Preparations for the attack, which was to begin inside the city of Manila, were now rapidly pushed to conclusion.  I quote Taylor’s excellent summary of them:—­

“After Aguinaldo’s proclamation of January 5 the number of organizations charged with an attack within the city increased rapidly and it is possible that those which had been formed during Spanish rule had never been disbanded.  Sandico’s clubs for athletic exercises and mutual improvement formed a nucleus for these bodies and the directing boards of the popular committees took up the work of recruiting, while some of the members became officers of the militia or sandatahan.  On January 6 the commander of militia in Trozo, Manila, reported that 1130 soldiers had been enrolled by the popular committee.  On January 7 Bonifacio Arevalo forwarded to the head of the central committee a list of the officers of the battalion which had just been organized in Sampaloc for the defence of their liberties.  Apparently about the same time J. Limjap submitted to Sandico a project for arming the prisoners in Bilibid Prison with the arms of the American soldiers quartered in the Zorrilla Theatre across the street.  He said:—­

“’Jacinto Limjap having been proclaimed commander of the volunteers of the penitentiary, I ask you to authorize the creation of a disciplinary battalion and the provisional appointments of officers for 600 sandatahan, or militia, ready to provide themselves by force with the American rifles in the Zorrilla Theatre.’

“He followed by a statement of the officers desired.  It was not difficult for him to obtain volunteers there to rob, to burn, to rape and to murder.  These were the crimes for which they were serving sentences.  The political prisoners had been released....

“On January 18 Sandico approved of the officers for the first battalion organized by the committees of Sampaloc; on January 27 he approved those of the second battalion.  By January 22 two battalions had been organized in Quiapo.  At least one regiment of eight companies was raised in Binondo, for on January 23 its commander forwarded a roll of the officers to Aguinaldo for his approval....  On January 25 T. Sandico, at Malolos, submitted for approval the names of a number of officers of the territorial militia in the city of Manila.  On January 30, 1899, a roll of four companies just organized in Malate was forwarded approved by T. Sandico, and on the same day the committee of Trozo, Manila, applied to T. Sandico for permission to recruit a body for the defence of the country.  The regiment of ‘Armas Blancas’ had already been raised in Tondo and Binondo.  It was in existence there in December, 1898, and may have been originally organized to act against Spain.  On February 2 all officers of the territorial militia in Manila reported at Caloocan, in accordance with orders of Sandico, for the purpose of receiving their commissions and taking the oath to the flag.  A man who took part in this ceremony wrote that a multitude