The Philippines: Past and Present (Volume 1 of 2)Worcester, Dean C. (Dean Conant)
History
The Philippines: Past and Present (Volume 1 of 2)
Worcester, Dean C. (Dean Conant)
Philippines; Philippines -- History -- 1898-1946
"For two long hours we were detained in the middle of the
street under the rays of a burning sun and to the scandal of
the immense crowd which had been gathered together to witness
the denouement of the tragedy. The priests had hardly come into
the presence of Villa when Fathers Isidro and Florentino were
called out for the purpose of having heaped upon them a flood
of insults and affronts. Father Isidro was ordered by Villa to
interview Sr. Sabas Orros, who, Villa supposed, would wreak his
revenge blindly upon him, but he was greatly mistaken, as said
gentleman treated the priest with great respect; the tyrant
remained talking to Father Florentino in the reception room
of the headquarters building, and when it appeared that such
talk would come to blows, the elder of the Americans left one
of the rooms toward the reception room, and the scene suddenly
changing, Villa arose and addressing the priest said: 'I am
pleased to introduce to you an American Brigadier-General,
Mr. N.' The latter returned a cordial greeting in Spanish to
the priest who made a courteous acknowledgment; after this
exchange of courtesies, Villa resumed his defamatory work,
pouring out a string of absurdities and infamous insults
upon the friars, going so far as to say in so many words:
'from the bishop down you are all thieves and depraved' he
added another word which it would be shameful to write down,
and so he went on from one abyss to another without regard
to reputations or the respect due to venerated persons.
"The American let his disgust be seen while Villa was talking,
and the latter understood these protests and ordered the
priest to withdraw, the comedy coming to an end by the
American shaking hands with the priest and offering him
assistance. Villa would not shake hands with him, as was
natural, but the priest was able to see that he was confused
when he saw the distinction and courtesy with which an
American general had treated a helpless friar. What a narrow
idea did the Americans form of the government of Aguinaldo,
represented by men as savage and inhuman as Villa!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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