Domingo Franco declared (fols. 1,381-1,382), in answer to a question
during his trial, as to what he knew in reference to the purchase of
arms and ammunition, that "all he knew was that arms and ammunition
had been purchased, because at the end of 1895, or the beginning
of 1896, he saw Francisco L. Rojas in his office in Calle Jolo, and
the said Rojas told him that he had received a quantity of arms and
ammunition." He stated moreover, that he did not know the make or
number, nor where they had been landed.
Tomas Prieto of Nueva Caceres mentioned the receipt of 50 arms from
Bato. He also stated that Mariano Melgarejo, according to references
from Macario Valentin, received a load of arms in eleven cases from
Pasacao."
Pio Valenzuela affirmed that the arms borne by the rebels were for
the most part domestic bolos [71] and lances, and that the chiefs
were armed with revolvers." These revolvers were, he affirmed,
acquired from the Maestranzi de Artilleria.
Juan Castañeda declared that "the Japanese offered to land here 100,000
rifles with their ammunition, the expense of which should be paid in
a fixed number of years."
Numeriano Adriano also affirmed that it had been decided to purchase
arms in Japan and that one of the islands of the Archipelago should
be given to Japan in exchange for its aid.
Domingo Abella affirmed that he had visited Francisco Rojas in his
office for the purpose of finding out if the arms which the tailor
Luis Villareal had ordered for the society, had arrived; and that
although Francisco Rojas did not belong to the society, he was
encharged to portion out the arms and commissioned to bring them to
Manila. Francisco told him that he could not provide him with any as
they were all sold.
The net cost of the arms and ammunition necessary to carry out
the revolt was considerable, and as their introduction into the
country would have to be very carefully planned, and be carried out
with the greatest secrecy, the original cost would be considerably
increased. Large sums of money were therefore necessary to cover
expenses. Although the entrance fees and monthly subscriptions were
considerable they could not produce the amount necessary to provide
for the revolution, especially when there existed such a wide spread
tendency among those who handled the funds, to absorb them as a sponge
absorbs water. Castillo in his work concerning this association and
its funds says [72]:
"Undoubtedly it (the Katipunan) possessed large sums of money,
only the most insignificant part of which, according to report, was
discovered in the possession of Pio Valenzuela, preserved in gold and
amounting, we believe, to less than 30,000 pesos. These resources
could not cover the extraordinary expenses of the propaganda, that
of the Commissioners sent to Japan to treat with that power on the
question of a protectorate, and that of the coming war expenses which
were without doubt, very considerable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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