(Signed) “Martín Delgado,
“Governor-General-President.”
—P.I.R., 881. 4.
[5] “On April 10, 1899, General Delgado wrote that, benignity having failed, rigorous methods would be used to enforce collections and that if the people did not pay—
“‘I shall, with great pain, see myself under the necessity of withdrawing all my forces to the mountains and leaving them [the pueblos] to the fate which God will decide upon,’ which of course meant that he would leave them to the mercy of the bandits who stood ready to descend upon them.”—P.I.R., B., 4.
“This threat was not an idle one.”—Taylor, 67 HS. E-L.
[6] “Santa Cruz, Laguna, July, 1899.
“Hon. Sr. Emilio Aguinaldo....
“There was a notorious bandit here who was the terror of the province with his gang; I had him arrested and shot and the robberies ceased. Murders were being committed; I had the murderers caught, shot one of them, and there were no more murders; officers of the reserve would consider themselves kings in their towns, they would shoot the local presidentes and commit other unlawful acts; I disarmed them, and tried the most celebrated one, called Arcadio Castillo, alias Bancucane, who attempted to escape and was killed. With the death of these persons order has been completely reëstablished in this province. Several had rifles that were used only for robbery and after two or three trials all turned over their rifles, and the arming of the battalion was completed.