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.

"I, for my part, ask that Major Carmona be arrested together with
his accomplices in the mat