“Otis requests parley, and our representatives being present, he tells them to request peace and conditions, to which they replied that he, and not they, should see to that, so the parley accomplished nothing.

“To-day, Wednesday, a decisive battle will be fought.

“Among the 5000 prisoners there are two generals.  Tomorrow 7.15 Pasig in our power.  Americans little by little leaving for Manila.

“General Malbar to Provincial Chief Batangas.

“According to reports by telegraph hostilities have commenced and all at Santa Mesa have fallen into our hands, also Pasay and Maytubig.

“American boat surrendered at Laguna de Bay many prisoners taken.

“General Ricarte to Provincial Chief of Batangas:  Battle stopped by truce Japan and Germany intervene to learn who provoked war.

“Foreigners favor parley one American general and chiefs and officers dead.” [415]

Santa Ana is a suburb of Manila.  The Rosario and Escolta are the main business streets of the city.

Apparently the Insurgents must have thought that colonels were as numerous in our army as in theirs, for they reported two thousand of them killed on February 6, 1899, and threw in one general for good measure. [416]

We learn from the Filipino Herald for February 23, 1899, that on that day the Filipino army captured and occupied the suburbs of Manila, while American troops were besieged in the outskirts of the city, at La Loma, and in the neighbouring town of Caloocan. [417]

But why continue.  No tale concerning American losses in the Philippines was too fantastic to be told by the leaders and believed by the soldiery and the populace.  The American soldiers were even said to be refusing to fight, and great prisons were being constructed in order properly to punish them.

General MacArthur and his entire staff were captured before March 2, 1900, according to a letter sent to General Moxica of Leyte on that date. [418]

And what of conditions in the United States during this troubled period?  We learn from the Insurgent records that prior to January 15, 1900, “the Union Army” had met with a new disaster, as a result of which President McKinley tendered his resignation, being succeeded by Mr. Bryan.  Philippine independence was to be proclaimed on February 4, 1899.  On January 20, “General Otis’s successor, John Waterly, of the democratic party,” arrived at Manila with papers and instructions relative to proclaiming the Philippine Republic. [419] Things now went from bad to worse.  The trouble between democrats and republicans resulted in an insurrection.  Before August, 1901, President McKinley had brought about strained relations between Germany and the United States by bribing an anarchist to assassinate the German Emperor. [420] Before September 15, 1901, he had been killed by a member of the Democratic party, and the Filipinos could acclaim their independence. [421]