wounded.
Including one officer of the Kansas regi
ment. The rebels burned the villages
ns they retreated in bad order towards
Malolos. The enemy also tore up sec
tions of the railroad in many places and
attempted to burn the bridge at Bigaa,
but the flre was extinguished, owing to
the timely arrival of the . Americans.
The rebels had not finished their trenches
along the line of today's march, showing
they were not prepared for our advance.
It ls believed, however, that there will
be a hard flght before Malolos Is taken.
THIRTEENTH TO THE FRONT.
The Minnesota regiment re-enforced the
division today, marching from the water
works during the night to Manila and
going to the front by train.
BURNING OF BULACAN.
The insurgents have burned Bulacan
and retired from that stronghold. Evi
dently the attack on it by the army gun
boats and the approach of the American
army on the land side convinced the in
surgents that the city was no longer
tenable. It ls also apparent that Agui
naldo's aimy is in great fear of being
surrounded and captured or exterminated
in a body. Information received in Ma
nila today indicates that the Filipino con
gress ar.d all the officers of the govern
ment who are not with the retreating
and discomfited army have fled from
Malolos and established a new ca.ital at
San Fernando, twenty miles northwest
of Malolos and forty-five mi'es from Ma
nila, in the province of Pampanga. It is
Map showing the position of San Fernan
do, reported to be the new seat of the
insurgent government.
now expected that Malolos will be cap
tured by the Americans within a day or
two.
ATTACKING FILIPINOS ROUTED.
The attack of a force of rebels on the
Americans north of the Merilao river yes
terday afternoon was remarkable in be
ing the first engagement since the move
ment northward began which was
brought on by the insurgents as the ag
gressors. It was 5;?.0 o'clock when the
attack opened. The Third artillery occu
pied a position to the left of the railway,
while the position of the Nebraska troops
was concealed by woods on the extreme
right of the American line. The insur
gents came into sight two miles from the
Americans, emerging from the woods ahd
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