The statements in question were not rumours, they
were deliberate expressions of opinion on the part of a man who had
first-hand information and knew what he was saying.
They were not the Admiral's only allegations on this subject. When
testifying before the Senate committee he said:--
"_Admiral Dewey_. I knew that there was no government in the whole of
the Philippines. Our fleet had destroyed the only government there
was, and there was no other government; there was a reign of terror
throughout the Philippines, looting, robbing, murdering; a reign of
terror throughout the islands."
_La Laguna_
Having brought our tourist friends safely back to Manila, we must
now leave them there and strike out by ourselves if we are to see
other provinces.
La Laguna lies just east of Manila. Of it we learn that:
"Laguna Province was so overrun by bands of robbers that the head of
the pueblo of San Pablo ordered the people to concentrate in the town
to avoid their attacks." [305]
_Bataan_
The province of Bataan lies just across the bay from Manila.
"On January 10, 1899, the secretary of the interior directed the
governor of Bataan Province to ascertain the whereabouts of a number
of men who had just deserted with their rifles from the commands
there.
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