“Kabatuan, March 16, 1899.

(Signed) “Jovito Yusay,

“Temporary President.

(Signed) “Francisco Soriano,

“General Secretary.”

—­P.I.R., 52. 5.

[402] “Martin Delgado y Bermejo, lieutenant general and general in chief of the republican army of the Visayan Islands.

“General Headquarters of Santa Barbara,

“April 20, 1899.

“The existence of a state of war, and the trying circumstances through which the country is now passing have brought about a complete change in the order of nearly all the pueblos; and I have noticed with profound regret that sacking, robbery, sequestrations, and other crimes highly dishonourable to our noble cause, are of daily occurrence.  With a view to preventing such conduct in the future, and in order to guarantee to the inhabitants of the military district under my command the most complete tranquillity, I hereby decree: 

“1.  That any person or persons who commit acts of brigandage, sequestration, incendiarism, rape, or other disturbances of a public nature calculated to excite the public, or which infringe individual or property rights, shall be severely punished in accordance with military law.

“2.  That all offenders who present themselves to the Local or Military Authorities within the 30 days immediately following this date, and who turn over their arms and join our forces and help to fight other outlaws and to defend the nation, will be pardoned for the crimes they have committed.

“3.  That when the period of 30 days above mentioned has passed, any person taken in the act of committing robbery, or who attempts to rob with an organized band of outlaws, or who steals, rapes, or performs acts of incendiarism, or any other criminal act, will be summarily condemned to death by a military tribunal.

“The Local Juntas of the various towns in conjunction with citizens of standing and the military authorities will organize a vigilance service to maintain public order and the authority of the law.

“M.  Delgado.”

—­P.I.R., Books B 4.

[403] “February 13, 1899.

(In the margin:  A stamp which says:) “Philippine Republic—­Headquarters of operations of the provinces of Southern Luzon.

“It is with great regret that I have learned that robberies, assaults, kidnapping, and other crimes which are committed only by barbarous and savage tribes, are taking place in our towns, without taking into consideration that the purpose of the insurrection which has given origin to our social regeneration is true justice, for the reestablishment of which the lives and property are being sacrificed of all who are proud of being called Filipinos.  These acts are being committed without restriction by civilians as well as soldiers perhaps with the cooeperation of their respective chiefs, to the shame of the authority vested in them and to the prejudice of the society to which they unworthily belong, and even to the integrity itself of the Republic.  And in order that these barbarous and savage acts may disappear and that rigorous and exemplary punishment be meted out, I have deemed it proper to forward to you for general information the proclamation of these Headquarters of February 12th last, which is as follows”: