held for two years. Some
weeks before Arquiza vacated office two American miners were murdered
by the natives a few miles up the province. The murderers, when caught,
sought to justify their deed by alleging that a municipal councillor
named Eduardo Alvarez (no relation to the Vicente Alvarez already
mentioned) had persuaded them that the miners were secretly engaged in
poisoning the local wells. The whole municipal council was therefore
cited to appear before the American Governor, who severely reprimanded
Alvarez, whereupon this man withdrew from the audience-chamber, and
his fellow-councillors volunteered such information against him that
the Governor instantly issued a warrant for his apprehension. But the
native police who went to his house to execute the warrant let him
escape on horseback to the mountains, where he organized a band of
outlaws and lived for about four months by robbery and violence. Under
these circumstances the American Governor summarily dismissed Mariano
Arquiza from the municipal presidency in the spring of 1903, and, much
to the public chagrin, re-appointed Midel to the vacancy. The offer of
$1,000 for the capture of Eduardo Alvarez spurred Midel into further
activity, and under his direction the bandit was discovered hiding
in a canoe in a swamp. On the approach of his pursuers the outlaw
threw up his hands in sign of surrender, which was responded to by
a volley of gunshots, for it was Alvarez's corpse which was wanted
in Zamboanga. Isidoro Midel is an interesting character, apparently
about forty-eight years of age. Brought up as a Roman Catholic, he
assured me that he was a Protestant, with the strongest sympathy,
however, for the Aglipayan movement (_vide_ Chap. xxx.).

Another interesting man, closely associated with recent events in
Zamboanga, is the Mahometan Spanish-Moro half-caste Datto Mandi, the
_Rajahmudah_ or heir-apparent to the _Manguiguin_ or Sultan of Mindanao
(_vide_ p. 131). Born about the year 1860, he and his tribe of Samals
lived on friendly terms with the Spaniards, who in 1887 sent him and
a number of his people to the Philippine Exhibition held in Madrid in
that year. His exploits in aid of the Spaniards in Cebu are recorded at
page 406. He speaks Spanish fluently, and can just write his name. He
is very affable and hospitable to visitors. The whole family professes
the Mahometan religion. He has a beautiful daughter Gafas (which
in Moro language signifies "cotton,"