“They all agreed that on the following day Aguinaldo, their chief, should make representations to the Governor of Cavite; so he went away very early the following morning, presented himself to the governor, and in the name of the people of Cavite Viejo offered him their respects and their loyalty to Spain, at the same time requesting him to condescend to send to his town a garrison of 100 men for its security.  The governor replied that he would first consult the captain-general, and if the proposition was approved he would send the garrison at once.

“As Aguinaldo was greatly beloved by the governor and his wife, they offered him wine and sweetmeats.  As soon as this was over he took his leave and returned happy to his town.  On arrival in the town he assembled all the compromised persons and informed them of the brilliant result of his efforts.  Continuing, he told them that then was the opportune moment for rising in arms against the Spaniards.  To this they unanimously replied by saying it was terrible, because no arms were available, and that for this reason it would certainly prove to be a disaster for them.

“But Aguinaldo, in company with his godfather, the lamented Candido Tirona, insisted on convincing them with their strong arguments.  They made them understand that Spanish cruelty would annihilate them without fail, and for no other reason than that they were members of the Katipunan.

“As it happened, at that very time there were two ‘Guardia Civil’ soldiers in the court-house.  So at about 2 o’clock in the morning, Aguinaldo and Tirona went directly to the court-house.  Arriving there, these two determined insurgent chiefs intimated to the guards that they should surrender their equipments.  These replied that it was impossible, and said they would die first.  Instantly a struggle ensued between the four men, which lasted nearly an hour.  But it resulted in favor of the insurgent chiefs who succeeded in taking the guns and cartridges.  Once in possession of these armaments, the two chiefs, accompanied by a number of the town people, directed themselves to the convent in order to capture the curate.  Very unfortunately for them, the curate was no longer there when they arrived; he had made his escape.  While the struggle was going on with the guards in the court-house, he received the news and fled at once by embarking in a native boat.

“The insurgent chiefs then returned to the court-house and immediately prepared a communication to all the municipal captains in the provinces of Cavite, Batangas and Laguna, inviting them to at once rise against Spain, and stating that their own town of Cavite Viejo was already freed from slavery.

“Each one of these communications was sent out by a mounted courier, so that before the expiration of many hours all the towns in Cavite Province were informed of what had taken place in Cavite Viejo.