Don Felipe knew his own people.  He also knew, none better, what they had in mind at this time.

As it was the Insurgent forces made the most of such opportunity as they had, and their own records show it.

In the suburbs of Manila they sacked and committed outrages, threatening people with their arms, and this was still going on a week after the fall of Manila. [167]

General Pio del Pilar was believed to be responsible for much of this misconduct, and Mabini proposed that as it was necessary for him to leave the vicinity of Manila, and they could not remove him by force, he be promoted. [168]

Some time during this month Sandico wrote Aguinaldo as follows:—­

“The Americans have already heard of the frequent cases of kidnapping (dukut) occurring in Tondo, San Sebastian and San Miguel.  Last night some of ours were surprised in the act of kidnapping a person.  I have also heard that many persons are asking for contributions of war.  I tell them [169] that you know nothing of all this and that if some persons are kidnapped it is due to the hate of the natives for the Spanish spies and secret police, which is great.” [170]

Evidently Sandico continued to interest himself in the matter of preventing disorder, for on September 24, 1898, he wrote Aguinaldo from Manila as follows:—­

“By authority of General Don Pio del Pilar and accompanied by the War Auditor, Senor Urbano, we entered a prison where the individuals Mariano de la Cruz and Mariano Crisostomo were kept.  They were almost prostrated.  They had lately been released from Bilibid where they had been confined for political crimes.  On being asked the reason for their imprisonment they began by showing us their bodies from which blood still issued as the result of the barbarous treatment received from Major Carmona who, by the way, is the same person of whom I spoke to you in one of my previous letters; I declared to you then that he had assaulted, revolver in hand, a man in the middle of one of the most frequented streets of the suburb of Paco on pure suspicion.

“The prisoners in question stated that if they admitted the accusations made against them it was for fear of greater punishments promised by said Major.  The officer of the guard took the liberty of striking with his fist the one who dared to express himself so.

“Before such a spectacle Major Bell found himself forced to tell them that brutal acts are not precisely a recommendation for a country that wished to be free and that they, the Americans, do not arrest any one without just cause. [171]

“I take the liberty of calling your attention to the matter in question and other abuses in order that the measures you may think fit be adopted to remedy this evil.  In fact, we are making a target of ourselves in the sight of all nations, especially so in that of the Americans who note any act of ours and judge us secretly now in order to do so later in public.  To make light of this is to plant a seed of future injury to us, because many will desire to place themselves under the protection of the American flag, seeing that ours refuses to defend the citizens’ individual rights.